Zealandia is 4.9 Mkm², significantly larger than Mauritia, which is 408,000 km² (12 times larger), and that can make us realise what scale we are talking about. Neuendorf holds that a great area is inherent in a continent’s definition, and Cogley had already suggested in 1984 Central America (1.3 Mkm²), Arabia (4.6 Mkm²), and India (4.6 Mkm²) to be considered as new continents.
However, this criterion is not conclusive by itself, as the well-known greatest continents have not only a vast area, but are spatially isolated by geologic or bathymetric features.
Then, microcontinents are nothing more than fragments of the continental crust scattered in the world’s oceans. The clearest examples are Madagascar, East Tasmania Plateau, Jan Mayen, Mauritia, and the Golden Dragon Plateau (Gulden Draak Knoll).
Even so, distinguishing microcontinents from continents can be considered as an arbitrary practice.
{:es}Siempre es emocionante dibujar nuevas regiones en el mapamundi. Ahora, Mauritia y Zelandia forman parte de nuestra cartografía.{:}
geographicmind.com
