Buzz
Long ago, Earth existed as a single, massive landmass. Over millions of years, this supercontinent, Pangaea, fragmented into smaller pieces, eventually forming the continents we are familiar with today—at least the ones that rise above the ocean's surface.
10. New Moore/South Talpatti
Known as New Moore Island in India and South Talpatti Island in Bangladesh, this small patch of land in the Bay of Bengal became a point of dispute after emerging following the 1971 Bhola Cyclone. Situated at the mouth of the Hariabhanga River, which marks the border between Bangladesh and India, the newly-formed island was claimed by both nations.
With both nations unwilling to relinquish control of the potentially oil-rich island, tensions escalated quickly. The Indian Coast Guard routinely visited to assert their presence by planting their flag, only for the Bangladeshis to remove it shortly afterward. Eventually, India even deployed its Border Security Force to the island.
It likely came as a surprise to both countries when the island they had been bickering over mysteriously sank once again in 2010.
9. Graham Island/Ferdinandea/Ile Julia
As suggested by its bewildering array of names, Graham Island, Ferdinandea, or Ile Julia was the subject of competing claims by several nations. Situated off the coast of Sicily, the island has appeared and disappeared multiple times, but it was its emergence in July 1831 that triggered a major, four-way diplomatic crisis.
The British were the first to lay claim to the island, planting a flag and naming it 'Graham Island' in honor of Sir James Graham. Soon after, the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies raised their own flag and renamed it 'Ferdinandea.' A month later, the French appeared with their own flag, dubbing it 'Ile Julia.' Spain also staked a claim, but without a flag or name, their claim was largely ignored.
As expected, the island sank soon after the French planted their flag, bringing an end to its brief six-month existence. Today, the island sits just 8 meters (26 ft) beneath the surface, suggesting it might resurface in the future. Anticipating renewed disputes, Italian divers have already gone underwater and planted their own flag on it.
8. Lohachara Island
One of the more recent casualties of rising sea levels, Lohachara was submerged in 2006—making it the first inhabited island to be lost due to climate change. Located in India’s Sundarbans, where the Brahmaputra and Ganges rivers meet the Bay of Bengal, the island was home to up to 10,000 people. As it sank, most of the residents migrated to the nearby Sagar Island, which is now also facing the same fate.
The island's sinking wreaked havoc on its already impoverished residents. One woman recounted how she had left to visit family, only to return the next day and discover that her farm had 'collapsed into the river.' She attempted to leap into the fast-moving current to save her sheep, but her neighbors stopped her. Her family was later forced to relocate to a new island, where 'we don’t have any agricultural land and have to work as laborers. My son has grown up and now works on a ship.'
7. Beringia
Beringia, also known as the Bering Land Bridge, was a land bridge that once connected North America to Asia, often regarded as the most likely route for the first humans to have entered the Americas. The landmass itself existed until roughly 12,000 years ago, although portions of Beringia still remain today, such as Alaska's northwest coast and the eastern tip of Russia. Beringia spanned approximately 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) in length and 4,800 kilometers (3,000 miles) in width.
However, the first Americans didn’t just use Beringia as a land bridge—they are now believed to have actually lived there for up to 10,000 years before crossing into Alaska. They couldn’t have moved into North America any earlier due to the thick ice sheets that covered Alaska and Canada during that period.
Since much of Beringia remains submerged, no human remains have been discovered there. However, studies have shown that modern Native Americans share a common ancestry with a boy from the early Clovis culture, supporting the idea of an isolated population migrating from Beringia. The Na-Dene language spoken in Canada and Alaska has also been proven to have a shared ancestry with the Yeniseian language of Siberia.
6. Mauritia
While Beringia served as a land bridge between two continents, Mauritia was an entire microcontinent in its own right. About a quarter the size of Madagascar, Mauritia now lies beneath the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius. Fragments of this ancient landmass have also been found as far away as the Seychelles.
Mauritia was uncovered after scientists on Mauritius discovered zircons—crystals that are highly resistant to erosion and chemical processes. These zircons clearly didn't originate from Mauritius itself, as the island formed through volcanic lava flows from the ocean floor, which wouldn’t produce zircons. Further testing revealed that these crystals were around two billion years old, far older than any nearby landmass (Mauritius itself is only about nine million years old). It is now believed that volcanic eruptions that formed the island also brought these zircons to the surface, offering evidence of the ancient continent lying beneath.
We now know that Mauritius, Madagascar, and India were once part of a supercontinent known as Rodinia. Over time, India broke away and drifted off, leaving behind Mauritia and Madagascar. Eventually, Madagascar separated as well, and Mauritia gradually submerged into the ocean.
5. The Kerguelen Plateau
Today, the Kerguelen Plateau is one of the largest volcanic plateaus in the world, located beneath the Antarctic Polar Front. However, much like Mauritia, it was once a small continent, about three times the size of Japan.
The Kerguelen Plateau emerged above the ocean on three distinct occasions over a span of 80 million years, remaining above sea level for roughly 40 million years before finally sinking beneath the waves around 20 million years ago.
The Kerguelen Plateau was first discovered by humans in 1772 when French explorer Yves Joseph de Kerguelen-Tremarac stumbled upon it during his search for 'Terra Australis,' a mythical land believed to balance out the Northern Hemisphere’s excess of landmasses. De Kerguelen-Tremarac rushed to inform the French king that he had found new land, only to be thrown in prison after a costly second expedition confirmed that the plateau was completely submerged underwater.
4. The Lost Villages
'The Lost Villages' refers to a series of Canadian towns intentionally submerged in the 1950s to make way for the St. Lawrence Seaway. This ambitious engineering project, now seen as one of the 20th century’s great achievements, aimed to provide electricity and deepen the St. Lawrence waterway enough to accommodate large cargo ships traveling to the Great Lakes.
Nine Canadian villages and two American islands were entirely submerged, with the villages now resting below the man-made St. Lawrence Lake. Over 6,500 people and 500 homes had to be relocated before the villages sank. Additionally, rail tracks and highways were also moved.
The only cemetery that had to be moved was the Maple Grove Cemetery, as it stood in the way of the project’s progress. The rest of the cemeteries were simply covered with limestone before being flooded.
3. Lion City
China’s Shicheng, known as 'the Lion City,' has earned the title of the Atlantis of the East. Unlike the mythical Atlantis, Shicheng is a real and breathtakingly beautiful city. Situated in Zhejiang Province, the city was over 1,300 years old when it was intentionally submerged in 1959 during the creation of the Xin’an River Hydropower Station. More than 300,000 residents had to be relocated before it disappeared under the waters of Lake Qiandao.
Archaeologists have dubbed the Lion City a 'time capsule' because the submerged city’s waters have remarkably preserved its ancient structures and stone carvings from the Qing and Ming dynasties. Unlike other Chinese cities, the Lion City is entered through five gates, not four, and its walls trace back to the 16th century.
2. Sundaland
Another submerged microcontinent, Sundaland is located in what is now Southeast Asia. It was the largest landmass to be submerged after the last ice age, with the second largest being Doggerland, which once connected Great Britain to Europe. Sundaland sank around 19,000 years ago as the sea level rose by about 100 meters (328 ft) due to the melting of glaciers.
When it was above sea level, Sundaland was twice the size of India, stretching from Burma to Borneo and encompassing what are now Malaysia and Indonesia. It even unified the islands of modern Southeast Asia into one vast landmass that reached all the way to the Philippines.
Naturally, Sundaland has been associated with Plato’s famous Atlantis legend, as well as with the mythical continent of Lemuria. One theory even suggests that the Garden of Eden may have been located on Sundaland, which would help explain its disappearance.
1. Verdronken Land Van Reimerswaal
Verdronken Land van Reimerswaal, meaning "the drowned land of Reimerswaal," is all that remains of a once-thriving town in the Netherlands. Reimerswaal was an important port city, flourishing through the trade of mussels and oysters. However, the town’s downfall began with the disastrous St. Felix Flood in November 1530, which flooded many of its streets with seawater. Two years later, a second storm severed Reimerswaal’s connection to South Beveland, which led to economic decline and prompted many residents to seek higher ground.
In 1551, another storm destroyed the floodbanks protecting the town, causing several nearby villages to be submerged. The final floodbank was breached by another flood in 1555, allowing the sea to flood the area. Additional floods followed, and by the late 17th century, only ruins remained of the town. By the 18th century, Reimerswaal was entirely submerged under water.
