Dutch researchers have discovered a continent beneath Europe that sank 140 million years ago, highlighting the magnitude of change the world map has seen over the centuries.
According to CNN, the researchers were guided by the discovery while conducting a study on the complex geological composition of the terrain in the Mediterranean region.
The new continent, called Adria the Great, is an area the size of Greenland.
The scientists reported that this hidden continent was part of North Africa, and then separated from the region, and sank under the waters of southern Europe.
Many people spend their annual vacations on a part of the continent without knowing it, said Dawei van Hensbergen, a researcher in ancient geography at the University of Utrecht.
He added that the only remaining part of the island, is the area extending from Turin, Italy, and make up what looks like a shoe, ie Italy as well as mountains in France, Greece and Turkey. The researchers relied on a special digital program, as well as detailed geological data, to map the possible map of what has been described as "the eighth continent."