ChrisR Posted February 20, 2017 Report Share Posted February 20, 2017 No longer simply the little islands next to that big island south of the equator, Zealandia (not to be confused with Zoolander or Zoolandia) is now being declared an actual continent in its own right! Yes, it's true. Granted, it's also a fact that 94% of the new continent's 1.9 million square miles can only be visited by SCUBA and bathyscaphe, but that's a YUGE chunk of harbor area. Question of the day, of course, is whether the nation will now expand its national borders to incorporate the enlarged reach. Take that, South China Sea! Way to go, NZ! You can't make this stuff up! http://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/scientists-discover-gigantic-lost-continent-that-sunk-into-the-ocean-millions-of-years-ago/news-story/960ddddbc7e338bcf9048255dfb18e56 Link to comment
Gee Whillickers Posted February 20, 2017 Report Share Posted February 20, 2017 Most are going to think, "Well, that's interesting and all, but so what? It's only useful for people who study that sort of thing." However, it is possible this will have some interesting implications politically and economically due to the loose standards on what constitutes a Maritime Border. One of the criteria used is that all waters above a country's continental shelf are within their jurisdiction in terms of resources, shipping rights, legal reach, etc. So, this could end up being an interesting debate. Link to comment
Cole Parker Posted February 20, 2017 Report Share Posted February 20, 2017 Population-wise, Indonesia is the fourth largest country in the world; New Zealand is the 127th, right behind Oman and Liberia. I would hope, if this causes some friction, it can be resolved amicably. Link to comment
Merkin Posted February 21, 2017 Report Share Posted February 21, 2017 Once the Kiwis get their own Trump-like leader, no doubt he will want to build a border wall. Link to comment
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