# The story behind Gondwana ? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 20, 2019, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-story-behind-gondwana/828108 "2019-01-20T16:36:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![am77494](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2019, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-story-behind-gondwana/828108/1 "2019-01-20T16:36:47Z")
This question is about Gondwana - “a supercontinent that existed from the Neoproterozoic until the Carboniferous” I grew up in India, not far from the tribes of Gond who called their region Gondwana. So I was quite surprised to learn later in life about Gondwana being also the name of the prehistoric supercontinent. There is a short history in Wikipedia - “The continent of Gondwana was named by Austrian scientist Eduard Suess, after the Gondwana region of central India which is derived from Sanskrit for “forest of the Gonds”. “ My question is why Gondwana ? Especially since Suess could have chosen any name from European tribes or myth ? ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2019, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-story-behind-gondwana/828108/2 "2019-01-20T17:02:31Z")
> [@am77494](#): > > My question is why Gondwana ? Especially since Suess could have chosen any name from European tribes or myth ? Why use a European-based name when Europe was never part of Gondwana? Note that Gondwana/Gonwanaland, the supercontinent, isn’t named _directly after the forest region, or the tribe. It’s named after a_\* geological formation\*\*\* in the area (which \*is \*named after the region) which hosts the same _[Glossopteris](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossopteris)_ flora characteristic of other places in Gondwanaland. I’m not 100% certain, but I believe India hosts the most _Glossopteris_ diversity, so was accorded more importance in the naming. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2019, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-story-behind-gondwana/828108/3 "2019-01-20T19:15:25Z")
As an aside, for many years I would often see a car on my commute bearing the bumper sticker “Reunite Gondwanaland!” ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2019, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-story-behind-gondwana/828108/4 "2019-01-21T01:58:42Z")
Geological naming, especially for the larger eras and periods was mainly done in the 19th century, and these names have become so normalised and ingrained that we often dont recognise the names at their core even when they are still extant. Everyone’s seen Jurassic Park, but not the Jura Mountains. God-forsaken Perm gave us the Permian, the Devon from Devon in England, and so on. Much more exciting than the Bungiwup Upper Mudstone and modern descriptive naming. Awareness of these connections (and the rather different brain space that 19th century geologists had) gives you an insight into how they saw their world and started understanding that it could make sense without divine authorship. Neat stuff! ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2019, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-story-behind-gondwana/828108/5 "2019-01-21T02:08:53Z")
> [@Banksiaman](#): > > Geological naming, especially for the larger eras and periods was mainly done in the 19th century, and these names have become so normalised and ingrained that we often dont recognise the names at their core even when they are still extant. > > Everyone’s seen Jurassic Park, but not the Jura Mountains. God-forsaken Perm gave us the Permian, the Devon from Devon in England, and so on. Much more exciting than the Bungiwup Upper Mudstone and modern descriptive naming. > > Awareness of these connections (and the rather different brain space that 19th century geologists had) gives you an insight into how they saw their world and started understanding that it could make sense without divine authorship. Neat stuff! The Cambrian from Cambria, that is, Wales. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2019, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-story-behind-gondwana/828108/6 "2019-01-21T02:11:35Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > As an aside, for many years I would often see a car on my commute bearing the bumper sticker “Reunite Gondwanaland!” I want one that says “Why Do You Hate Pangaea?” 😃