The single giant supercontinent that existed about 200 to 300 million years ago, when all landmasses were joined together, is called:

Pangaea (also spelt Pangea) was a supercontinent that included almost all of the Earth's landmasses. It formed about 335 million years ago and began to break apart about 200 million years ago.

Meaning of the name:

• "Pangaea" comes from the Greek words "pan" (all) and "Gaia" (Earth), meaning "all lands".
• The name became widely known through the theory of continental drift, put forward in 1912.

Break-up of Pangaea:

• Pangaea first split into two large landmasses: Laurasia in the north and a southern landmass that included present-day South America, Africa, India, Australia and Antarctica.
• These landmasses later broke into the continents we know today, which slowly drifted to their present positions.
• The Atlantic Ocean formed as the Americas separated from Europe and Africa.
• India broke away from the southern landmass and moved north, eventually colliding with Asia.

Evidence that the continents were once joined:

• Jigsaw fit: the coastlines of South America and Africa fit together like puzzle pieces, especially along the edges of their continental shelves.
• Matching fossils: fossils of the same plants and animals, such as the fern Glossopteris and the reptile Mesosaurus, are found on continents now separated by oceans.
• Matching rocks: similar rock formations and mountain belts are found on different continents.
• Glacial evidence: traces of ancient glaciers are found in tropical regions such as India and Africa, showing that they were once near the South Pole.

Supercontinent cycle:

Pangaea was not the first supercontinent. Earlier ones include Rodinia (about 1.1 billion to 750 million years ago) and Columbia (also called Nuna, about 1.8 billion years ago).

Scientists think that the continents may come together again in the distant future, forming a new supercontinent sometimes called Pangaea Ultima.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Rodinia and Columbia were older supercontinents that existed long before Pangaea.
• ✗Atlantis is a legendary island from Greek stories, not a real supercontinent.