Before the world map was drawn, people knew very little about the distribution of land and sea on Earth. It wasn't until the late 16th century, when Dutch scholar Mercator created the first world map, that interest in the shapes of continents began to grow. In the late 19th century, scientists discovered a type of earthworm known as 'Lumbricus terrestris' that was widely distributed across the Eurasian continent and the eastern coast of the Americas, but was absent from the western part of America, prompting many scientists to ponder this phenomenon.
German meteorologist Alfred Wegener was inspired while hospitalized in 1910, noticing the striking similarity between the coastlines of the Atlantic Ocean. In 1912, he published a paper proposing the 'Continental Drift Theory.' He suggested that in ancient times, there existed a massive landmass called 'Pangaea,' which began to break apart and drift around 200 million years ago, eventually forming today's seven continents and four oceans.
Despite causing significant controversy at the time, the Continental Drift Theory gradually gained support with advancements in marine geology and paleomagnetism. British physicist Fred Vine provided direct evidence for continental drift, and in 1968, French scientist Jacques Lacoste proposed the plate tectonics theory, explaining the dynamic changes of continents and oceans. Today, precise measurements from artificial satellites have confirmed that the Atlantic Ocean is indeed expanding, and islands in the Pacific are moving closer to the mainland.
However, debates about the validity of the Continental Drift Theory continue, with many new theories emerging, and humanity's understanding of this issue is still deepening.
