Around 300 million years ago, the landmass of the Earth comprised of one supercontinent, Pangea. Because of tectonic forces pulling and pushing, Pangea broke up into smaller pieces and drifted away and formed what is now the present configuration of the Earth. From Pangea to what is now the seven continents of the Earth, there have been several upheavals. The continents drifted away, crashed into each other and some joined together.
Pangea broke up into two supercontinents, Gondwana was the southernmost. The other supercontinent formed was Laurasia. Gondwana broke up and formed most of the landmasses of the Southern Hemisphere. These include Africa, Antarctica, Madagascar, South America, and the Australian continent. It also included the Arabian Peninsula and the Indian subcontinent.
The Indian Ocean was formed due to the movement and drifting of the continents. The Indian plate (colored red in the image) was part of Gondwana around 140 million ears ago and was believed to be moving north at a rate of about 20 centimeters a year. Currently, the Indian Plate is moving northeast at 5 centimeters (2.0 inches) per year.
Due to plate tectonics, the India Plate split from Madagascar and collided with the Eurasian Plate, resulting in the formation of the Himalayas.
