Where Is Old Zealand?

Where is Old Zealand?

Our ancestors weren’t exceptionally clever when it came to naming bodies of land.

Disappointment Islands, French Polynesia
Lonely Island, Ontario, Canada
Snake Island, Brazil
Easter Island, Chile
Great Blue Hole, Belize
Christmas Island, Australian Territory
Dead Dog Island, Canada
 
You get it.

Unsurprisingly, because our ancestors lacked creativity, there is also a plethora of “new” and “old” towns, cities, and land masses. Included in this list is New Zealand. But what makes it so new? In fact, what happened to Old Zealand?

Although the island nation has long since been populated by the Maori people who call their home Aotearoa, it wasn’t until the Dutch laid eyes on it that the nation was given its European name – Zeeland, which translates to “Sealand” in Dutch. But, because the Netherlands already had a province named Zeeland, they had to distinguish it somehow.
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Thus, the name New Zealand was born!