‍Lying deep in southwestern Pacific Ocean, while people can see its peak, New Zealand, scientists say a huge geological entity that has met all the criteria applied to Earth's seven other continents has been discovered there.

Researchers have named it as Zealandia, which sits under the island nation of New Zealand. In a paper published in the Geological Society of America's Journal, GSA Today, they said Zealandia measures five million square kilometer, as big as two thirds of neighboring Australia, and was 94 percent underwater with only a few islands.

Scientists further explained it has only three major land masses, New Zealand's North and South Islands to the south, and New Caledonia to the north.

They regard the region as a new continent in accordance with a set of criteria that can fit the other seven continents.

The scientists, mostly from the official New Zealand research body, GNS Science, said Zealandia was once part of the Gondwana super-continent but broke away about 100 million years ago.

Nick Mortimer, New Zealand geologist and lead author of the article, said scientists have been gathering data to make the case for Zealandia for more than 20 years.

Since the finding was released to public, there has been no scientific body so far that has formally recognized the region as a continent. Mortimer said he wanted Zealandia to appear on the world map.

"The scientific value of classifying Zealandia as a continent is much more than just an extra name on a list," the researchers said in the article. "That a continent can be so submerged yet unfragmented makes it (useful)... in exploring the cohesion and breakup of continental crust."