Editing Antarctic realm (section)

== History ==
Millions of years ago, Antarctica was warmer and wetter, and supported the [[Antarctic flora]], including forests of [[Podocarpaceae|podocarps]] and [[southern beech]]. Antarctica was also part of the ancient supercontinent of [[Gondwana]]land, which gradually broke up by [[continental drift]] starting 110 million years ago. The separation of [[South America]] from Antarctica 30–35 million years ago allowed the [[Antarctic Circumpolar Current]] to form, which isolated Antarctica climatically and caused it to become much colder. The Antarctic flora subsequently died out in Antarctica, but is still an important component of the flora of southern [[Neotropical realm|Neotropical]] ([[Latin America and the Caribbean]]) and [[Australasian realm]]s, which were also former parts of Gondwana.

Some botanists recognize an [[Antarctic Floristic Kingdom]] that includes Antarctica, [[New Zealand]], and parts of Temperate South America where the Antarctic Flora is still a major component.