Lemuria is the name of a mythological "lost land" which was purported to have been located in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is said in Tamil legend to have been civilised for over 20,000 years, with its population speaking Tamil. The concept of Lemuria has been rendered obsolete by modern understanding of plate tectonics and continental drift, which have disproven the past existence of a "lost continent". However, it persists in the literature of pseudoarchaeology and has been used as a location and inspiration in a wide range of novels, television shows, films and music.