Modern Pangea

Topic courtesy of Writing Prompts at http://writingprompts.tumblr.com/

I would like to paint this picture by creating a work of fiction. Set in present day I present to you an earth where we revisit the Pangea.

It has been nearly thirty years since the 'Great Re-formation'. That's what this unprecedented event has been etched in history as. Seismologists across the globe failed to detect anything unusual in the tectonic activity prior to the 'Great Re-formation'. But once it started, the effects could hardly be ignored. Over a span of ten years the former seven continents of the world came together. This reunion since wasn't a peaceful one. Tsunamis, earthquakes became frequent across the world during this period. Small islands submerged as a result of strong currents caused by these rapid movements.  Billions of dollars was set aside to research this unusual phenomenon and to stop it. It soon became the topic of international debate. But as the years passed with fruitless expeditions and scientific research everyone came to a silent acceptation of reality. People feared that this was in fact the end of the world as we knew it. They worried that the predictions of Nostradamus, the Mayans and several others had just came to us in this package. Some researchers were skeptical that the people of the world could survive what is to come in the journey of the continents. International effort soon refocused on dealing with the repercussions of the shifts and preparation for what was to come. The movements were now monitored with greater vigor and seismic predictions became a field of interest.

No one can say for sure when the shifting stopped. It slowed pace and came to a gradual halt is what experts claim. The former seven continents - Asia, North America, South America, Africa, Europe, Australia and Antarctic merged into one large land mass. It was christened with the name "Modern Pangea". Maps were re-drawn. To this day, the older maps and globes depicting earth as a seven continent planet are still sold in remembrance of the past. Optimists say that this was nature's way of bringing the world together as one big happy family. But this couldn't be more distant from the truth. The years that followed  the 'Great Re-formation' saw the greatest of international tensions.  Several countries began working to strengthen their defense. Borderline security was of utmost importance now. To popular protest, defense budgets were raised higher than ever before. Some countries carried out tests of nuclear war weapons. Military forces across Modern Pangea grew stronger. Only the coastal countries of Modern Pangea possessed naval forces. All other countries reassigned that man power to their military or air force. Smaller countries that weren't at par on defense formed alliances with neighboring countries.The world was now sleeping with its eyes open, ever ready to catch that dagger to that could hit it in the back. Everyone feared the start of a world war. There were tug-o-wars across borders for resources, particularly water. The coastal countries of the Pangea provided pipeline supply to several inner countries but at exorbitant rates. However the 'Great Re-formation' did have a positive impact on businesses and commerce. Production and delivery worked at a faster pace than before since shipping time had been drastically reduced. The increased proximity encouraged companies to extend their operations to countries that weren't a part of their initial network.

Here stands the world, thirty years later. Much has changed in this time, many wish that the earth could go back to what it used to be. But perhaps the former seven continents were pieces of a puzzle that had to come together maybe to put the giant jigsaw of the human race together. We will never really know why this happened but we do know this, the pieces of the puzzle fit together perfectly.