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Get on board, Commander.
We have a galaxy to save.
And now, it's time to change the face of the planet.
Millions of years ago,
all the continents were one.
Waiting to crack and spread
into the world we know today.
Thing is,
Earth’s ground is constantly moving.
So how about we fast forward
and bring two of them back together?
South America and Africa.
300 million years ago,
there was just one continent on our planet.
Pangea.
But this supercontinent
was not meant to last.
That’s because
the rigid outermost shell of Earth’s crust,
the lithosphere,
is broken up into several plates.
These plates are floating on top of the mantle,
which means that they can move.
And they do.
As a result of the mantle shifting,
Pangea broke up in phases.
From these pieces,
several smaller supercontinents were formed,
only to also eventually break apart.
One of them was Gondwana,
some of which was what we now know as
Africa and South America.
During the time when dinosaurs still roamed the globe,
this massive landmass was covered in rainforests.
But its division started
when these future regular continents
started to drift apart.
When this all ended,
the South Atlantic Ocean stood between them.
But hold on.
Since these plates continue to move,
there's a possibility that
these two continents will meet again.
Of course, you don’t have
a couple hundred million years to wait for this to happen.
So let’s fast-track it.
If you lived to see these two continents merge,
what would this epic reunion look like?
Now, normally,
continents move at a speed of 1.5 cm (0.6 in) per year.
Assuming Africa and South America met halfway in the South Atlantic Ocean,
it would take them
230 million years to join.
So let’s say the mantle beneath them
was especially restless
due to unprecedented circumstances on our planet.
This would violently shake the plates of these two continents
and push them toward each other.
Now, even if they only traveled about as fast as us humans tend to walk,
a mere speed of 1.3 m/s (4.3 ft/s).
Well, then Africa and South America
would reunite in about 30 days.
Yeah, it’d be quite the shaky journey,
literally causing massive earthquakes on both continents.
And month-long earthquakes aren’t fun.
But you've got to admit,
that’s a fair price to witness the formation of Afrimerica.
Alright, it may not be the coolest of names,
but it’ll do for this video.
This new supercontinent would
automatically become the largest in the world,
1.5 times bigger than Asia.
And the countries making the cross-ocean move
would have to deal with new neighbors.
Nigeria and Cameroon would now border Brazil.
Uruguay would be side by side with Angola.
While Argentina would border South Africa.
And a brand new mountain range would form
between the two sections of Afrimerica.
This would provide a natural border between nations,
which might help ease potential tensions about land distribution.
Unfortunately,
this kind of elevations can take
many millions of years to form.
So in the meantime,
countries would have to resort to diplomacy
to figure out their borders.
Just imagine living in Brazil.
Sure, you’d experience an influx of cultures
and a potential boom in tourism.
But on the other hand,
I’d box away most of your swimwear.
because all of the country’s coastal regions
would cease to exist.
And that's going to bring an end to the beach culture
that’s integral to its lifestyle.
Afrimerica would also be quite the exporter of goods.
South America alone produces
and sells a vast array of foods,
from sugar to bananas,
beef and corn.
Add to that fuel and raw materials.
Now, Africa is not slouch either.
They export textiles and clothing,
as well as all things related to petroleum.
And let’s not forget that
it supports the second-largest mineral industry in the world.
And with renewable energy on the rise,
many of these minerals,
like copper and nickel,
would grow in demand.
But then there’s the issue of animal migration.
With no mountains in their way,
species unique to each continent
could start to spread into new territories.
Go camping in the Amazon forest,
and you could cross paths with an African elephant,
a hippopotamus or a spotted hyena.
And open your window in Nigeria
and you could spot a sloth,
a capybara or even a giant anteater in your garden.
Of course, you’d also come across unusual plants
and insects.
Now, if you are a nature freak
this crossover might sound exciting.
But it would be nothing but bad news for regional ecosystems.
The newly arrived species would become predators,
competitors and parasites
of native plants and animals.
Not to mention pottential disease spreaders.
All of that would threaten biodiversity.
It would take a long time before
a new equilibrium is found in the bordering regions.
But once things were settled,
some species might interbreed
and new animal hybrids could emerge.
We already have leopons,
ligers and beefalos.
We could see more of those,
but it would take thousands of years.
Now, on a more positive note,
Afrimerica might host a great cultural reunion
to go along with its geographical re-connection.
After all,
there is already a shared connection
between the two continents.
Going back as far as the early 1500s,
many of the enslaved Africans
that were forcefully removed from their countries
were transported to South America.
Like it happened then,
the meeting of these two continents
would spur a cultural exchange.
Oh, and don’t forget the languages.
Some brand new languages could emerge over time,
like a a mix of Spanish and Zulu in Argentina.
But let’s go back to those one month-long earthquakes.
You know, if they’re the only thing that would create Afrimerica,
well, maybe there could be very little left to reunite.
And that’s barring the possibility
of the tremors going on for way,
way longer.
Like, I’m talking about a full year.
Now, that’s a story for another WHAT IF.
And click on the link below to download Astrokings to begin your space conquest!