Weekly Competition #23

01 March 2019

P2

Picture credit: en:User:Kieff

WINNERS ANNOUNCED:
confident_swan and encouraging_road

Well done to this week's winners who used their imaginations to think about what life in Pangaea would be like. The winners were very concise in their entries, sticking carefully to the 50 word limit. Encouraging_road thought about the geography of one super-continent, whereas confident_swan explored culture, politics and travel in a very small space. Good job!

WEEKLY COMPETITION #23:

It's time to warm up for the new Issue!

This week, we'd like you to think about how the Earth looked before there were separate continents. You might not have heard of it, but Pangaea is the name for the very large super-continent that once existed. It is thought that this huge land mass broke apart into the separate continents we have today, about 175 millions years ago.

This week, we'd like you to pretend that you are a citizen of Pangaea and tell us what it is like. We'd like you to write a MAXIMUM 50 word entry to describe any of these things:

~Benefits: Why do you like living on Pangaea?

~Problems: What's difficult about living on Pangaea?

~Daily life: What's it like to live in a super-continent like this?

Remember to use your imagination and transport yourself back in time.

Winners will be announced on Friday. Good luck!

Comments (49)

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  • It's possible to drive from London to Sydney; it's a lot easier to get to anywhere in the world. You also experience a lot of different culture.

    But immigration can be a problem because it's easy for immigrants from the other side of the world to come here.

  • A benefit of Pangaea is that you could travel very easily and all of the world resources would be in one area
    A problem is that some places would be fighting for land or power and we would never have invented ships or planes as they are not needed.
    For daily life, I think that there would have to be different sectors or districts (no, I am not thinking of the Hunger Games) so that everyone had a nationality.

  • Living in Pangaea is a very busy lifestyle because we have lots of other tourists from all around Pangaea because they don't need to travel much to get here. It is also interestingly cold in Australia because Antarctica is next to it. I like it a lot here.

  • Oh what a wonderful world I live in. A world that' so diversed that there is barely any discrimination. People come in so many genders, sizes, colors, I just love it!
    But I warn you, our world is super packed. One step and you could be in a different continent that has different rules and regulations from where you come from. One step and you could be in a tribe's reserved area. You don't even know what could be done to you if that tribe caught you on their land. I've heard store so savage that I csnnot even bare to think about them.
    So, here's my advice for you: BE CAREFUL, know you're way around the place, DON'T get lost and your life will be a blast in this beautiful super continent we call Pangaea.

  • My routine is: I wake up in the morning, have a shower and brush my teeth. Later on, I go to one of the nearest supermarkets to get some food for myself. At nighttime, I eat, shower then go to bed. That is my routine in Pangaea

  • It’s great at first; you can go anywhere without anything stopping you. Then you realise it’s a little too big. Everyone and everything’s squashed together. It’s crammed with people and animals, and you have to travel far to get little water – especially if you live in the middle, like me!

  • I hate living in Pangea because more countries are land-locked which means that it would be harder to get water and also because we are all conected there are lots of arguments involving politics and who leads us. Honestly i prefer the space we have in modern society. But it is nice to live in because of all the differences in temperature make it exciting.

  • Pangaea is my home,
    I love it with all my heart,
    Depending on which part you live in,
    The weather will be different,
    Scorching, warm, freezing,
    Snowy and icy or dry and sunny,
    It is my home,
    Sometimes too many tourists,
    Filling up the land,
    Sometimes not enough food,
    Sometimes not enough water,
    Or even not enough warmth,
    But nevertheless I adore it,
    The people here are creative,
    With big, loving hearts,
    We have each others back,
    When things go wrong,
    Pangaea is spectacular,
    I think you would like it too!

    1. Great poem noble_crab! Remember that for this competition that we are looking for entries that are no more than 50 words!

  • The benefit of living in Pangaea is that a person can learn different methods of businesses like the Americans could learn different techniques of mining from the Africans. The problem would be of less traditions because everyone would be living together with more migration and transportation around the continent.

  • Pangaea tells a story, many citizens are fighting for glory. Or to be independent? Continents altogether, and each one has a different weather. Glorious sunsets, thrashing rain. Everywhere ecstatic as can be. Many people running errands... But what if a continent decides to betray? Then, should we all be afraid?

  • P-angea is a vast island without borders,

    A-ccessing places by land is the advantage; exploring land is my daily life,

    N-ew good or bad things can spread easily,

    G-rowing temperature in the centre makes Pangea uninhabitable,

    E-conomy worsens when poor migrate to rich areas,

    A-nd the rich areas economy collapses.


    (Explanation:
    1) My daily life exploring means that I am not just unearthing land but I am discovering new people, plants, animals, religions, cultures, traditions, food, languages etc.
    2) In this vast continent, it is easy to walk from one country to another meaning that it is easy to bring and learn the diversities and skills from the people around us however, it is easy for powerful people to ruin and rampage countries, with there being no borders. In addition, people can fight for the power to rule.
    3) New good and bad things can spread easily means spreading GOOD things such as: skilful people, unique country food, cultures, knowledge etc. At the same time, BAD things such as diseases, toxic air pollution, migrating bad people, knife crime and drug crime etc. can spread easily throughout the land.
    4) The temperature increases in the centre of the colossal land making an inhospitable area for humans to survive easily. Therefore, people can only live around the coastal area, similar to Australia.
    5) The economy can worsen because, if the poor people migrate to the place where the rich people live, it can collapse the economy in the area where the rich people live and it creates a quarrel against people, especially for shelter and food. This means that the value of the food, shelter and resources (such as health care, food, goods, resources and shelter) will increase and the poor will have to fight for the food and basic needs; this increases crime and poverty.)

  • The biggest problem living on Pangaea is that everyone is using each others crops and wasting other peoples property but the best part about living on Pangaea is that you can meet new friends and get to your family easier.The hardest part about living on Pangaea is that you don't have enough food,most of my family relies on me and my father to go hunt for meat and fish.Sometimes we would have to stop on our journey to eat and drink.Another hard part is that there are wild animals everywhere and a family that lives up North died due to leopards attacking when they were asleep.I hope we get through life OK,I don't want to lose my life at such a young age.

  • Don't forget the 50 word limit!

  • Pangea was surrounded by a global ocean called Panthalassa, and it was fully assembled by the Early Permian Epoch (some 299 million to 273 million years ago). The supercontinent began to break apart about 200 million years ago, during the Early Jurassic Epoch (201 million to 174 million years ago), eventually forming the modern continents and the Atlantic and Indian oceans. Pangea’s existence was first proposed in 1912 by German meteorologist Alfred Wegener as a part of his theory of continental drift. Its name is derived from the Greek pangaia, meaning “all the Earth.”

    continental drift
    continental drift
    continental drift
    The land on Earth is constantly moving. Over millions of years, the continents broke apart from a single landmass called Pangea and moved to their present positions.
    Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
    continental drift
    The land and seas on Earth are constantly moving. Over the course of millions of years, the continents broke apart from a single landmass called Pangea and moved to their present positions.
    Created and produced by QA International. © QA International, 2010. All rights reserved. www.qa-international.com

  • Cold air surrounds me as I walk over the wet, moist ground. It had been a while since I had walked outside. The conflict had destroyed everything. Living so close can make everything hard. No transport, lack of food, no playing outside and NO GETTING OUT OF THE HOUSE!!! It is complicated to live in such conditions as nothing is possible.

  • Pangaea is huge so my family and I can do a ton of things, for example, go to a famous landmark. However, Pangaea is so busy. The population of my country is very large, it’s very hard to go on a vacation especially on airplanes as all the tickets run out. g

  • Even though it is hard, it’s nice to meet others sometimes but it depends on whom you shall see. I can’t imagine living without talking to anyone. It is nice here sometimes. Getting to spend more time with your family though is the best!

  • You would be able to travel any where you wanted to but the problem is that in these days we don't have cars that can travel that far it is like a lot of driving to do and bear in mind we have old cars not know though. It is really phenomenal here spending time with the family it is also incredibly fun as well . One thing I like about it is that you are free it is so enormous you can visit your family members.The mechanism for the breakup of Pangea is now explained in terms of plate tectonics rather than Wegener's outmoded concept of continental drift, which simply stated that Earth's continents were once joined together into the supercontinent Pangea that lasted for most of geologic time.

  • I live in the interior of Pangaea, so it's dry. We're behind mountains that blocked rainfall. Crops growing. We travel lots, as everything's compact. Everywhere we go is different. Lots of animals are extinct here. We get different kinds of food from places like Africa. There are lots of insects.

  • A benefit to living in Pangea...

    Everyone would have to share resources without the problem of water stopping transport and sharing. This could result in a political unit of free trade amongst all parts in Pangea. This could assure that there would be a fair distribution of all the resources.

    As a result, there would be less pollution as countries would not have to travel longer distances in order to trade.

  • the benefits of being on a supercontinent is the fact that all the countries are bonded together so it is easyer to get exotice and foiriegn food along with resources like gold and coal

  • Hi I’m Pangy and I live in upper Pangaea by Eurasia this life isn’t the easiest. Many people cross our boarder and take our food after they have ran out of theirs. Everyone owns guns, there are always dead people in the streets, I live in fear that I am next…

  • Also some benefits of living in Pangaea:
    Less pollution- it wouldn’t take as much gas/resources to transport good
    More money- it would cost less to transport items across seas because all continents are connected
    Traveling- you could travel to other countries
    Less fuel- you would not have to use planes

  • Living in Pangaea will be peaceful (one big family) this leads to trust and working together. Everything will be so natural, which means no pollution (from modern technology). There will be one government, this will led to dictatorship (no checks and balance) and this will be a problem.

  • Its good because there is a large amount of land where there are many different people that I see. I learn about different people lives which are interesting from that. It's not a hassle to travel around because there isn't much areas to travel to. This means not much pollution.

  • What's not to love? The sweet melody of the tweeting robins on the window ledge, the smell of freshly cut grass in a morning, it's to die for! However... These sweet harmonies are drastically backstabbed by the site of immigration that has hit our ever expanding planet.

  • A good thing is that you can visit anywhere and it wouldn't take as much time.

    Something bad would but you can't really tell the difference of countries since it is all together

    1. I like how you kept it short and sweet .Well done!

  • In Pangea it’s very hard to get around. Borders are everywhere; the government placed them as an act of security because people frequently have wars over land. However the sector where I live is heavenly, I constantly have long and wonderful adventures in the lavender fields before the Eden celebration.

  • Pangea isn’t peaceful; we have only one culture and no discovery. It’s difficult to travel as there’s no sea for transport. We can’t create a working political system since our leaders constantly argue over complete control of Pangea. We are united but without enemies to fight countries fight each other.

  • The benefits of living on Pangaea is that the traveling system is soooo much easier you can drive from America to India in a week or so. To be honest I don't think there would be any problems

  • Pangaea it will be much more easier to travel than going to have to go on an airplane all the way to whatever country you wanted to go.

  • Pangaea it will be easier to travel to an other county. And you don't have to use an airplane. But you might don't know where you are.

  • Pangaea

    Pangaea is amazing
    Just like me
    Pangaea is really,
    Where I want to be

    Pangaea is magical
    Like a fantasy
    Kinda like Hogwarts
    Where I want to be

    There are changes of weather
    So you have to be keen
    Hot, cold or rainy
    Where I want to be

  • Although there is technically one continent, I think we would still call different sections of our planet "continents" to differentiate different parts of it. We can see this happening right now. For instance, Europe, Asia and Africa are technically one continent yet they're recognised as different continents.

  • One person is incapable to rule such a large landmass, but still we think we can, so wars rage for only one reason: power. Imports and outputs are swift and effective due to an advanced system of land vehicles as no extra research and funding has gone into sea transport.

  • Sometimes it is hard to travel to other places because of the travel expenses. I also don't like talking to other people because Pangea is very crowded and I don't like talking.

  • The unity of living on the same land is unrealistic; tribalism rules Pangaea, factions with different customs, hunting for sparse resources. Tribes abandon Elders and weak children are slaughtered. Some fight alone- those without loyalty- and they survive, because you last when the only person you fend for is yourself.

  • We are homo piscis. The tectonic plates never moved so evolution did. The climate is unpredictable as we all live in the southern hemisphere. We hide in the water at mid day and hunt for giant bug babies at night. It is a savage society yet the one we lead. There is only one law: obey the alpha, it is a dictatorship but we have no choice due to his giant fins. Occasionally, a nomad will travel upstream into the centre of the continent but generally we live by the coast. Due to this, we have severe overpopulation. The beaches are bloated with eggs and the seas infested with larvae. Well, we don't have any predators and the sky is clean so life is good. Also, we have no territory that stops immigration problems.

  • Pangaea is a nice place but sometimes its a little difficult to live there when you can't really realize what country your in. Living in Pangaea is a weird thing because of how it looks like and you could never tell if your in Australia or India!

  • Living in Pangaea would be an peaceful and calm place to live.But not without its downside for example it would be a hard place to tell were you actually lived since Pangaea looks very similar to Australia and India.

  • I think when I was watching all the plays they gave me the giggles especially when my group performed. It was hard to guess what people are acting out the#LOL#JUSTBECONFIDENT

  • Pangaea is never the same
    we have to risk our life in pain
    when we was split apart
    its like we never had a heart
    with all sacrifices we made
    now are country will never change
    and now we rise in the light of heaven
    we will be safe and sound
    no one will let us down

  • Pangaea is never the same
    you have to risk your life in pain
    such as other countries
    you can never doubt,
    what you see and what you need but
    we all know that no country is perfect.
    Love is in all country
    if you believe but if
    you look up to the
    past you will understand,
    what Pangaea had suffered!!!

  • I can visit so many different places which is why I love Pangaea. The downside would be that criminals can run away easily since there is so much access to different places; they don’t need to buy plane tickets either. It is very busy which can be very problematic.

  • It's an fantastic place to live their is lots of food and their is lots of things to do but it's hard to have fun and it's hard to make money. Though Pangaea is a nice place to live it's a hard place to survive their has been bombing and more.

  • Pangaea is never the same
    you have to risk your life in pain
    such as other countries
    you can never doubt,
    what you see is what you need
    but we all know that no country is perfect.
    Love is in all country
    if you believe but if
    you see you will know!

  • My grandpa told me a story passed down from our generation and it was a true story and it is about how my great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great... you get the idea. So it was about how my greatest grand family live in the Pangaea continent which was when all the continents were all squished together. They lived in Japan but where pure British. As the tale got passed down it was told or written in different ways like in a regular story, another language or a diary. And that's how my grandma told me. She read out her great (x128) auntie's diary. Ever since I was told of it I have always wondered how has she been able to find it and keep it after all these centuries.

    Dear Diary,
    I hate living in Pangaea! You never get to go anywhere interesting, you know everyone and people just live in harmony! There's nothing on the news that is dramatic or tragic. It's always 'The Presidents/Prime ministers had a meeting about how happy everyone is' or 'Korea made there borders connect to there surrounding countries' and blah, blah, blah. There was no Brexit, no war no action. It's like living like cave men and women. Imagine that! It feels kind of creepy knowing everyone in this giant continent. It makes me feel like a stalker. Being a twelve year old in a place like this is strange. I mean it. DEAD STRANGE! I have eaten every food in the world and once got lost in America. Thank goodness I had bump into Donald Trump or anything could have happened. For example. Something very boring and adultish. Living in a humongous country is humongously… humongously … I don't know! That's how annoying it is. At the south of this country is a school. That's right- there is only one school for the 2.2 billion on this planet! They built a very, very, very, very large school for all the kids in the world so that there will be more space for stuff. But that obviously and clearly, that did not work. And, oh boy... you have no flippin' idea how crowded it is. In fact, let's not even go there! It take you an hour to get through the school gates and from my house to the school it's... one, two hours to get there. So that means I have to get up 5 hrs earlier than I normally do and that is so irritating. Especially for a twelve-year-old who needs her beauty sleep. Everyone speaks English and we all have the same cultures. If you were me you would make a rota to tell you when to cry and it would be every hour of the day. Now that I've said all the infuriating stuff I can calm down and be POSITIVE 'hooray'.
    So, all the good stuff is that I have lot's of friends. And seriously, having 2,199,999,999 friends over for a sleepover is a complete handful. That's why we live away from the cities. Second of all I get to eat and eat and eat! Trust me it is so satisfying. I've eaten Palacinky from the Czech Republic, Herring from the Netherlands, Crepes from France, Pierogi from Poland, Banitsa from Bulgaria, Brik from Tunisia and... wow... it's all so good I can't list them all. Anyway, got to go. I didn't even want to list these down anyway. I guess it might be passed down as a 'tradition'.

    Write soon,

    Your anonymous keeper

  • I would be hot. Pangaea, as any super continent would, has a desert in the centre as hot as the Sahara and three times bigger. As a result, all the settlements are on the coast. The desert is uninhabitable and as desolate as an ocean making travel across it hard.

  • Problems in the Pangaea would or clould be very serious. People in places like Africa might not have easy acess to water and would die out quicker than other species. However if animals lived in this type of climate they would adapt and evolve: aswell as having rain.