Modern Pangea

Writing Prompt 449
What if the continents were suddenly smashed back together, forming a modern version of Pangea, keeping the same country borders that exist today? How would this affect international relations? How would this change daily life? What would happen to tourism, economies, societies, immigration, and government? Would this be a better or worse version of the world?

Ease of travel would be one of the most apparent benefits of a modern Pangea. High-speed rails would be commonplace, which would affect airline travel negatively. Previously unaffordable inter-continental trips would now be more feasible via land.
This wouldn't be without its downside, though. Illegal immigration from African countries would put a serious strain on European countries and the U.S. What used to be a long, dangerous, illegal journey by boat across the Mediterranean would now just be a hop over an ill-constructed wall as we have here in the U.S. between our border and Mexico. This would put an incredible strain on U.S./European economies, due to the influx of unskilled labor that would still get access to financial aid.

Previously disconnected lands joining would also cause animals to be able to roam freely between countries in which they were formerly not found. Not having much experience with animals, I would only be able to speculate about how this would affect them. What is clear is that they would be able to more clearly roam the earth, though this may also have the adverse effect of causing apex predators to wipe out previously protected species.

Daily life would stay the same for the majority of people, especially those in areas far from newly connected regions. Those for whom life would change would be politicians and businessmen. And of course there would be those who would now have an easier task of emigration from their country. And those now made landlocked whose work or livelihood involved water.
Politicians would have to deal with new legislation involving borders between previously nonexistent neighboring countries. If the U.S./Mexico border issue seemed big, it would pale in comparison to the new complexities.
Businessmen would now be able to market to broader markets more easily, with barriers that formerly existed no longer being present. This could include product transport being easier than before, causing prices to decrease. There would be many more benefits; I'm sure.

As for whether or not this would be a better or worse version of the world, that would depend on where a person lived, and what their aspirations were. If travel were of importance, then the more compact world would have its benefits. If one's country were currently embroiled in war, then emigration would be made much easier. Those for whom a modern Pangea would least benefit would be politicians. And eventually, to those living in a developed country, as taxes would be sure to increase to cover the cost of unskilled illegal immigrants. Along with being a financial drain on a society, illegal immigrants would also increase crime, as poverty often leads to more desperate measures.

Although a modern Pangea would have negative effects for citizens in the developed world, due to extra financial burden and potentially a collapse of government, it would open up a world of opportunity (pun intended) for the less advantaged of the earth. Even with my libertarian leanings, I tend to think the world might overall be a better place with this new land makeup.

I've only just scratched the surface of how the world would be different. What if this change occurred 100 years ago, a year into WWI? How might that have affected the outcome of the war? Likely not much, as it was mostly trench warfare anyway. But how about WWII? Might the blitzkrieg have been directed towards the U.S. as opposed to the Soviet Union?