Chapter 1356 - 359: Magellan Strait

Chapter 1356: Chapter 359: Magellan Strait

Although railway construction in East Africa has slowed down, the East African Government always prioritizes railways in the transportation sector, which fully underscores the importance of railways to the domestic economy of East Africa.

Previously, it was said that Russia is highly reliant on railways, but from a factual standpoint, East Africa and the United States are no less dependent, and both countries have done better in railway construction compared to Russia.

Apart from the lack of quality seaports and relatively harsh climatic conditions, Russia, East Africa, and the United States all face a significant issue: poor river conditions within the country make railways an indispensable part of economic development in the Three Kingdoms.

The main issue for the United States and Russia is the direction of their rivers. Although the United States has the Mississippi River, a "golden waterway" flowing through the Central Plains and into the Caribbean Sea, connecting inland and coastal economies, the economic focus of the United States remains in the eastern coastal and Great Lakes regions. If the Mississippi River flowed eastward and discharged into the East Coast, it would significantly boost the U.S. economy.

Russia’s situation is even more pronounced, as its major rivers mostly run north-south and are affected by winter freezing, while Russia itself stretches east-west, leading the Russian government to undertake the construction of the Siberian railway to connect its eastern and western regions.

The river situation in East Africa is even more complex. Compared to the United States and Russia, East Africa’s Congo and Zambezi rivers run east-west, emptying into the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean, largely coinciding with or being close to East Africa’s economically developed areas.

However, East African rivers are restricted by the terrain, with large elevation differences, many waterfalls, canyons, and rapids, and are also subject to the limitations of precipitation, especially with the Zambezi River, which has significant seasonal changes.

Thus, globally, the best inland shipping conditions can be found in Europe, and another in the Far East.

Although in recent years East Africa has actively improved inland shipping conditions by building numerous artificial canal passages, these canals are limited in capacity and cannot match the efficiency and reliability of railways, securing railroads an almost unshakable position in East Africa’s domestic transportation.

Of course, from a factual standpoint, the only potential threat to the dominance of railways comes from road transportation, which might be considered first in terms of scale and importance, but railways have irreplaceable advantages, especially in terms of national defense, people’s livelihood, and significant economic impact.

Particularly in the field of national defense, railways outweigh roads and waterways in importance, which is one of the main reasons East Africa relocated its capital to Rhein City. Through two major railway hubs, Rhein City and New Frankfurt City, the East Africa Central Government can exert strong control over the national territory, especially for large-scale military movements. In addition to transportation capacity, railways also offer efficiency and stability.

Speed is crucial in warfare; while roads are fast, their unit capacity cannot compare to railways and they are prone to external interference. Waterways are even less favorable—if soldiers and strategic materials were transported via rivers, they’d arrive much too late.

In 1918, the population and railway data have reached the psychological expectations of the East African Government, with rapid urbanization still maintaining high population growth, reflecting the vitality of East Africa’s economy.

Regarding railways, East Africa has now constructed a highly developed railway network, significantly enhancing transportation standards to support East Africa’s future economic development needs.

As for other data, the East African Government still needs to wait a bit longer. Nevertheless, accompanying East Africa’s impressive economic growth rate, it can be confidently predicted that development data in other fields during the Four-Five period won’t be disappointing.

...

March 1919.

Focus shifts to Luanda on the West Coast of East Africa, a major city in the western part of East Africa. This year, Luanda City has officially formed a "friendly city" relationship with Chile’s Punta Arenas City.

Luanda City Government.

At a banquet organized by the East African Government, East African government personnel and Chilean officials engaged in friendly and harmonious exchanges.

This activity not only involved the Luanda City Government but also saw participation and organization from the East Africa Central Government and West Coast Province Government, which conducted relevant discussions with Chilean representatives in city hall.

Numerous East African and Chilean enterprises attended the banquet, notably some East African mining giants.

"Welcome the friendly cooperation between your country and the Empire. I hope this cooperation will revive the Magellan Strait route, significantly contributing to your country’s economic development," said East Africa’s Minister of Transportation Reini, raising a glass to Chilean Foreign Minister Rigaldo.

Rigaldo responded, "The navigation of the Magellan Strait is essential not only for the needs of our people but also for the common interest of the two nations. We in Chile hope to use this as an opportunity to promote exchanges in economy, culture and other fields, achieving common progress and prosperity."

Both Reini and Rigaldo mentioned the Magellan Strait, which is the focus of this collaboration, as the reason Luanda City and Punta Arenas City became "friendly cities" lies in Punta Arenas City’s unique position as the only city located within the Magellan Strait.