Chapter 1548 - 56: Technological Progress

Chapter 1548: Chapter 56: Technological Progress

Actually, if you think about it, it makes perfect sense. If the Nile basin was suitable for human habitation, Egypt or other North African civilizations would have moved south long ago. From the distribution map of the Arabian Sect in Africa, it’s clear that they actually have more frequent exchanges with West Africa, where there are a bunch of Black countries and tribes that believe in the Arabian Sect. This further proves the harsh environment at the junction of East and North Africa.

Of course, besides the climate factor, the indigenous people of ancient Africa were not as easy to bully as imagined. At least in the era of cold weapons, the relatively backward Black people could still stand against the Arabian civilization of North Africa.

In the region of the Nile River Province in East Africa, the areas with better economic development are precisely in the northern desert region. As for the south, apart from a few cities, there are basically not many people.

The specific reasons, besides the harsh climate, are that the southern region is frequently flooded, which is also an important reason. Imagine that the Nile basin already has a rainy season, and the river water from the upstream Great Lakes Region also drains here during this time, so the probability of flooding occurring locally is naturally higher.

After the rainy season, the Nile basin easily suffers from droughts, a repeated torment, so East Africa has always lagged in building the Nile River Province.

Ernst said, "The entire northern part of East Africa has a more severe climate compared to the central and southern parts, and there is little advantage in resources. So the Great Lakes Region is the most habitable zone closest to the north, naturally, you also have the responsibility to boot up the northern economic development."

"And after the establishment of the Southeastern Africa Common Market, the Great Lakes Region finds itself in the center of this regional economic cooperation organization, serving as a crossroads for land trade for places like the Belgian Congo Colony, the Southern German Kingdom, the Abyssinia Empire, and the Italian Red Sea Colony."

"Looking further ahead, this area might become a land trade crossroads for North, West, and Central South Africa in the future."

Speaking of the North Lake Province’s geographical position, it can be likened to East Africa’s version of the ’Hexi Corridor.’ The eastern terrain and landform are relatively complex, and the terrain falls sharply from the East African Plateau to plains like those in Somalia. Further north, it encounters the southern Ethiopian highlands and valleys as a barrier, with the midsection passing through desert areas, making transportation construction costly and difficult.

In the west lies the Congo rainforest, which is even less conducive to transportation construction. This concentrates East Africa’s transportation routes mostly in the Great Lakes Region, from there they branch off towards North and West Africa.

This is evident from the characteristics of East Africa’s railway construction. The eastern part of the Great Lakes in the Turkana Province, Juba Province, and Northern Province has only two north-south railway lines, while the Congo rainforest area on the west side also has only two lines.

These few railway lines were all prioritized by the East African Government from a defense perspective, serving as main trunk railways to facilitate East Africa’s control over the northern regions.

In contrast, the railway main lines running through the Great Lakes Region amount to as many as five, three north-south and two east-west, making the Great Lakes Region one of the important railway hubs nationwide.

Apart from the main railways, the Great Lakes Region also has many branch and regional railways, forming a relatively developed railway network.

From an economic perspective, the disparity is even more obvious. It’s tough for railways that bypass the Great Lakes Region to be profitable because the population, towns, economy, and resources along the lines struggle to recoup the railway construction costs.

This is especially true for the Central Railway running through the heart of the Congo Basin, which is not only economically inefficient but also has high maintenance costs. The initial purpose of constructing this route was to facilitate the rapid concentration of the East African Army towards the northern regions.

After all, during the era of the Central Railway’s construction, Egypt was an important British colony, potentially posing a threat to East Africa. Objectively speaking, East Africa’s northern neighbors are numerous, and the defense pressure is relatively significant.

Although, under current circumstances, the countries and colonies in the northern part of East Africa are in a disarray, who can predict whether someday a northern country might defy expectations and pose a threat to the security of East Africa’s border regions?

In summary, choosing the Great Lakes Region for railway and other land transportation construction offers the best cost-to-benefit ratio. It’s not that other regions cannot be developed, but the price is too high, achievable only if the state is willing to underwrite the construction that cuts through tropical rainforests and deserts.

Ernst said, "In the future, the Great Lakes Region must prioritize boosting trade with North and West Africa. The Great Lakes Region is an inland area, and the 20th century is the era of the ocean, so geographically, you’re at a disadvantage compared to coastal regions."

"Thus, there should be a greater focus on economic linkage with other domestic regions, and especially with North and West Africa, Southern German Kingdom, and Abyssinia Empire."

"The Abyssinia Empire is a huge market with a population of over ten million, and the potential of the Southern German Kingdom is even greater, with regions like Egypt and Libya in the future."

"Not to mention industry, the prospects in agriculture are promising, given that West and North Africa’s current grain production is not optimistic."

"With the help of railways, you can sell grain to the inland heartland of these regions at relatively low costs."

The reason being the simple fact that West and North Africa also have coastal areas, where the options for grain imports are more diverse.