African Entrepreneurship Records 2

Chapter 1337 Strait of Magellan

Although railway construction in East Africa has slowed down, every time the East African government puts railways first in the transportation field, which fully demonstrates the importance of railways to the domestic economy of East Africa.

Although it was said before that Russia is very dependent on railways, in fact, East Africa and the United States are not much behind, and East Africa and the United States have done better than Russia in railway construction.

Apart from Russia's lack of high-quality seaports and relatively harsh climate, Russia, East Africa and the United States all face an important problem, that is, the poor condition of their domestic rivers, which requires railways to occupy an important position in the economic development of the three countries.

The main problem between the United States and Russia is the direction of rivers. Although the United States has the Mississippi River, the "golden waterway", which flows through the central Great Plains and into the Caribbean Sea, connecting the inland and coastal economies, the economic center of the United States is on the eastern coast and the Great Lakes region. If the Mississippi River flows east-west and flows into the east coast, it will truly have a huge boost to the U.S. economy.

This is even more true in Russia. Russia's major rivers run basically from north to south and are affected by freezing in winter due to the drop in temperature. However, Russia's territory is long and narrow from east to west, so the Russian government led the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway to connect the country's eastern and western regions.

The river conditions in East Africa are even more complicated. Compared with the United States and Russia, the Congo River and the Zambezi River in East Africa run east-west and flow into the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean respectively. They basically overlap with the economically developed areas of East Africa, or are very close to them.

However, East African rivers are not only restricted by the topography, with large elevation differences, many waterfalls, canyons and rapids, but are also restricted by precipitation conditions, especially the Zambezi River, which has large seasonal changes.

So looking around the world, the regions with the best inland shipping conditions are Europe and the Far East.

Although East Africa has actively improved inland shipping conditions and built a large number of artificial canals in recent years, the problem with these artificial canals is that their capacity is limited, and their timeliness and stability cannot be compared with railways. This makes the position of railways in domestic transportation in East Africa almost unshakable.

Of course, from a factual point of view, the only thing that can pose a threat to the status of railways is road transportation. Even in terms of volume and importance, road transportation is number one. It’s just that railways have advantages that roads cannot completely replace, especially in terms of their importance to national defense, people’s livelihood, and the economy.

Especially in the field of national defense, railways are more important than roads and waterways. This is also one of the important reasons why East Africa moved its capital to Rhine City. Through the two major railway hubs, namely Rhine City and New Frankfurt City, the East African central government can achieve strong control over the entire country, especially large-scale military mobilizations. While railways have the advantages of transportation capacity, they also have timeliness and stability.

As the saying goes, speed is of the essence in war. Although highways are also very fast, their unit transportation capacity cannot be compared with that of railways, and they are easily affected by external factors. As for waterways, there is no need to say more. If soldiers and strategic materials are transported by rivers, it will be a waste of time.

The population and railway data in 1918 have met the psychological expectations of the East African governments. In terms of population, East Africa still maintains a rapid population growth under the rapid urbanization, which also indicates the vitality of the East African economy.

As for railways, East Africa now has a highly developed railway network, which has greatly improved the level of transportation in East Africa and is sufficient to support the needs of East Africa's future economic development.

As for other data, the East African governments will have to wait a little longer. However, with East Africa's exaggerated economic growth rate, it is certain that the development data in other fields during the fourth and fifth periods will not be too bad.

……

1919 October.

Now let's turn our attention to Luanda on the west coast of East Africa. As a major city in western East Africa, Luanda officially became a "friendly city" with Punta Arenas, Chile, at the beginning of this year.

Luanda City Hall.

At the dinner hosted by East African non-governmental organizations, East African government officials and Chilean officials had a friendly and harmonious exchange.

This event was attended not only by the Luanda City Government, but also by the East African Central Government and the West Coast Provincial Government, who sent and organized personnel to hold discussions at the City Hall with representatives from Chile.

There were countless East African and Chilean companies attending the banquet, but the most eye-catching ones were some East African mining giants.

"I welcome the friendly cooperation between your country and the Empire. I hope that through this cooperation between our two countries, the Magellan Strait route can regain its former vitality, which will play a huge role in the economic development of your country." East African Minister of Transport Reni raised his glass to toast Chilean Foreign Minister Ricardo.

Rigardo responded: "Shipping in the Strait of Magellan is not only related to the needs of our people, but also a choice of common interests of the people of both countries. We in Chile also hope to take this opportunity to promote exchanges between the two countries in the fields of economy and culture, and achieve common progress and prosperity."

Both Reini and Rigardo mentioned the Strait of Magellan, which is also the focus of the cooperation between the two countries. The reason why Luanda and Punta Arenas became "friendly cities" is that Punta Arenas in Chile is the only city located on the Strait of Magellan.

Rainey said: "Over the years, our trade volume with Chile has been rising year by year, and the cultural, talent and trade exchanges between the two countries have become more frequent. However, Chile is mainly located on the Pacific coast, while East Africa is located on the Atlantic coast, which has had an adverse impact on the exchanges between the two countries."

"The Strait of Magellan is the only direct transportation route between our two countries. It is even more exaggerated to say that the Strait of Magellan is the lifeline of trade between the two countries. Therefore, the development, construction and maintenance of the Strait of Magellan waterway is of great significance to our two countries."

Chile is located on the west side of South America and is a Pacific country. In addition to the Atlantic Ocean, it is also separated from East Africa by Argentina. So theoretically, the communication between East Africa and Chile cannot bypass Argentina.

However, the reality is that communication between East Africa and Chile does not need to transit through Argentina, and all of this stems from the Magellan Strait route which is completely controlled by Chile.

The Magellan Route is located between the southern territories of Chile and Argentina, but the Strait of Magellan and the land along the strait are completely controlled by Chile.

The Strait of Magellan is an important shipping route connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, which means that Chile controls the sea route to the Atlantic Ocean. Therefore, although Chile is a Pacific country, its exchanges with the Atlantic countries are not restricted by Argentina.

The relationship between Argentina and Chile has always been bad, especially over the territorial issue of Tierra del Fuego. There have been frequent conflicts between the two countries, and Tierra del Fuego is located on the southern shore of the Strait of Magellan.

In the last century, Argentina and Chile fought over the sovereignty of Tierra del Fuego. In the end, Chile won, so it occupied two-thirds of the land of Tierra del Fuego. It is precisely these two-thirds of the land that allows Chile to pass through the eastern outlet of the Strait of Magellan unimpeded.

Before World War I, the Strait of Magellan was also the most important sea route between the east and west coasts of the Americas. Whether it was a ship from North America or South America, if it wanted to go from the Atlantic to the Pacific or from the Pacific to the Atlantic, it had to go through the Strait of Magellan.

However, this period lasted until 1914. After the Panama Canal was opened, the Strait of Magellan, which used to be the only sea route between the two sides of the Americas, quickly declined.

This undoubtedly dealt a certain blow to the Chilean economy, especially to Punta Arenas, the only city located on the Strait of Magellan.

Punta Arenas is located in the middle of the Strait of Magellan. It was built in 1843. At first, it was mainly used to add coal to passing ships. Later, as the Chilean government continued to exile criminals to the area, it gradually developed into a larger settlement. Punta Arenas really developed mainly thanks to gold mines and wool. In the s, Punta Arenas had become an important wool processing center.

Punta Arenas' good days ended in 1914, when the Panama Canal, led by the Americans, was officially completed, which greatly reduced the status of the Strait of Magellan.

This impact even exceeds the effect of the Suez Canal on the Cape of Good Hope, because South America, where the Strait of Magellan is located, is itself a remote area of ​​the world, and this is even more so for the Strait of Magellan at the southern tip of South America.

Although the Strait of Magellan was the only sea route between the two sides of the American continent for a long time, the number of ships passing through it was not large.

Even during its heyday, it was far inferior to the Cape of Good Hope of the same period. You should know that during its most developed period, the Suez Canal had already been opened and the status of the Cape of Good Hope plummeted.

There are many reasons for this situation. One is the rise of railways, which has completely changed the main transportation pattern on both sides of the Americas. The most typical example is that countries such as the United States and Canada have built railways connecting the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

Therefore, even without the Panama Canal, the position of the Strait of Magellan is not irreplaceable.

The economy of South America is almost backward compared to that of North America, and the trade volume between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait is almost negligible.

In addition to economic problems, the natural conditions of the Strait of Magellan are also worrying. The Strait of Magellan is located at a very high latitude, with a cold climate and is located in the westerly wind belt. The wind is strong, the waves are fierce, and there are many floating icebergs. Moreover, the entire strait is 500 kilometers long, the coastal terrain is complex, and the population is sparse, which is relatively rare among the major sea transportation routes in the world.

Take the Cape of Good Hope for example. Although it is also dangerous due to frequent storms, it is nothing compared to the Strait of Magellan.

The latitude of the Cape of Good Hope is around 34 degrees south latitude, while the Strait of Magellan is at more than 50 degrees south latitude, so the climate in the Strait of Magellan is more severe. Moreover, the waters of the Cape of Good Hope are relatively open, while the Strait of Magellan is not only relatively narrow, but its channel length is also a problem. The distance of 500 kilometers, coupled with the complex terrain, requires a certain amount of courage even for experienced sailors to pass through here safely.

Therefore, if history had developed as it had, the opening of the Panama Canal would have almost sentenced the Strait of Magellan to death.

This is also the main reason why the Chilean government actively cooperates with East Africa on the resumption of navigation in the Strait of Magellan.

Chilean Foreign Minister Ricardo said to Reni: "Indeed, the opening of the Panama Canal has almost paralyzed the route through the Strait of Magellan, so our country attaches great importance to your proposal for the Strait of Magellan and is willing to actively cooperate with your plan."

"We hope that in the future the Magellan Strait route will be like the Cape of Good Hope today. Although its status has declined due to the emergence of the Suez Canal, it has been revived due to the rise of your country."

The status of the Cape of Good Hope once plummeted due to the opening of the Suez Canal. Although East Africa was emerging on the African continent at that time, its economic level was not high.

The turning point came in the 1990s. As East Africa seized a large amount of west coast territory from Portugal, in order to develop the west, the Cape of Good Hope became the main channel for ships to travel between the two sides of East Africa, which re-driven the revival of Cape of Good Hope shipping.

After entering the 20th century, the demand for trade between the two sides of East Africa further increased, and the cost advantage of sea transportation made East African ships pass through the Cape of Good Hope more frequently. Today, the Cape of Good Hope route has become more prosperous and even regained some of its former glory.

Minister Rainey said: "This is natural. The Empire attaches great importance to trade with the American countries, and Chile is an important country on the Pacific coast of the Americas. In the past few years, we have imported a large number of minerals and agricultural products from your country. Therefore, for the needs of trade between the two countries, restarting the Magellan Strait route has become a top priority."

"If possible, we hope that your country can provide us with a base in the Strait of Magellan, which can serve as a safe haven and maintenance base for our ships."

In response to Reni's proposal, Rigardo delayed, "After all, this matter involves territorial issues, so our government needs to do more research. It is not something that a small person like me can decide."

For Rigardo, Reni's request was like Xiang Zhuang dancing with a sword, aiming at Pei Gong. It was not about cooperation in the economic field, but about preparation for the East African Navy.

The economic value of the Strait of Magellan is actually just that, but its strategic value is quite high. If the East African government and Chile reach an agreement, then perhaps in the future the East African navy will be able to use the Strait of Magellan to enter the Pacific Ocean directly from the Atlantic Ocean.

Apart from the Strait of Magellan, the East African Navy had only two other options to achieve this: one was to go through the Panama Canal controlled by the United States, and the other was to risk passing through the Drake Passage.

The former is almost impossible to achieve. After all, the only country that can threaten East Africa’s interests in the Pacific is the United States, so how could the Americans let East Africa go?

As for the latter, although the Drake Passage is on the high seas, its environment is even worse than the Strait of Magellan. Ships trying to pass through it are almost certain to die. Even Drake himself, the namer of the Drake Passage, has never crossed the Drake Passage. If the East African Navy ventures to pass through the Drake Passage, it might repeat the tragedy of the Yuan Dynasty Navy's attack on Japan and be swallowed by strong winds and huge waves.

Of course, there is room for negotiation regarding the East African government's intention to use the Drake Passage for military purposes, which is why Rigardo said the Chilean government is studying it.

You have to know that the entire length of the Strait of Magellan is more than 500 kilometers. If East Africa only builds one or two military bases, it is actually not of much significance, unless East Africa controls the land on both sides of the Strait of Magellan like Chile.

Reini did not show any disappointment at Rigardo's refusal, after all, he just mentioned it casually.

Rainey said: "If your country is interested, you can contact us and we can provide rent according to normal standards."

"However, if your country has no ideas now, let's talk about the economic development of the Strait of Magellan. The Empire is now Chile's second largest trading partner, and we hope to further expand the scale of trade with your country."

"Especially the establishment of a stable transportation channel for copper ore and saltpeter will be good for both countries."

As early as 1908, Chile had become the largest importer of copper in East Africa. East Africa itself is the largest producer of copper, but the development of industries such as electricity in East Africa still makes the demand for copper in East Africa fall short of supply.

There is no need to say more about saltpeter. It was during the First World War and the world's demand for saltpeter was huge. East Africa imported saltpeter from Chile, processed it into industrial products such as explosives, and exported it to Europe to make good profits.

(End of this chapter)