African Entrepreneurship Records 2

Chapter 1420 Customers
While Bessihoven and Michel were eating and drinking at the street stalls, a train departing from the Alexandria railway station was on its way to Lubango.

Traveling northeast along the Alexandria Railway, as the terrain gradually rises, the vegetation on both sides begins to increase. After about 200 kilometers, we enter Lubango, and the intersection of the two cities has changed from a plain desert to a mountainous valley.

The city of Alexandria is a plain desert city, while Lubango is a plateau city, so there is a transitional mountain range between the two places. The Namib Desert is in the west, and the Huila Plateau is in the east.

Lubango, the capital of Letania Province, is located on this plateau. It is also the fifth largest city in western East Africa, after Kinshasa, the capital of Congo Province.

The Alexandria-Lubango Railway passes through the valley of this mountain range, and the scenery on both sides suddenly becomes steep and majestic.

This made some passengers who were passing through this place for the first time feel very novel and they talked about it a lot.

"Today is really an eye-opener. We were in the desert of Alexandria before, but now it has suddenly turned into a high mountain that suddenly rises up."

"Not only that, the mountain is also shrouded in clouds and mist, and the mountain surface appears lush and green, and is particularly full of vitality."

They were shocked by the change in the scene before their eyes, which was not surprising. After all, plains and towering mountains, deserts and tropical jungles were two extreme contrasts. What's more, the mountains in the province of Letania were inherently "rocky" and very distinctive.

Hearing the passengers' discussion, train attendant Han Kaide introduced: "The Yalu Railway was built in 1906 at the beginning of this century and officially completed in 1910. It was one of the key projects during the Second Five-Year Plan of the Province of Leitania. Although this railway is only less than kilometers long, it passes through grasslands, forests and deserts, and the terrain is even more complex and varied."

"From the plains in the west to the plateau in the east, there are mountains with an altitude of nearly 2,000 meters in between, so the construction of the Asia-Russia railway is extremely difficult."

Many workers died in the construction of this railway, especially the section through the mountains.

"However, the contribution and benefits of this railway after its completion are also huge. Its completion has further accelerated the integration of the province of Leitania into the Atlantic Economic Belt."

"At the same time, it has opened up the economic development of the province of Letania, and the iron ore and other resources in the region have been effectively utilized and developed, which in turn has promoted the development of the steel industry in the province of Letania and formed one of the important industrial bases in the west."

“So the Alu Railway is one of the industrial miracles of our country during the Second Five-Year Plan period, and its construction is of great significance to the province of Leitania.”

If there is no railway construction in East Africa, the province of Letania may not see any improvement even after decades.

Although the local mineral resources are rich, there is no corresponding transportation infrastructure. Let alone developing the steel industry, it is very difficult to even cash in on these mineral resources.

However, this is not the only railway connecting the hinterland of Letania Province to the coast. Its capital, Lubango, is also a relatively important hub in the railway network of East African countries.

The east of Letania Province leads directly to Rhine, the capital of East Africa, while the northwest is connected to the important city of Benguela, and the south is the Southwest Province. East Africa’s two major railway arteries, the Western Coastal Railway and the Central Railway West Line 2, both pass through here.

However, the Asia-Russia Railway is not a trunk line, but an important regional railway, which can be seen from the purpose of its construction.

The main purpose of the Alu Railway is to open up access to the sea for the province of Letania and serve the economy of the province of Letania, so the construction of this railway is more for the needs of regional economic development.

Han Kaide continued, "After crossing this mountain range, we will officially enter the city of Lubango. Lubango is one of the steel industry centers in our country. Relying on the steel industry, the Huila Plateau has formed an inland industrial zone in the Letania Province."

“It can also be called the Huila Industrial Zone. The Huila Industrial Zone is centered on heavy industrial development and is one of the most economically and industrially developed areas in the western inland area.”

Although the second largest city of Leithania, Mussamides, and the third largest city, Alexandria, are both located on the coast, this does not mean that the economic center of Leithania is on the coast.

Han Kaide said: "The Huila Industrial Zone formed by a number of inland cities such as Lubango is much more developed than the coastal areas. Although Musamidish and Alexandria are also good, there are only these two cities on the coast. Apart from these two places, there are basically no people because of the Namib Desert."

Everyone agreed with Han Kaide's point of view. The development of Alexandria and Musamidish was unexpected. After all, both places were cities developed in the desert.

The former was able to build a city in the desert mainly due to the location of the naval base, while the latter was the outlet to the sea chosen by the provincial government of Leithania.

As a military port, Alexandria Port could not meet the needs of the economic development of the Province of Leithania, so the Province of Leithania had to choose and build the Port of Mussamides.

This is why both objective and subjective factors are important for these two places to become cities. Apart from the urban areas of these two places, the population in the vast coastal areas of the province of Letania is basically negligible.

Even if agriculture is to be developed, there must be a local foundation. East Africa is not the Arabian Peninsula, so there is no need to fight the desert. Naturally, the population of the Letania Province mainly flows to inland areas, especially the Huila Industrial Zone on the Huila Plateau.

Since it can be called an industrial zone, it is obvious that the Huila Industrial Zone does not only include the city of Lubango, but also involves more than a dozen industrial towns of various sizes.

The main development industries of these industrial towns are basically centered around the steel industry. After all, steel is the cornerstone of industrial development and the most basic development factor.

In addition to abundant and high-grade high-quality iron ore, the local area also has relatively rich manganese ore resources. Manganese ore is also one of the important raw materials for the development of the steel industry, so the output of manganese steel in the Huila Industrial Zone accounts for a high proportion.

Of course, there are many unfavorable factors for local industrial development, such as the lack of energy-type minerals. Therefore, the coal and oil needed by the Huila Industrial Zone are basically dependent on imports.

There is no need to say much about the latter. After all, oil is a mineral that is extremely unevenly distributed throughout the world, so most countries in the world need to import oil. If we reduce the scope from countries to cities, there are countless cities in the world that need to import oil.

As for coal, the coal production in western East Africa is very small, so the Huíla Industrial Zone, which is not a coal-producing area, relies heavily on imported coal for the development of industries such as steel. The Huíla Industrial Zone has two main sources of coal: one is transported from other provinces in East Africa by rail and road, and the other is imported from overseas and then transported here by rail.

Regarding the second route, it seems that there is an extra step and the cost is increased, but it is also a helpless choice. The reason why the Huila Industrial Zone did not choose the coastal area with convenient sea transportation but the inland area is also very simple, that is, due to the desert climate, water resources are relatively scarce in coastal areas, and industrial development has a huge demand for water resources.

This is also the reason why there are no steel industries in Alexandria and Musamidish. Any industry that requires too much water is basically out of reach of these two cities.

However, from the above reasons, it can also be seen that the construction of railways is the basic condition for the formation of the Huila Industrial Zone. After all, without the construction of railways, there would be no way to import large quantities of coal needed by the Huila Industrial Zone in a stable manner.

Without coal resources, the steel industry in the Huila Industrial Zone cannot develop, and the steel industry is the foundation for the development of other industries in the Huila Industrial Zone.

At present, the coal imports of the Huila Industrial Zone are relatively diversified. In addition to coal from central and southern East Africa, there is also coal from West Africa and South America. Coal from West Africa and South American countries enters the country through Musamidish and then enters the Huila Industrial Zone along the Mulu Railway.

After some introductions on the economic level, Han Kaide began to popularize some other information about Lubango: "Lubango is a region with relatively good climate in East Africa. Due to the altitude, the average annual temperature is relatively low, which is one of the reasons why the local wheat quality is relatively high."

Wheat is a crop that prefers a cool climate. When it is coldest in Lubango, the temperature can even be close to single digits. Normally it is around 10 degrees, which perfectly meets the optimal requirements for wheat growth.

The wheat-growing areas in East Africa are basically located in plateaus, such as the East African Plateau and the Matabele Plateau. Of course, under normal circumstances, they are also accompanied by a relatively dry climate.

After all, according to the style of East Africans, in areas with sufficient rainfall, they prefer to grow crops such as rice rather than wheat.

Han Kaide went on to say: "At the same time, Lubango is also the place with the lowest temperature in Angola, which makes it one of the important summer resorts in the country. Especially in the mountainous areas, the pleasant scenery and climate make it a sanatorium for many wealthy people or dignitaries."

In East Africa, places with high temperatures are not uncommon, but places with low temperatures have become the pursuit of many people.

For example, many European countries, especially Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the Nordic countries with relatively high latitudes, have relatively cold climates. In the temperate maritime climate, there are relatively few sunny days. This is largely the reason why many Europeans like to bask in the sun on sunny days.

On the contrary, East Africa is probably the country in the world that does not like sunbathing. After all, East Africa is hot, and the ultraviolet rays are very strong in the plateau environment.

Areas with relatively low climates like Lubango are no exception and are easily sought after in tropical countries like East Africa. Similarly, many East Africans go to the south to see snow in winter. Part of southern East Africa is located south of the Tropic of Capricorn, and due to terrain factors, there is also winter and snowfall.

There is no snowfall in Lubango, but there is a lot of fog and frost, which is very rare in East Africa.

For this reason, Han Kaide specifically reminded: "From Alexandria to Lubango, the altitude has risen by nearly 1,000 meters, which has also led to a large difference in climate between the two places, even exceeding 10 degrees, so after getting off the bus in Lubango, it is best to keep warm."

Of course, if it is not done well, it will not have much impact. After all, the climate in Lubango is not enough to freeze people to death. It’s just that the temperature difference between the two places is too large, so it takes time to adapt.

Soon, the passengers experienced the temperature difference that Han Kaide had mentioned. After nearly several hours of travel, the train arrived in Lubango at night.

During the day, the temperature in Alexandria is over 30 degrees, while in Lubango, the temperature is only 14 degrees. The temperature difference between the two places is more than ten degrees.

However, although most people feel uncomfortable with the weather, they are not unprepared. Because the temperature difference between day and night in Alexandria is very large, East Africans always carry thick clothes.

Although the temperature in Lubango is colder, you can still hold on if you grit your teeth. At this time, there are still many people coming and going on the platform of Lubango Railway Station.

The reason for this is that Lubango Railway Station is a major station in the provincial capital. In addition, its hub function means that vehicles stop here very frequently, and many people need to transfer in Lubango before going to other areas.

At this time, Masoud and others who had just arrived in Lubango from Alexandria also walked out of the Lubango railway station.

"It's so cold in Lubango!" Masoud shivered in the cold air.

His companion Robert said: "No wonder you East Africans say that the climate in East Africa is good. I thought most of East Africa should be like many tropical areas, such as Alexandria, which is hot!"

Masood smiled at Robert and said, "Mr. Robert, the climate in East Africa is unpredictable. After all, East Africa is a huge country, and there are many places I have not been to."

Robert said: "I have discovered that East Africa's construction is indeed much stronger than Paraguay's. Paraguay is indeed much smaller than many countries, let alone a superpower like East Africa."

Of course, Robert's so-called superpower is simply used to describe the area of ​​East Africa. If calculated in this way, then Russia is obviously also a superpower, and the area of ​​both countries exceeds 10 million square kilometers.

Although Britain has a large area, it has many colonies, so it could not give Robert the same shock.

Masood didn't care much about Robert's praise. After all, his clients often said so.

Masood's clients are generally from South America, and the economy of the entire South America is not in a mess, but it is mediocre. In this era, the South American countries are actually doing quite well, especially in this era of increasingly fierce competition among Europe, the United States and East Africa. The South American continent has become the target of positive wooing by the three regions because of its special geographical location.

Of course, this good life is only enjoyed at the government level. As for the vast majority of South American people, except in Argentina, they basically live a very unhappy life.

(End of this chapter)