African Entrepreneurship Records 2

Chapter 1521 Porto Suarez

The "North Atlantic Monster Room" is a true reflection of the North Atlantic region during this era, where it was the only industrialized country in East Africa, which was the only one in the South Atlantic.

The North Atlantic encompasses various powerful forces in the world today. It's worth mentioning that the North Atlantic also includes the North Sea, the Baltic Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea, the Caspian Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, Hudson Bay, the Gulf of Guinea, and other related bays.

The academic community usually uses the equator as the boundary, so the Gulf of Guinea and other African waters are also classified as part of the North Atlantic.

However, the East African Navy has its own internal method for dividing the North and South Atlantic Oceans, which is to use a straight line between the Brazilian town of Tanar and the French Senegalese colony of Dakar to divide the Atlantic Ocean into two parts.

This straight line is also the shortest distance between two landmasses in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, about three thousand kilometers.

Regardless of the classification method, the North Atlantic countries are far stronger than the South Atlantic countries, including Germany and the Soviet Union on the Baltic coast, as well as Austria-Hungary on the Mediterranean coast; they all belong to the North Atlantic countries.

In the previous life, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, led by the United States, was located within this area. Not to mention the countries along the coasts of the North Atlantic, the strength of the navies of Britain, the United States, and France alone was enough to demonstrate the power of the North Atlantic.

Among them, the British Navy is widely recognized as the world's strongest, followed by the US Navy, and the French Navy ranks fifth. The fourth strongest is the Japanese Navy from East Asia.

Of course, there is some debate about which is the world's second-largest navy. Some people think it is East Africa, while others think it is the United States. So there is controversy, but without a doubt, the world's top three navies are the United Kingdom, East Africa, and the United States.

This means that, apart from East Africa and Japan, all of the world's top ten naval powers are in Europe and America, that is, countries along the North Atlantic coast.

……

Santa Cruz Province, Bolivia.

In the early 16th century, during the Ming Dynasty, Spanish colonists established a colonial outpost in what is now Santa Cruz province. After Bolivia's independence, Santa Cruz became one of Bolivia's nine original provinces, under the jurisdiction of Cochabamba province.

In 1863, the Bolivian government officially upgraded Santa Cruz to an autonomous province, giving it independent administrative and legislative bodies.

After the defeat in the Chaco War, part of the southern territory of Santa Cruz Province was ceded to Paraguay. However, this was not a serious blow to Santa Cruz Province, which covers an area of ​​more than 300,000 square kilometers.

One of the key reasons for Bolivia's defeat in the Chaco War was its long-term neglect of the Santa Cruz province, which has a population of less than 200,000 and is concentrated in the eastern region.

The East African troops stationed at the Suarez military base are well aware of this.

“I used to think that East Africa was already sparsely populated enough, but when I came to Bolivia, I truly experienced the despair of being isolated from the world. If it weren’t for its proximity to Brazil and Paraguay, I think Bolivians might not even be willing to build a village here.”

“No wonder Bolivia lost the war before. Their army probably had great difficulty even with supplies, let alone fighting. I bet that without adequate preparation, even an ordinary person could get lost in this kind of environment,” East African soldier Li Jie said to his teammates while shoveling dirt.

His comrade-in-arms, Nasir, deeply agreed: "Facts have proven that the reason why these South American countries have developed into what they are today is due to their own problems. Santa Cruz Province is not bad, but it has hardly developed over the years. You have to know that Bolivia's history is several times longer than that of an empire."

It's no wonder Nasir said that, because the climate in Suarez, where they were stationed, was the same tropical savanna climate as in East Africa.

East Africa, with its similar climate type, is mostly comprised of industrial and agricultural areas with relatively dense populations. The tropical rainforest and desert climates are indeed difficult to develop.

Suarez and the surrounding area have hardly been developed; they are mostly villages and wilderness. However, Suarez is much better off than East Africa in the past in terms of the lack of large wildlife.

The most threatening animals in Santa Cruz province are jaguars and pumas, but they are not found in Suarez and the surrounding areas in the southeast of Santa Cruz province. The more common large wild animals in the area, such as anteaters and wild boars, do not pose much of a threat to humans.

Therefore, the Bolivians did not develop this uniquely advantageous environment on a large scale, which East Africans considered a complete waste.

In fact, the Santa Cruz province was developed mainly from the mid-20th century onwards. At that time, a large number of German and Japanese immigrants entered the area, and the discovery of natural gas in Santa Cruz province led to its rapid development.

By the 21st century, Santa Cruz Province had become Bolivia's second most populous province, accounting for more than 30% of the country's economy.

This fully demonstrates the enormous development potential of Santa Cruz Province, but unfortunately, the Bolivians had not paid enough attention to the area before.

Li Jie said, "In the end, it is Bolivia's immigration policy that is flawed. This is also an important reason why most parts of South America are underdeveloped. In recent years, only a few South American countries, such as Argentina and Brazil, have achieved good economic results after attracting a large number of immigrants."

"But such achievements are also very limited. You have to understand that compared with these South American countries, East Africa started from scratch. Decades later, East Africa has become one of the most powerful countries in the world, while South America does not even have an industrial country. Even the most developed countries, Brazil and Argentina, are not as industrialized as some small European countries."

"Leaving aside industry and agriculture, the performance of South American countries is also very poor. The only thing worth praising is Argentina's agriculture, but compared with the Empire and European and American countries, its performance is only mediocre."

"Given Bolivia's agricultural conditions, if they could be utilized, its population could at least double or triple. But the entire Santa Cruz region, with its excellent agricultural conditions, has a population of less than 200,000. Even some of our desert towns in East Africa are not this backward."

East Africa's transformation from a colony into one of the world's most powerful nations owes much to its population. In contrast, during this era, apart from Argentina and Brazil, which attracted large numbers of immigrants due to their favorable conditions, South American countries...

Other countries don't have large populations, and not only are the numbers insufficient, but the quality of the population in South American countries is also poor.

In the absence of external threats, people in South American countries, from the top to the bottom of society, generally lack ambition and neglect education and technological development.

For example, education in South America is still mainly religious schools, and there are not many of them. The threshold for ordinary people to receive education is also very high.

This may be one of the main reasons why progressive religions in South America became drivers of social reform and intellectual liberation in the past, since the small number of educated people were cultivated under an education system deeply influenced by religion. Reformers who drive social progress also need knowledge and learning; this is true for both the European bourgeoisie and the Labour Party.

Therefore, most South American countries faced particularly prominent population problems in their early development, lacking both quantity and quality, and also experiencing intense conflicts between various social groups, including races, ethnicities, and nations.

Take Bolivia for example. The country has a population of just over two million, of which more than 60% are indigenous people, who are generally not well-regarded by the white government of Bolivia.

In other words, Bolivia lacks a unified nation or even a national consensus, so it would be rather strange if such a country were to develop.

East Africa serves as a cautionary tale for these countries. In its early days, East Africa absorbed a large number of immigrants and encouraged childbirth. Once conditions allowed, it began to build a compulsory education system and continuously promoted ethnic integration. This is an important foundation for East Africa to become a world power in just a few decades.

Li Jie said, "Bolivians may look similar to East Africans on the surface, but in terms of culture, identity, quality, and spirit, they are completely opposite."

Bolivians can be considered a nation of mixed Asian and Caucasian ancestry, so their appearance is not easily distinguishable from that of East Africans, which is why Li Jie said that.

Nasir nodded: "Being born in East Africa is quite fortunate. We receive a good education, have no worries about food and clothing, and most importantly, there is no distinction between noble and lowly people. Compared to Bolivia, the Empire is indeed a civilized country..."

Just as the two were chatting, squad leader Mo Mada came over with a shovel and scolded them, "What are you two whispering about? Get back to work! We need to finish building the entire camp before the end of this year. It's a lot of work. We must clear this grassland before dinner tonight."

Li Jie and Nasir were instantly brought back to reality, grabbing their shovels and getting back to work. Although their squad leader, Momada, had a somewhat stern tone, the two showed no dissatisfaction. After all, in the East African army, where officers and soldiers were treated as one, even officers worked just like the soldiers.

After giving the two a warning, Momada picked up a shovel with satisfaction and joined them in shoveling soil.

Of course, given the right conditions, the East African army would not need soldiers to do this kind of hard labor. For example, domestically, large machinery can be used, and abroad, East Africa can hire locals to complete the construction.

However, Suarez is located deep in the South American interior, with inconvenient transportation and a sparse population. Therefore, even if East Africa wanted to transport machinery here, it would take a lot of effort and time. The town has a population of only a few hundred people, so it is actually just a small village.

Therefore, the East African troops stationed at the Suarez military base had to build their own housing and facilities.

Although the East African Army has a poor reputation in the world, after all, East Africa was a colonial empire and had orchestrated many genocides and unjust wars, who would have thought that Ernst built the East African Defense Force according to the template of the Far East Empire of his previous life.

Of course, the East African army is also divided into two types: the National Defense Army and the Colonial Army. The East African army in South America is also composed of these two systems. The troops stationed in Suarez belong to the East African National Defense Army. Therefore, the East African government generally does not assign them to do dirty work.

In East Africa's vision, Suarez will be the "model city" of Bolivia in the future, and will be developed into one of Bolivia's new economic centers. The Suarez military base will also remain in this future most developed city of Bolivia.

That's right, Suarez is the representative town for the Bolivian part of the previous Paraná River Merchant Navigation Agreement.

In fact, Santa Cruz province has some ports that connect to the Paraná River waterway, but those ports overlap in function with the Asunción-Lima railway. Therefore, the port of Suárez was singled out for development.

This place is only about 15 kilometers away from the Brazilian port of Colomba. The former has better conditions. One of the reasons why the port of Suarez is valued by East Africa is that East Africa can station troops here.

Colomba is located at the confluence of rivers and is the main channel of Paraguay, a tributary of the Paraná River, but it is ultimately Brazilian territory.

Brazil, as a major South American power, is not something East Africa can easily control. Therefore, in the eyes of East African governments, the port of Colomba only has economic cooperation value.

In a sense, Brazil is more special than Argentina in that it is more flexible in its diplomacy and maintains good relations with countries in Europe, America and Africa at the same time.

This is also related to Brazil's economy. Unlike Argentina, whose agriculture is mainly based on grains and livestock, Brazil focuses more on the cultivation of cash crops, which has led to good relations between Brazil and the United States and European countries.

In addition, Brazil itself is quite powerful. The Brazilian Navy is the second most powerful navy in the South Atlantic, and ranks in the top teens globally.

Therefore, East Africa does not have the initiative in its diplomatic relations with Brazil. After all, Brazil can always win over countries like the United States to counterbalance East Africa. Moreover, given its size and terrain, even if East Africa takes a hard line, it may not necessarily come out on top. Brazil's highlands and coastal mountains can ultimately serve a defensive purpose.

Argentina's economy and population are more concentrated than Brazil's. Buenos Aires concentrates most of the country's economy and population, while to the west of Buenos Aires lies the undefended Pampas grasslands.

Assuming that the East African forces capture Rio de Janeiro, Brazil still has cities like São Paulo and El Salvador, and can retreat inland to use the terrain to wage guerrilla warfare or even organize a counter-offensive.

Argentina doesn't have that advantage. If they take over its capital, Argentina won't have much ability to resist. The remaining cities, Cordofan and Rosario, are simply no match for those Brazilian cities.

In conclusion, in the eyes of East Africa, Brazil is a large country and not as easy to manipulate as Argentina, so East Africa cannot take a hard line.

This is reflected in the Paraná River Merchant Navigation Agreement, which Brazil was not very enthusiastic about because it did not value Paraná River shipping, but rather its eastern seaports.

This also means that Brazil will not invest much in the port of Colomba. Brazilians themselves do not value it, and East Africa is even less likely to put great effort into building the port of Colomba.

The situation in Suarez is completely different. Bolivia has now become a vassal state of East Africa, and Suarez is essentially within East Africa's sphere of influence. Therefore, East African capital can confidently and boldly invest in and develop Suarez.

This is similar to why the United States dared to invest heavily in supporting the economies of Japan and South Korea in its past life. As long as the United States holds the reins of Japan and South Korea, it doesn't need to worry about the two countries betraying it economically.

(End of this chapter)