Chapter 1337 Strait of Magellan

Although the railway construction in East Africa has slowed down, every time the East African government will put the railway first in the field of transportation, which fully demonstrates the importance of railway 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.

In addition to the lack of high-quality seaports in Russia and relatively harsh climate and environment, Russia, East Africa and the United States are facing an important problem, that is, the domestic rivers are in poor condition, which makes the railways 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 the river. Although the United States has the "golden waterway" of the Mississippi River, which flows through the Central Great Plains and flows into the Caribbean Sea, it can connect the inland and coastal economies, but the economic focus of the United States is on the eastern coast and the Great Lakes region. If the Mississippi River flows from east to west and flows into the East Coast, it can really play a huge role in promoting the US economy.

This is even more true for Russia. The main rivers in Russia are basically north-south oriented and will be affected by the freezing of the river surface due to the lower temperature in winter. However, the Russian territory is distributed in a narrow east-west state, so the Russian government led the construction of the Siberian Railway to connect the eastern and western regions of the country.

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

However, the rivers in East Africa are not only restricted by the terrain, with a large drop in terrain, many waterfalls, canyons and rapids, but also restricted by precipitation conditions, especially the Zambezi River, which has large seasonal changes in rivers.

So looking at 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 canal channels over the years, the problem with these artificial canals is that the capacity is limited, and the 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 threaten the status of railways is road transportation. Even in terms of volume and importance, road transportation is the first, but railways have advantages that cannot be completely replaced by roads, especially in the fields of national defense, people's livelihood and economy.

Especially in the field of national defense, the importance of railways exceeds that of 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 mobilization. Railways have both the advantages of transportation capacity and timeliness and stability.

The so-called speed is the most important thing for soldiers. Although the speed of roads is also very fast, the unit transportation capacity cannot be compared with that of railways, and it is easily disturbed by external factors. As for waterways, there is no need to say more. If soldiers and strategic materials are transported by rivers, the daylily will be cold.

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

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

As for data in other aspects, the East African government needs to wait for a while, but with East Africa's exaggerated economic growth rate, it is completely certain that the development data in other fields during the four-five period will not be too bad.

…

March 1919.

The focus shifted to Luanda on the west coast of East Africa. As a large city in western East Africa, Luanda City officially became a "friendly city" with Punta Arenas City in Chile at the beginning of this year.

Luanda City Government.

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 not only participated 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 have relevant discussions with Chilean representatives in the city hall.

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

"Welcome to the friendly cooperation between your country and the Empire. I hope that through this cooperation between the two countries, the Strait of Magellan route can regain its former vitality, thus playing a huge role in your country's economic development." East African Minister of Transportation Reni raised his glass to toast Chilean Foreign Minister Rigardo.

Rigardo replied: "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 the two 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 make common progress and prosperity."

Both Reni 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.

Raini 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, the main body of Chile is on the Pacific coast, while East Africa is on the Atlantic coast, which has 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 are 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. Therefore, in theory, the exchanges between East Africa and Chile cannot be circumvented by Argentina.

However, the reality is that the exchanges between East Africa and Chile do not need to transit through Argentina, and all this stems from the Strait of Magellan 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 in the hands of Chile.

The Strait of Magellan is an important 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 subject to Argentina.

Argentina and Chile have always had a bad relationship, especially regarding the territorial issue of Tierra del Fuego. There have been frequent conflicts between the two countries, and the southern shore of the Strait of Magellan is Tierra del Fuego.

In the last century, Argentina and Chile fought over the sovereignty of Tierra del Fuego. In the end, Chile was better, so Chile occupied two-thirds of the land of Tierra del Fuego, and it was these two-thirds of the land that allowed Chile to pass through the eastern outlet of the Strait of Magellan without hindrance.

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

However, this time was until 1914. After the Panama Canal was opened to navigation, the Strait of Magellan, the only sea route between the two sides of the Americas in the past, also declined rapidly.

This undoubtedly dealt a certain blow to the Chilean economy, especially to Punta Arenas, the only city located in 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, because the Chilean government continued to exile criminals to the local area, it gradually developed into a slightly larger settlement.

Punta Arenas really developed mainly thanks to gold mines and wool. In the 1990s, Punta Arenas had become an important wool processing center.

The good days of Punta Arenas ended in 1914. With the official completion of the Panama Canal led by the Americans, the status of the Strait of Magellan was greatly reduced.

This impact even exceeded the impact 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 the Strait of Magellan at the southern tip of South America is even more so.

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

Even in its heyday, the Cape of Good Hope was far behind the Cape of Good Hope of the same period. You should know that during its most developed period, the Suez Canal had 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 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 status of the Strait of Magellan is not irreplaceable.

Compared with North America, the economy of South America is almost a backward region, and the trade volume between the two sides is almost negligible.

In addition to economic problems, the natural conditions of the Strait of Magellan are also worrying. The Strait of Magellan is too high in latitude, the climate is cold, and it is located in the westerly belt. The wind is high and the waves are strong, and there are many floating ice. Moreover, the entire strait is 500 kilometers long, the coastal terrain is complex, and the population is sparse, which is relatively rare in the world's major maritime transportation routes.

Take the Cape of Good Hope as an example. Although the Cape of Good Hope is also dangerous because of the many storms, it is completely dwarfed by the Strait of Magellan.

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The latitude of the Cape of Good Hope is about 34 degrees south latitude, while the Strait of Magellan is more than 50 degrees south latitude, so the climate of the Strait of Magellan is more severe, and the waters of the Cape of Good Hope are relatively open, while the Strait of Magellan is not only relatively narrow, but also has a slot point. 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, the opening of the Panama Canal, if it follows the original historical development, almost sentenced the Strait of Magellan to death.

And 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 Rigardo said to Reni: "Indeed, the opening of the Panama Canal has almost paralyzed the route of 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 country's planning."

"We hope that the future Strait of Magellan 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 because of the rise of your country."

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

The turning point came in the 1990s. As East Africa snatched a large amount of land on the west coast from Portugal, in order to develop the west, the Cape of Good Hope became the main channel for ships to cross the East African coast. This once again led to the revival of shipping in the Cape of Good Hope.

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

Minister Rennie said: "This is natural. The empire attaches great importance to trade with American countries, and Chile is an important country on the Pacific coast of America. In the past few years, we have imported a large amount of minerals and agricultural products from your country, so for the sake of trade between the two countries, demand, restarting the Strait of Magellan route has become a top priority.”

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

Regarding Reni's proposal, Rigardo delayed: "As for this matter, it involves territorial issues after all, so our government needs to do more research. It is not something that a small person like me can decide."

For Riccardo, Reni's request was Xiangzhuang's sword dance, intended for Peigong. It was not cooperation in the economic field, but preparation for the East African Navy.

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

In addition to the Strait of Magellan, the East African Navy has only two other options if it wants to do this. One is to pass through the Panama Canal under US control, and the other is to risk passing through the Drake Strait.

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 can the Americans let East Africa go?

As for the latter, although the Drake Strait is high seas, its environment is even worse than the Strait of Magellan. Ships almost die if they want to pass through. Even the name of the Drake Strait, Drake himself, has never crossed the Drake Passage. Strait, if the East African navy ventures through the Drake Strait, it may be able to repeat the tragedy of the Yuan Dynasty navy attacking Japan and being swallowed up by strong winds and huge waves.

Of course, there is no room for negotiation regarding the East African government's intention to use the Drake Strait for military purposes, which is why Rigardo said the Chilean government is studying it.

We must know that the overall length of the Strait of Magellan is more than 500 kilometers. If East Africa only builds one or two military bases, it will not mean much unless East Africa controls the entire land on both sides of the Strait of Magellan like Chile.

Reni did not show any disappointment at Rijaldo's polite refusal. After all, he was just mentioning it.

Rennie said: "If your country wants to do something good, 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. Now the Empire is Chile's second largest trading country, and we hope to further expand the scale of trade with your country."

"Especially building a stable transportation channel for copper ore and saltpeter is a good thing for both countries."

As early as 1908, Chile had become the largest importer of copper ore in East Africa. East Africa itself was the largest producer of copper ore. However, the development of East African electricity and other industries still made the demand for copper ore in East Africa exceed the supply.

There is no need to say more about saltpeter. Now during World War I, the world's demand for saltpeter is huge. After East Africa imports saltpeter from Chile, it is then processed into industrial products such as explosives and exported to Europe to earn good profits.