African Entrepreneurship Records

Chapter 870 Preliminary work

Ernst stayed in New Frankfurt for three days, and the reason for this was to focus on inspecting the surrounding environment.

 To locate the capital inland, first of all, this city must be the same as the first town, and cannot develop heavy pollution industries. Therefore, all heavy industrial cities and resource-based cities in the central part are basically not within Ernst's selection range.

Secondly, the transportation must be developed and be able to quickly reach all parts of the country. Many cities in the central part meet the standards, such as New Frankfurt, Lusaka, Kabwe, and the southern copper belt, which benefit from the central railway and are all areas with convenient transportation. .

 Then there is the environment, which is a secondary issue. Most of the plateau areas in East Africa are relatively livable, and the landscapes are similar.

It seems that New Frankfurt meets all the above needs and is very suitable as a capital. Of course, according to Ernst's style, there is a high probability that New Frankfurt will not choose to establish the capital on the original site of New Frankfurt, because the rise of New Frankfurt relies on The conditions of the railway itself may not be the best in the region.

Other cities, such as Kabwe, are the largest mineral development areas in Zambia, especially rich in lead, zinc ore and heavy metal mineral resources. Most cities such as Lusaka rely on copper mines and other minerals to rise, so they are not in Ernst's area. Within the selection.

However, Ernst certainly cannot have these troubles alone. The location of the capital is a complex and important issue, so the positioning of the new capital must undergo constant inspection and screening.

 After completing the trip, Ernst immediately decided to return to the first town, and then appointed professionals to conduct inspections around New Frankfurt.

 Leave professional matters to professionals. The East African Geological Bureau, Meteorological Bureau, Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Transport and experts from various fields, especially experts in the field of urban planning and design, gathered in the first town to accept the tasks assigned by Ernst.

“First of all, the first point is transportation accessibility. Both Hohenzollern Province (western Zambia) and Matabele Province (Zimbabwe) are located in the future economic center of East Africa (currently Mbeya City), and Hohenzollern Province (currently Mbeya City) London Province is obviously better than Matabele Province in terms of transportation, mainly because of its advantages in connection with the eastern transportation. Of course, considering the future transportation development in East Africa, Matabele Province will not be inferior, but Matabele Province This is the upper limit of transportation. Compared with Hohenzollern Province, Matabele Province is located in the south. According to this situation, we can also choose Swabia Province (southern Congo), so we can compromise between the two. It seems that the province of Hohenzollern has a very high minimum land transportation location in the country.”

For example, the current jurisdiction of the Guards Division is in the Central Province, but the Central Province is on the eastern coast of East Africa. If there is a rebellion in the interior or in several other directions, it will be inconvenient for the army to dispatch to quell the rebellion.

“Topography is also key. To ensure smooth drainage in the rainy season and avoid lack of water in the dry season, it is best to have certain military functions.”

“We must also consider the issue of water sources. It is best to have lakes and rivers as water sources, but not too many, such as the many swamps in the western part of the Hohenzollern Province.”

 The capital of a country must consider transportation issues first, to facilitate the efficiency of conveying government orders, to facilitate the East African central government’s supervision and inspection of various regions, and to facilitate the arrangement of national military deployment around the capital.

"Secondly, it is comfort. The average annual precipitation in the capital should be no less than 800 millimeters and no more than 1,500 millimeters. The temperature should be between 15 degrees and 25 degrees. It should not be too low or too high. , many areas in the Hohenzollern province meet this standard.”

After all, the climate in most regions of East Africa is seasonal, just like the eastern part of the Far Eastern Empire, so it is not too easy to find a place with year-round drought and floods that guarantees harvests, but it is not uncommon. For example, the capital and coastal cities of East Africa are now in the opposite direction. After the surrounding river channels are improved, there will basically not be any big problems.

As for the so-called military function, Ernst just mentioned in passing that there are almost no places in East Africa with dangerous terrain and favorable natural conditions. Because East Africa is a mainly plateau country, most areas are only high in altitude and have very gentle terrain. Except for Apart from the coastal plain, the difference between most inland mountains and plateaus is actually not prominent. For example, the Muchinga Mountains in the Hohenzollern Province are almost integrated with the plateau on the northwest slope, while the southeastern **** is steep because of the Lu The Angua River eroded down and formed a large river valley.

“In terms of geology, we should also choose stable areas and avoid volcanic and seismic zones.” Ernst’s request is not without purpose. The African continental plate is actually relatively safe among various plates in the world.

However, the volcanic and seismic zones are basically concentrated in the East African Rift Valley in East Africa. Although I have never heard of any major earthquakes in Africa except Morocco in the past life, it is better to avoid them, especially around Nairobi. There have been many small-magnitude earthquakes in the past life.

As for the issue of volcanoes, it can be completely ignored. Most of the volcanoes in East Africa are extinct volcanoes. The most famous active volcano is probably the Nyamula Gira volcano in Africa. It is located in the Democratic Republic of Congo and is also one of the largest active volcanoes in the world. , but Ernst would definitely not choose to set up a new capital in the Congo region.

The Hohenzollern Province is generally far away from the volcanic and seismic zones, that is, the East African Rift Valley Zone, and its overall safety is relatively reliable.

 The biggest natural disasters in the area are floods and droughts, so this is also the main reason to choose areas with abundant water resources and good terrain, which can effectively avoid natural disasters.

"Finally, what needs to be considered is the economic factors, including the industrial and agricultural foundation. Agricultural conditions must be favorable and can support the central area, followed by industry. This must be combined with the political, cultural, educational, and scientific and technological center functions of the capital. It is best to Form collaborative relationships with cities in the region.”

If you want to consider industrial development, then Ernst doesn’t have to choose. He can directly target New Frankfurt. However, in Ernst’s view, the capital should not interfere too much in regional industrial deployment.

Just like the first town and city, most of the production functions are basically handed over to Dar es Salaam, so that the economic data of the first town and city are not high in the country.

 After all, the city of Dar es Salaam is only more than fifty kilometers away from the first town, and there is also the city of Bagamoyo nearby, so basically there is no shortage of anything.

"On this trip to central China, I focused on inspecting New Frankfurt. The development of New Frankfurt tends to be good and it is also the central transportation hub of the country. Therefore, it is best for the capital to be close to New Frankfurt, so that the traffic problems in the new capital will be eliminated. can be guaranteed.”

This is a question of taking advantage of the situation. For example, the first town is not the most developed place in Central Province, far behind Dar es Salaam, Bagamoyo and Morogoro, but no one will say that the first town is not the most developed place in Central Province. The transportation conditions in the first town are poor, because the first town has railways, canals and highways. To go to the country, you only need to commute to a few nearby cities without any problem.

“Of course, relocating the capital is a complicated process. In this century, I have no plans yet, so I have plenty of time left for you. Work slowly and carefully, and be sure to choose the best location for the future capital.”

Having said that, there are actually only seven years until the end of this century, but the inspection of the new capital and some preliminary preparations are enough.

Of course, another important reason for not moving the capital now is that the economic situation in the central region cannot be compared with that in the east for the time being. If the capital is moved at this time, if the existing cities are not chosen, I am afraid that East African officials will have to work in the open air.

 (End of this chapter)