Chapter 90 New Administrative Divisions (Easter Egg Chapter Map for reference)
August 11, 1867.
With the last batch of Zanzibar Sultanate nationals being sent to Zanzibar Island, the East African colonies completely took control of the mainland part of the Zanzibar Sultanate.
In order to facilitate the management of the colony and thoroughly digest these newly acquired lands.
After a series of studies and discussions between Ernst and senior colonial government officials, the administrative divisions of the East African colonies were further divided.
The first was that the Kenyan colony was split into three administrative regions and merged into the East African colony, in order from west to east.
The Western Region of Kenya is established with Kisumu on the north shore of Kavilondo Bay of the Great Lake (Lake Victoria) as its capital.
Kisumu, like Mwanza, is located on the coast of the bay of the Great Lake (Lake Victoria). In the previous life, Kisumu was the third largest city in Kenya, while Mwanza was the second largest city in Tanzania. From this It can be seen that the conditions in the Great Lakes area are superior.
In the future, after the plague in the northwest dissipates, Kampala, the capital of the Buganda Kingdom, can be seized to build a troika for urban and economic development around the Great Lakes region.
The central region of Kenya is established with Nairobi as its capital.
Needless to say, Nairobi was the capital of Kenya in its previous life and the largest city in East Africa. It has huge development potential. The coffee cultivation currently being developed in the East African colonies is not far from Nairobi.
In the east, with Mombasa as the capital, the Eastern District of Kenya was established.
As one of the two most important ports in East Africa in the future (the other is Dar es Salaam), Mombasa has excellent transportation conditions and is currently the most prosperous and lively area in Kenya.
Except for dividing Kenya. Ernst and the East African colonial government also made minor adjustments to the administrative regions within Tanzania.
The first is Town No. 1, the central seat of the East African colonial government. Its jurisdiction was redivided, and Bagamoyo and Dar es Salaam were included in Town No. 1 to establish a central district.
The newly established Central District is full of attractions. Although it is the smallest among the administrative districts in the East African colonies, it is the strongest. In addition to sitting in the first town, the administrative center of East Africa, Bagamoyo and Dar es Salaam Two port cities were also included, as well as Second Town, the earliest planned immigration stronghold.
The infrastructure construction of these four cities can be said to be the most complete in the current East African colonies, and their future development prospects will not be bad.
The capital of the Upper Coast District was also changed from the third town (Kitunga) to Tanga.
As one of the only four port cities in the East African colonies, Tanga Port is also one of the few East African colonies with an industry (sisal processing plant), and its potential far exceeds that of the third town.
Kitunga is too close to the first town to highlight its advantages, so it was downgraded. However, the third town with the first-mover advantage is still the second-ranked city in the Upper Binhai District.
With the evacuation of residents of the Zanzibar Sultanate, other lands along the original Zanzibar coast were also included in neighboring regions.
In this way, the Central Coastal District and the Lower Coastal District have also become coastal regions. From south to north, the coastal regions of the East African colonies are Kenya East District, Upper Coastal District, Central District, Middle Coastal District, and Lower Coastal District. Marina area.
In this way, the number of East African colonies increased from ten to fourteen (the first town became the central district, plus three districts in Kenya.)
In order to develop the East African colonies In the south, the conference also decided to build a new port city on the southern coast of the East African colony. That is, Mtwara is located in the Lower Marina District, and its service targets are mainly the Lower Marina District and the East Malawi Lake District.
Affected by the previous colonial policies and geographical location in East Africa, the Lower Marina District and the East Malawi Lake District can be said to be the two regions with the lowest colonial presence in East Africa.
Previously, the main development and expansion directions of the East African colonies were mainly in the west and north. In the middle, they fought a war with the Zanzibar Sultanate, and never paid attention to the south.
This causes its immigration speed to be even slower than that of the western inland areas, and at the same level as several large regions in the center.
It is understandable that there are fewer immigrants in several large areas in the central area. After all, there is less threat in the center of the East African colonies.
But the south has to pay attention. The Portuguese in the south are not vegetarians. Although Portugal has been declining over the years, its overseas power is not something that Ernst or even the current Prussia and Austria-Hungary empire can touch. .
Therefore, it is extremely important to strengthen the population in the south and consolidate the security of the East African colonies.
The colonists of this era had great autonomy, so even if the Portuguese mainland had no idea about the East African colonies and the senior officials of the Portuguese East African colonies had their own ideas, they would not be able to control it at home.
The Portuguese have been in Mozambique since 1497, and their colony of Mozambique (also known as Portuguese East Africa) has a history of four hundred years.
The foundation of such a deep-rooted rule is quite solid. Judging from its history, the Portuguese were interested in the East African colonies, and they once had conflicts with the Sultanate of Zanzibar.
So we cannot take it lightly, and Ronroda, the capital of the Lower Coast District, and Songea, the capital of the East Malawi Lake District, are very close to Portuguese East Africa. It is necessary to strengthen the military strength of the two places. To intimidate the Portuguese.
The colonial activities of this era were actually not very high-end. They were just a group of people using advanced weapons to conquer backward areas and plunder local resources.
Excellent resources, such as gold and silver minerals, will naturally be competed for, so there will often be fights between colonists.
East Africa is relatively barren, with no outstanding resources, and the environment is not considered superior. The vast grasslands, even during the slave trade era, could not compete with West Africa.
The only advantage of the East African colonies was that Ernst personally planned its development route and vigorously promoted its construction.
So the East African colonies reflected the superiority of the plan. The number of immigrants in the East African colonies increased rapidly, and the number of indigenous people decreased sharply.
For example, the Portuguese next door have developed Mozambique for hundreds of years, and the number of immigrants is not as high as the East African colonies that have been developed for less than two years. Moreover, they use a large number of black labor and allow them to grow. It is very cool at present, but for the future the Portuguese The seeds were planted for independence in East Africa (independence in 1975).
In the previous life, Portuguese East Africa ruled Mozambique for a full five hundred years. It is not an exaggeration to say that it has been since ancient times. In the end, it left in despair.
As for the current East African colonies, the number of indigenous people in the territory has dropped directly from millions to hundreds of thousands, and they are still consumables. The scale will continue to decline in the future. In a few years, the entire East African colonies will be European and The world is dominated by Chinese immigrants (it will not be possible to completely clear it out within 20 to 30 years, after all, they will still need their efforts in the big projects ahead).
(End of this chapter)