African Entrepreneurship Record-Chapter 883 - 187: Preparatory Work

In New Frankfurt City, Ernst stayed for three days, focusing on inspecting the surrounding environment.

The capital being inland, the city must, like First Town City, avoid developing heavily polluting industries. Hence, all central heavy industrial and resource-based cities are basically not within Ernst's selection range.

Secondly, transportation must be developed, allowing rapid access to all regions nationwide. Many central cities meet this criterion, such as New Frankfurt City, Lusaka, Kabwe, and the southern Copperbelt region, benefiting from the Central Railway, all have convenient transportation.

Then, as for the environment, this is a secondary concern. Most highland areas within East Africa are quite livable, and the landscapes are quite similar.

Thus, New Frankfurt City meets all these requirements and is very suitable as a capital. However, according to Ernst's style, he is unlikely to choose to establish the capital on the original site of New Frankfurt City, since the rise of New Frankfurt City relies on the railway, and the conditions in this region might not be the best overall.

Other cities, like Kabwe, are Zambia's largest mineral development areas, especially rich in lead, zinc, and heavy metal mineral resources. Cities like Lusaka have mostly risen due to copper mining, so they are not in Ernst's choice either.

However, these troublesome matters certainly cannot bother Ernst alone. The selection of a capital is a complex and significant issue, so the position of the new capital must inevitably undergo repeated assessments and screenings.

After finishing the trip, Ernst immediately decided to return to First Town City, then appointed professionals to conduct surveys around New Frankfurt City.

Let professionals handle professional matters. The East African Geological Bureau, Meteorological Bureau, Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Transportation, and experts from all fields, especially city planning and design experts, gathered in First Town City to receive tasks arranged by Ernst.

"Firstly, the primary aspect is transportation connectivity. The Hohenzollern Province (western Zambia) and Matabele Province (Zimbabwe) are both located in East Africa's future economic center (currently Mbea City). The Hohenzollern Province obviously has an advantage over Matabele Province in terms of transportation, mainly in its connection to the east. Of course, considering East Africa's future transportation development, Matabele Province will also improve, but its transportation capacity will still have limits relative to Hohenzollern Province. Matabele is positioned more to the south, so we might also consider Swabia Province (southern Congo). Balancing the two, Hohenzollern Province has a high lower threshold for land transportation locations nationwide."

The capital of a country must first consider transportation issues, facilitating the efficient dissemination of government directives, while also allowing the East African Central Government to supervise and inspect the regions, and to efficiently arrange nationwide military deployment surrounding the capital.

For example, the current Guard Division is stationed in the Central Province, yet the Central Province is located on the East African eastern coastal area. If rebellions occur inland or in other directions, dispatching troops for suppression would be inconvenient.

"Secondly, it's about comfort. The capital's annual precipitation should not be less than 800 millimeters, and not more than 1500 millimeters, with temperatures ranging from about 15 to 25 degrees, neither too low nor too high. Many areas in Hohenzollern Province meet this standard."

"We also have to consider water sources. It's best to have lakes and rivers as water sources, but not too many, as parts of western Hohenzollern Province with many swamps are not suitable."

"Terrain is also crucial; it must allow for smooth drainage in the rainy season and not lack water sources in the dry season, ideally possessing some military functionality."

Most of East Africa's regions exhibit seasonal climates, much like the eastern regions of the Far East Empire, so finding an area that is perennial and stable in both dry and wet conditions is not too difficult, but not commonplace either. The current East African capital and coastal cities, after river improvements, mostly don't encounter significant issues.

As for the supposed military functionality, Ernst only mentions in passing that there are hardly any areas in East Africa with both strategically advantageous terrain and favorable conditions, as East Africa, primarily consisting of highlands, has most regions with high altitudes but relatively flat terrain. Apart from coastal plains, inland mountains and highlands hardly differ significantly. For instance, the Mujinga Mountains in Hohenzollern Province, almost blend with the plateau on their northwest slopes, while their southeast slopes are steep due to the Luangwa River's erosive undercutting.

"In terms of geology, a stable area must be chosen, avoiding volcanic and seismic zones."

This requirement from Ernst is well-founded, as the African continental plate is relatively secure compared to others worldwide.

Nevertheless, volcanic and seismic zones concentrate within East Africa's Great Rift Valley. Although there haven't been significant earthquakes in Africa outside Morocco in previous generations, it's best to avoid potential areas, especially since small earthquakes have historically occurred around Nairobi.

Concerning the volcano issue, it can largely be disregarded; most East African volcanoes are dormant. The most notable active volcano might be the African Nyamuragira Volcano, located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, one of the world's largest active volcanoes. However, Ernst will certainly not choose to position the new capital within the Congo region.

The Hohenzollern Province largely distances itself from volcanic and seismic zones, including the East African Rift Valley, making its overall safety quite reliable.

The primary natural disasters locally are floods and droughts. Therefore, selecting areas rich in water sources and with favorable terrain can effectively prevent natural disasters.

"Finally, economic factors must be considered, including the industrial and agricultural foundation. Agricultural conditions must be favorable to support the central region; subsequently, industry is crucial, aligning the capital's political, educational, and technological center functions with regional collaboration."

If industrial development is prioritized, Ernst wouldn't need to choose as he could directly target New Frankfurt City. However, in Ernst's view, the capital should not overly intervene in the allocation of regional industrial deployment.

Like First Town City, most production functions are essentially handed over to Dar es Salaam City, resulting in First Town City's economic statistics not being particularly high nationwide.

After all, Dar es Salaam City is only about fifty kilometers from First Town City, with Bajamojo City also nearby, so there's essentially nothing lacking.

"For this central trip, I specifically inspected New Frankfurt City. The development trajectory of New Frankfurt City is promising, and it is also a nationwide central transportation hub, so the capital's position should preferably be close to New Frankfurt City, which would secure the transportation aspect for the new capital."

This illustrates the concept of leveraging momentum. Although First Town City in the Central Province isn't the highest transport hub compared to Dar es Salaam, Bajamojo, and Morogoro, no one would say First Town City's transportation is poor; it has railways, canals, and highways, ensuring nationwide access by transiting a few nearby cities.

"Of course, relocating the capital is a complicated process. Within this century, I don't intend to move it yet, so there's ample time available. Patience and diligence are essential to select the optimal location for the future capital."

That said, only seven years remain until the century's end, but the investigation for a new capital and preparation of initial groundwork should suffice.

Another crucial reason for not relocating the capital now is that the central region's economy temporarily cannot compare with the east's. Moving it now, if not to an existing city, East African officials might otherwise have to work outdoors.