Chapter 952 "Lion" Territory

At the end of 1898, as the work of moving the capital progressed, it was finally the turn of the royal family to move inland.

"Rhine City now has 60,000 citizens, and its infrastructure is basically complete. When the central government and the royal family move there, we can guarantee that there will be no major mistakes."

"However, there are some details that require special attention. First, the relocation of the capital may have a certain impact on the railway system in the short term. Second, after the relocation of the capital, all government departments and people across the country will have to adapt." The subordinate reported to Ernst.

Ernst said, "In this case, we must first confirm with governments at all levels, government departments and the people of the country that Rhine City has officially become the new capital of East Africa, and confirm this matter through newspapers, radio broadcasts, etc."

In fact, the news that East Africa was going to move its capital had already been revealed before, but this news was only circulated within the government. This time, the accurate news that East Africa was going to move its capital was completely confirmed, making it convenient for East African citizens to know that the capital has become Rhine City.

"As for the relocation of the royal family and the central government, it should be arranged reasonably. It is best for the royal family and key government officials to go to Rhineland before Christmas to facilitate the work next year."

As the royal family members set off for Rhine City, the work of moving the capital to East Africa officially came to an end. On December 7, Constantine took the lead in going to Rhine City.

Two days later, other important members of the royal family, including Ernst, also officially boarded a special train heading towards Rhine City.

On the train, in the eyes of the Ernst family, everything on both sides of the railway was rapidly receding towards the rear, and the First Town City gradually began to blur. This city, which had served as the political center of East Africa for more than a decade, had officially been stripped of the title of the capital of East Africa.

Today, the First Town is as desolate as its identity has changed. With the construction of Rhine City, many of the first citizens of Rhine City came from the First Town, and this population migration will continue for a period of time until most people go to Rhine City.

Therefore, the First Town City now looks a bit depressed, and the population in the city center is much smaller than before. Without the blessing of being a capital, the First Town City is just an inconspicuous small city on the central railway line.

"Dad, are we going to leave the First Town City completely?" Princess Lina asked Ernst.

"Yes! We are going to live in a new city where the climate conditions are better than those in the First Town, and it is located in the heart of our country." Ernst followed his daughter's words.

"Is it the heart of a great lion?"

"Yes, it is the heart of the great lion."

The "lion" mentioned by the father and daughter is actually an explanation of the official East African shape of the East African territory, just like the "autumn leaf begonia" of the Far East Empire today and the "rooster" in later generations.

As for how to link the East African territory with the "lion", it has to be said that there is indeed a certain trick to it. After 1890, the expansion of the East African territory was basically completed.

The lion on the East African flag is the standing lion commonly seen on European flags, and the outline of the East African territory is somewhat similar to that of the European flag. In addition, the lion is the most representative animal in East Africa, so the concept of "lion" fits the image of East Africa.

According to the East African government's explanation of the East African map, the Ethiopian plateau at the northern end of East Africa is the lion's crown. After all, the traditional European lion image is wearing a crown.

The Congo River, the largest river in East Africa, is the outstretched arm of the East African "lion". Its head is the East African Plateau, its main body is the Central Plateau (Zimbabwe, Zambia and other regions), its legs are the Central Plateau in southwestern Africa and the South African Plateau in the southeast, and Madagascar Island is the lion's tail.

In general, the East African territory is a relatively abstract pattern, and it seems a bit forced to associate it with the lion. However, it is barely acceptable when the setting of the East African government is substituted into it, especially the East African territory on the island of Madagascar, which serves as the "finishing touch". Without the island of Madagascar, it would be difficult to find the lion's tail.

If the official setting of the East African government is not taken into account, ordinary people would not be able to associate the East African territory with lions.

In fact, among the great powers, England in the United Kingdom also uses the lion as its totem. The animals in the British national emblem are three lions representing England and a unicorn representing Scotland. Northern Ireland is more special. It does not have an animal but a harp, as well as other representative elements.

Compared with the United Kingdom, East Africa has always used the lion as its totem, with relatively simple elements. Outside of East Africa and the United Kingdom, Germany, Russia, the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the United States all use the "eagle" as their typical representative, among which Germany, Austria and Russia all have double-headed eagles.

In fact, the French national emblem also had the "eagle" element before, but now the government's totem has been changed to an axe.

Of course, many countries do not have a clear legal "national emblem", such as the United States and France, while the national emblems of several other powers are actually evolved from royal emblems.

The "Lion" of East Africa is more convincing than other countries, at least on the map. In the past, Russia's territory did fit the setting of a double-headed eagle, but today's Tsarist Russia's territory is much larger than Russia's, and its land image does not look like two "eagle heads", not to mention the other countries.

…

Three days later, the Ernst family and the East African Central Government officially arrived at the new city of Rhine. At this time, the western part of Rhine was still under construction, but this would not hinder the East African government from handling government affairs.

The areas that have not yet been completed are mainly residential and industrial areas in the southwest, while the administrative areas have been completed long ago.

Moreover, with the current population of Rhine City, it is impossible to effectively fill the built-up area of ​​Rhine City. The built-up area alone is enough to accommodate 300,000 people. Even if all the population of the first town is moved here, it can only account for half.

Of course, as the new political center of East Africa, it is very easy to meet the population needs of Rhine City. After all, even if Rhine City reaches a scale of 500,000 people in the initial stage, it will only rank third among East African cities, smaller than Dar es Salaam and Mombasa.

In fact, if it were not for the development of the inland and the relatively balanced development of other regions, Dar es Salaam and Mombasa would be fully capable of becoming large cities with a population of one million that are not inferior to Europe and the United States.

Of course, other coastal cities in East Africa are also developing rapidly. Cities like Luanda, Cabinda, Beira, and the Port of New Hamburg have already gained a certain degree of competitiveness.

Inland, there are already established and mature cities such as Mbeya, Harare and New Frankfurt. If East Africa turns to a "free market" economy at this time, it will not cause a large-scale loss of population in the central and western regions in the short term.

However, urban development in East Africa is relatively balanced, but there are still huge regional disparities, especially in the western region, which, except for a few cities, is far from being able to compete with the central and eastern regions.

After the train arrived at the station, the Ernst family could finally have a direct look at their new residence. This was Ernst's first time in Rhine City, and Constantine, who had arrived earlier, was already waiting for Ernst and his party at the station.

"Ernst, the climate inland is more comfortable than that in the coastal areas. After arriving in Rhine City, I feel much more refreshed." Constantine said.

It is summer in the southern hemisphere now, so the first town on the coast is still relatively hot, with daytime temperatures reaching over 30 degrees. Rhine City is located on a plateau, where daytime temperatures are only in the early twenties, which is indeed more comfortable than the coast.

(End of this chapter)