Chapter 107 Lake Turkana
December 5, 1867.
As the end of the year approached, the work in the colonies began to ease. The East African colonies were no longer the poor and blank stage they were two years ago (on February 1, 1865, when they first landed at the port of Dar es Salaam).
When it comes to doing things, there is already a set of mature procedures, which greatly reduces unnecessary trouble and makes immigration work smoother. You can simply copy and paste past experience.
So at the end of the year, the East African colonies were able to stir up trouble again. Although they had occupied the southern part of Kenya before, the northern part of Kenya was still there.
As for the Northwest region, we can only watch this year as the local epidemic has not yet ended. The most optimistic estimate is that we will have to wait until next year to take action.
The natural conditions in northern Kenya are far inferior to those in the south, mainly because there is less rainfall, and the area is characterized by coexistence of deserts and grasslands.
However, the East African colonies were not picky about food. The presence of grasslands meant that the rainfall was good, and a small amount of desert was not completely unacceptable.
The average precipitation in the north is about 300mm to 400mm, which means that some areas can reach 500mm to 600mm, while some desert areas can't even reach 200mm.
The precipitation conditions are not bad. We can grow some drought-resistant crops and also choose to develop animal husbandry.
Of course, the premise is to avoid those deserts and arid areas, mainly the northeast near Somalia, which is the driest area in the whole of Kenya.
This is mainly due to the influence of topography and ocean currents. The northwest is flat, while the southeast trade winds carry moisture from the Indian Ocean to the interior of East Africa. In the Great Lakes (Lake Victoria) region, the uplift of the terrain results in abundant precipitation in the southwestern plateau of Kenya.
When the southeast trade winds cross the equator, they are affected by the Coriolis force and become southwest winds. By the time they reach northeast Kenya, there is not much rain left.
The northeast trade winds, which blow from the Arabian Peninsula, mainly pass through the continent and are unlikely to carry large amounts of water vapor.
In addition, the coastal plains of the Northeast are flat, with a weak effect in intercepting water vapor, and the cold currents in summer cause cooling and dehumidification, thus forming a non-zonal tropical desert.
The impact of topography on precipitation can be seen in Ethiopia, which is next to Somalia. The Ethiopian Plateau intercepts the water vapor of the southwest monsoon, resulting in more precipitation in the southwest of the Ethiopian Plateau and even forming large-scale wetlands in the lower reaches of the river.
…
Lake Turkana.
A border lake between Kenya and Ethiopia, located in the northwest of Kenya.
Lake Turkana is the fourth largest lake in Africa, after the Great Lakes (Lake Victoria), Lake Solon (Lake Tanganyika), and Lake Malawi.
This time Henriette (a character who appears in Chapter 57) leads a team to survey northwestern Kenya, and the conditions are much better than a year ago.
After replenishing supplies in the coffee-growing area at the foot of Mount Kenya, Henriette and her team set out on a journey to conquer northwestern Kenya.
Now before Henriette was the azure blue Lake Turkana.
"What a beautiful lake, it looks even more magnificent than Lake Solon (Lake Tanganyika)!" Henriette exclaimed.
The reason why Lake Turkana is so shocking, apart from its unique green color, is mainly because the desert and grassland around the lake form a sharp contrast, giving people a visual impact.
"Captain, let's keep going. This lake obviously has no end when viewed from south to north. What we see in front of us may only be a corner of it. Further north, there may be another large lake that can rival the three major lakes." Andy, a member of the expedition team, said to Henriette.
"Well, we still have to keep working hard. This time maybe it will be another major discovery that will make us famous in history," said Henriette.
What Andy said makes a lot of sense. The north-south length of Lake Turkana is about 200 kilometers. Even at the fastest speed, it will take several days to reach the northernmost tip.
…
In the following days, Henriette and her team traveled north along Lake Turkana, recording the ecological, climatic and hydrological characteristics of the lake.
The local indigenous people call this lake Lake Turkana. The lake water is alkaline and is home to a large number of algae (cyanobacteria), so it is blue-green in color.
Nile crocodiles, hippos and some fish live in the lake. There are also many wild animals on the lakeside. There are many dry rivers on the lakeside and it is not known whether there is water in the rainy season. Henriette and others saw no less than a hundred species of birds (actually there are more than three hundred species) by the lake.
On the seventh day, Henriette and her group arrived at the northern part of Lake Turkana. Along the lakeside, Henriette and her group saw the main source of water for Lake Turkana - the Omo River.
The Omo River originates in Ethiopia. Its upper reaches flow through the rainy plateau. It has abundant water and a tight river body. Its lower reaches are 150-200 meters wide, making it a rare large river in East Africa.
Ninety percent of Lake Turkana’s water comes from the Omo River, which is why Lake Turkana has been able to remain intact in the desert.
Henriette and others recorded in detail the hydrological and geographical conditions along the Omo River, which is a rare fertile land.
Compared with the arid desert and grassland along the shores of Lake Turkana, the lower reaches of the Omo River are wide and have abundant water resources, which can feed at least 200,000 people.
The lower reaches of the Omo River can be a key area for development in northern Kenya. Of course, some areas around Lake Turkana can also be used to grow some drought-resistant crops.
Since then, the lower reaches of the Omo River and Turkana have been regarded as a sure thing by the East African colonies. Even in the future, in order to ensure the safety of the Omo River and Lake Turkana, the East African colonies will continue to encroach on the land in the upper reaches of the Omo River.
This is not an exaggeration, but Ethiopia has a previous record. In the past, Ethiopia built a series of hydropower stations in the upper reaches of the Omo River in order to generate electricity.
This has caused a reduction in river water in the downstream areas and the increasing depletion of Lake Turkana, but Lake Turkana is mainly located in Kenya.
The Ethiopian government does not care about the lives of Kenyans who depend on Lake Turkana for their survival. The reduction of river water and the shrinkage of the lake have caused a decrease in fish production and triggered conflicts among tribes in Kenya over fishing rights.
Therefore, Ernst required that the Omo River Basin should at least be mostly controlled by the East African colonial government to ensure water security.
Ethiopia is currently still in the Abyssinian Empire period. Its control over the south is not very tight, and it also faces threats from Western colonists such as Britain.
In 1863, Theodore II of the Abyssinian Empire did a stupid thing. Because the British Foreign Office did not reply to his letter (he wrote a letter to Queen Victoria asking Britain to cooperate with him against Egypt and the Ottoman Empire), he kidnapped British diplomats and 58 Europeans in Ethiopia as hostages in 1864.
Ernst had to admire the courage of this old man, but his next action was even more surprising.
After the British Foreign Office asked an Iraqi working for Britain to bring a reply to Theodore II, Theodore II released the hostages.
But soon, Theodore II went back on his word and re-arrested British diplomats in the Abyssinian Empire, while extorting a group of craftsmen and machines from the British government.
The British, who were at the peak of their power, had never suffered such injustice. In the same month (December 1867) that Henriette and others explored Lake Turkana and the Omo River.
The British army that was sent to Abyssinia had assembled in Mumbai, India, ready to teach the ignorant Theodore II a lesson.
The fate of Theodore II and the Abyssinian Empire was already known (the British looted a large number of artifacts and treasures, including Theodore II's crown, and Theodore II committed suicide after the defeat).
When Ethiopia and the British fight next year, it will be the time when East Africa expands in the Omo River Basin, which will create conditions for Ernst and the East African colonies to annex the Omo River Basin.
After the death of Theodorus II, the Abyssinian Empire (Ethiopia) fell into a brief era of strife among princes and posed no threat to the East African colonies for at least three or four years.
(End of this chapter)
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