Chapter 1521 Suarez Port
The "North Atlantic Monster House" is a true portrayal of the North Atlantic region of this era. East Africa is the only dominant country in the South Atlantic and the only industrial country in East Africa.
The North Atlantic Ocean accommodates various powerful forces in today's world. It should be mentioned here that the North Atlantic Ocean also includes the North Sea, the Baltic Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea, the Caspian Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, the Hudson Bay, the Gulf of Guinea and other affiliated bays.
The academic community usually uses the equator as the boundary, so African waters such as the Gulf of Guinea are also classified as part of the North Atlantic.
However, the East African Navy had its own internal method of dividing the North and South Atlantic Oceans, which was to use a straight line between the towns of Tannar in Brazil and Dakar in the French colony of Senegal to divide the Atlantic Ocean into two parts, north and south.
This straight line is also the shortest distance between the two pieces of land in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, which is almost three thousand kilometers.
No matter which classification is used, the strength of the North Atlantic countries is much stronger than that of the South Atlantic countries, including Germany on the Baltic Sea coast, the Soviet Union, or the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the Mediterranean, they all belong to the North Atlantic countries.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, which was dominated by the United States in the past, is within this range. Not to mention the countries along the coast of the North Atlantic Ocean, the strength of the navies of Britain, the United States and France alone is enough to show how powerful the North Atlantic Ocean is.
Among them, the British Navy is recognized as the world's first, the US Navy is second, and the French Navy ranks fifth. As for the fourth, it is the Japanese Navy in East Asia.
Of course, there is some controversy about the second largest navy in the world. Some people think it is East Africa, and some people think it is the United States, so there is controversy, but there is no doubt that the top three navies in the world are Britain, East Africa and the United States.
This means that among the top ten countries in the world in terms of naval power, except for East Africa and Japan, all are in Europe and the United States, that is, countries along the North Atlantic coast.
…
Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia.
In the early 16th century, during the Ming Dynasty, Spanish colonists entered the present-day Santa Cruz Province to build colonial outposts. After Bolivia's independence, Santa Cruz became one of the nine original provinces of Bolivia and was under the jurisdiction of Cochabamba Province.
In 1863, the Bolivian government officially upgraded Santa Cruz to an autonomous province with independent executive and legislative bodies.
After the failure of the Chaco War, part of the territory in the southern part of Santa Cruz Province was ceded to Paraguay. However, this did not cause any serious damage to Santa Cruz Province, as the area of Santa Cruz Province is as high as more than 300,000 square kilometers.
An important reason for the failure of the Chaco War was Bolivia's long-term neglect of the Santa Cruz Province, whose total population was less than 200,000 and concentrated in the eastern region.
The East African officers and soldiers at the Suarez Military Base are well aware of this.
"Before, I always thought that East Africa was vast and sparsely populated, but when I arrived in Bolivia, I really felt the despair of being isolated from the world. If it weren't for the proximity to Brazil and Paraguay, I think the Bolivians might not even be willing to build a village here."
"No wonder Bolivia lost the war before. Their army may have difficulty in getting supplies, let alone fighting. I bet that if they are not adequately prepared, ordinary people may get lost in this kind of environment." East African soldier Li Jie talked to his teammates while shoveling dirt.
His comrade Nasir agrees with this: "The facts prove that the reason why these South American countries have developed into what they are today is still their own problems. The conditions in Santa Cruz Province are not bad, but for so many years, there has been almost no significant development. You have to know that Bolivia's history is several times that of the empire."
It's no wonder Nasir said that, because the local climate of the town of Suarez where they are stationed is the same tropical savannah climate as in East Africa.
Under the same climate type, East Africa is basically composed of industrially and agriculturally developed areas with relatively dense populations. However, due to the tropical rainforest and desert climate, it is indeed difficult to develop.
Suarez and the surrounding areas have hardly been effectively developed. Apart from villages and towns, there is nothing but wilderness. However, the lack of large wild animals in Suarez is much better than in East Africa back then.
The more threatening creatures in Santa Cruz Province are jaguars and pumas, but they are not distributed in Suarez and surrounding areas in the southeast of Santa Cruz Province. The more common large wild animals in the area, such as anteaters and wild boars, do not pose much threat to humans.
Therefore, the Bolivians have not developed this unique environment on a large scale, which is seen by East Africans as a waste of resources.
In fact, the development of Santa Cruz Province in the past was basically after the mid-20th century. At that time, a large number of German and Japanese immigrants entered the area, and the discovery of natural gas in Santa Cruz Province led to its rapid development.
By the 21st century, Santa Cruz Department had become the second most populous province in Bolivia, and its economy accounted for more than 30% of the country's total.
This fully demonstrates the huge development potential of Santa Cruz Province. Unfortunately, Bolivians have never paid enough attention to it before.
Li Jie said: "In the final analysis, it is because Bolivia's immigration policy is not good. This is also an important reason why most of South America is underdeveloped. In recent years, only a few South American countries such as Argentina and Brazil have achieved good economic results after attracting a large number of immigrants."
"But this achievement is also very limited. You have to know that East Africa started from scratch compared to these South American countries. After decades, East Africa has become one of the most powerful countries in the world, while South America does not even have a single industrial country. Even the most developed Brazil and Argentina are not as industrially advanced as some small European countries."
"Let's not talk about industry. In the agricultural field, the performance of South American countries is also very poor. The only thing worth praising is Argentina's agriculture. However, compared with the Empire and European and American countries, the performance is only satisfactory."
"If Bolivia's agricultural conditions could be utilized, its population could at least double or triple. However, in such a good area as Santa Cruz, there are probably less than 200,000 people. Some of our desert towns in East Africa cannot be so backward."
The population played a huge role in East Africa's transformation from a colony to the most powerful country in the world today. During this era, South American countries, except for Argentina and Brazil, attracted a large number of immigrants with their favorable conditions.
The population of other countries is not large. Not only is the quantity not enough, but the quality of the population in South American countries is also not good.
In the absence of external threats, the people in South American countries, from the top to the bottom, generally have no enterprising spirit and neglect education and technological development.
For example, education in South America is still dominated by religious schools, which are few in number and the threshold for ordinary people to receive education is also very high.
This may also be one of the main reasons why progressive religions in South America in the past became the promoters of social reform and ideological liberation. After all, the only small number of educated people were brought up under this education system with profound religious influence.
Reformers who promote social progress also need knowledge and learning, and this is true for both the European bourgeoisie and the Labour Party.
Therefore, in the early stages of development of most South American countries, population issues were particularly prominent. There was a lack of quantity and quality, and there were also fierce conflicts between various racial, ethnic, and national social groups.
Take Bolivia for example. The national population is just over two million, of which more than 60% are Indians, and Indians are basically not liked by the white government of Bolivia.
In other words, Bolivia does not even have a unified nation or even a national consensus. It would be strange if such a country could develop.
East Africa happens to be a negative example for these countries. In the early days, East Africa absorbed a large number of immigrants and encouraged childbirth. When conditions were met, the compulsory education system began to be built, and ethnic integration was continuously promoted. This is also an important foundation for East Africa to become a world power in just a few decades.
Li Jie said: "Bolivians look very similar to East Africans on the surface, but in terms of culture, identity, literacy and spirit, they are two completely different extremes."
Bolivians can also be seen as a country of mixed yellow and white races, so it is really not easy to distinguish their appearance from that of East Africans. This is why Li Jie said so.
Nasir nodded. "Being born in East Africa, I am considered lucky. We can receive a good education, have enough food and clothing, and most importantly, everyone is equal. Compared with Bolivia, the Empire is indeed a civilized country..."
While the two were chatting, squad leader Momada came over with a shovel and scolded them, "What are you two whispering about? Hurry up and work. We have to build the entire barracks before the end of this year. The workload is not small. We must clear this piece of grass before dinner tonight."
Li Jie and Nasir were instantly brought back to reality, and they started working hard with shovels. Although the squad leader Momada's tone was a bit harsh, the two did not feel dissatisfied at all. After all, in the East African army, which is based on the idea of officers and soldiers being one, even officers work the same as soldiers.
After warning the two men, Momada took the shovel and shoveled the soil with satisfaction.
Of course, if conditions permit, the East African army naturally does not need soldiers to do such hard labor. For example, domestically, large machinery can be used. As for foreign countries, East Africa can also hire local people to complete construction.
However, the town of Suarez is located deep in the interior of South America, with inconvenient transportation and a sparse population. Therefore, even if East Africa wants to transport machinery here, it will take a lot of effort and time. The local population is only a few hundred people, so it is called a town, but in fact it is just a small village.
Therefore, the East African officers and soldiers at the Suarez Military Base can only build their own residences and various facilities.
Although the East African Army did not have a very good reputation in the world, after all, East Africa was a colonial empire and had planned many genocides and unjust wars, but who would have thought that Ernst's construction of the East African National Defense Force was built according to the template of the Far East Empire in his previous life.
Of course, the East African army is also divided into two types, the National Defense Force and the Colonial Army. The East African army in South America is also composed of these two systems. Suarez’s garrison belongs to the East African National Defense Force. Therefore, the East African government basically will not arrange them to do dirty work.
In East Africa's vision, Suarez will be the "model city" of Bolivia in the future, and it will be built into one of Bolivia's new economic centers. The Suarez Military Base will also be located in this most developed city in Bolivia in the future.
That’s right, the town of Suarez is the representative town for the Bolivian part of the previous “Parana River Merchant Navigation Agreement”.
In fact, there are some ports in Santa Cruz Province that can access the Paraná River waterway, but those ports overlap in function with the Asuncion-Lima Railway, so the Port of Suarez was singled out for development and construction.
It is only about fifteen kilometers away from the Port of Corumba in Brazil. The former has better conditions. One of the reasons why Port Suarez is valued by East Africa is that East Africa can station troops here.
Corumba is located at the confluence of rivers and is the main channel of Paraguay, a tributary of the Paraná River, but it belongs to Brazilian territory after all.
Brazil, as a major South American country, cannot be easily controlled by East Africa. Therefore, in the eyes of the East African government, the Port of Corumba only has economic cooperation value.
In a sense, Brazil is even more special than Argentina. That is, Brazil is more flexible in diplomacy than Argentina, and it has good relations with European, American and African countries.
This is also related to Brazil's economy. Unlike Argentina, where agriculture is mainly based on grain and animal husbandry, Brazil focuses more on the cultivation of cash crops, which makes Brazil have good relations with the United States and European countries.
In addition, Brazil itself is quite strong. The Brazilian Navy is the second most powerful naval force in the South Atlantic, and it ranks in the top ten in the world.
Therefore, East Africa does not have the initiative in its diplomatic relations with Brazil. After all, Brazil can always win over the United States and other countries to balance East Africa. Also, due to its size and terrain, even if East Africa really takes tough measures, it may not be able to get any good results. Brazil's plateaus and coastal mountains can ultimately play a defensive role.
Argentina's economy and population are more concentrated than Brazil's. Buenos Aires concentrates most of the country's economy and population, and to the west of Buenos Aires is the indefensible Pampas.
Assuming that East Africa captures Rio de Janeiro, Brazil still has cities such as Sao Paulo and Salvador, and can retreat inland to use the terrain to fight guerrilla warfare or even organize a counterattack.
Argentina does not have this condition. If its capital is taken, Argentina will have little ability to resist. The remaining Kordofan and Rosario cannot be compared with those cities in Brazil.
In short, in the eyes of East Africa, Brazil is a big country and is not as easy to control as Argentina, so East Africa is not in a position to take tough measures.
This is reflected in the Paraná River Merchant Navigation Agreement. Brazil is not very enthusiastic about this agreement because Brazil itself does not attach importance to Paraná River shipping, but rather to its eastern seaports.
This also means that Brazil will not invest much in the Port of Corumba. Brazilians themselves do not attach importance to it, and it is even less likely that East Africa will put in a lot of effort to build the Port of Corumba.
But the situation of Port Suarez is completely different. Now that Bolivia has become a vassal power of East Africa, Port Suarez is also equal to the sphere of influence of East Africa. Therefore, subsequent East African capital can invest and build Port Suarez with confidence.
This is the same reason why the United States dared to make great efforts to support the economies of Japan and South Korea in the past. As long as the leash of Japan and South Korea is in the hands of the Americans, the United States does not have to worry about the two countries stabbing the United States economically.
(End of this chapter)
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