Chapter 110: Data
Ernst sat in his armchair, reviewing this year's data from the East African colony.
With northern Kenya now under colonial sovereignty (though development had not yet begun), the East African colony's total area had reached approximately 1.4 million square kilometers.
The territories of present-day Tanzania and Kenya were basically under East African control (with the exception of Zanzibar Island and the northeastern desert coast of Kenya, which remained outside the unified territory).
As of now, registered immigrant population in the East African colony had reached 582,413.
Of course, this figure excluded the native Black African population, which ranged between 400,000 and 800,000—still not worth the trouble of an accurate count in the colony's eyes.
The original estimate by Ernst and the colonial government had been around 500,000 by year's end.
The overachievement was due to two new sources of immigration: Paraguayan war refugees and immigrants from southern Germany.
This influx changed the demographic structure.
Chinese immigrants remained the largest group, numbering just over 300,000.
Austro-Hungarian immigrants were second, at nearly 200,000.
Third were the Paraguayans, mostly women and children.
Fourth were Armenian and other Middle Eastern immigrants.
Fifth were German migrants from within Germany itself.
But by ethnicity, Germans ranked third overall, since many Austro-Hungarian immigrants were ethnic Germans.
Southern Germany's potential had not yet been fully tapped. Optimistically, another 200,000 Germans could be recruited next year (excluding Austro-Hungarian territories).
The wide range in native prisoner numbers was due to the colony not bothering to keep exact records.
Yet the development of East African land required large labor pools. Some dangerous projects couldn't risk immigrant lives—so native prisoners were used extensively.
Additionally, many natives had escaped the first wave of cleansing. The colony couldn't mobilize everyone for patrols—farms and crops still needed attention.
So stragglers were often captured during later inspections.
In total, the colony had roughly one million people (immigrants plus natives).
With this manpower, the colony had developed 3.49 million mu of land this year.
Among them:
730,000 mu of rice paddies, mostly along the coastal plains and near the Great Lakes.
Rice cultivation was expanding both north and south.
The southernmost point was in the Ruvuma River basin (Lower Coastal Zone), and the northernmost was near the Athi River in Eastern Kenya.
With an average yield of 200 kg per mu (ranging from 180–250), the expected total output was at least 140 million kg.
Once processed into polished rice, it would yield around 84 million kg.1.51 million mu of wheat, making it East Africa's number one staple crop.
Mainly grown in the inland highlands and northern parts of developed Kenyan land, where lower rainfall favored wheat.
Average wheat yield was 160 kg per mu, totaling around 240 million kg, with a 70% milling rate, resulting in about 168 million kg of flour.200,000–300,000 mu of other food crops: potatoes, millet, and maize.Over 1 million mu of cash crops: sisal, oil crops, cotton, coffee, and rubber.
These were conservative estimates. The developed lands had ample water and fertile soil.
Heavy use of natural fertilizers (all waste in East Africa was centrally processed) and limited imported fertilizers (from Europe) only increased yields.
Despite the vast expansion, fewer than 400,000 immigrants had been involved in active farming—many newer arrivals had yet to begin development.
The use of native labor was crucial.
They filled roles akin to oxen or tractors—plowing fields, digging canals, building roads.
Immigrants couldn't slack off either—planting required care and was their responsibility.
Population growth also spurred urban expansion.
Large cities now housed 20,000–30,000 people; smaller ones, 2,000–3,000.
Top 9 cities by registered immigrant population:
First Town (Mlandizi) – ~30,000
The undisputed capital of the East African colony.Dar es Salaam – ~27,000
Including foreign merchants (Arab, Portuguese, Dutch), its actual population exceeded 30,000.
Add in native slaves—it's the most populous city overall and the colony's only remaining slave market.Mwanza – ~23,000
An inland city, not coastal, unexpectedly ranked third due to strategic development.Mbeya – ~21,000
The colony's only mining city, producing coal, iron, and other byproducts (gold, copper).Mombasa – ~20,000
A late acquisition, but development was fast thanks to favorable policies.Tanga – ~18,000
The first port seized, now the center of East Africa's sisal trade—European buyers order daily.Bagamoyo – ~13,500
A port city, part of the Central Zone (along with First Town and Dar), but development was average due to overlapping functions with Dar. Still promising for future growth.Dodoma – ~13,000
Located in central Tanzania, a key transfer point for people and goods moving west.Mtwara – ~12,000
Situated in the Lower Coastal Zone, close to the capital Ruanroda.
Growth limited by the small number of berths in its port.
All these cities exceeded 10,000 in population, and differences weren't large.
All had great development potential.
Next in population was Pemba Island, with ~9,700 people—the colony's largest island.
Then came other regional capitals: Kigoma, Songea, Ruanroda, Nairobi…
Nairobi, with just over 2,000 residents, was the colony's smallest city.
Though Nairobi was the largest city in East Africa in Ernst's previous life, its current underdevelopment was due to being acquired late.
Located deep inland, Nairobi was harder to access.
Mombasa had better transport, and Kisumu (on the Great Lakes) benefited from Mwanza's support.
Nairobi stood alone.
Kenya's coffee plantations, located north of the city near Mount Kenya, also diverted labor and delayed urban growth.
Still, Nairobi's future looked bright.
Once Uganda was conquered, Nairobi would become the colony's primary rail hub—its strategic importance guaranteed its rise.
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