Chapter 107 Lake Turkana
December 5, 1867.
As the end of the year approaches, the work in the colonies has begun to ease. The East African colonies are no longer in a state of poverty and poverty two years ago (on February 1, 1865, when they first landed at the port of Dar es Salaam.).
When it comes to getting things done, there is already a set of mature procedures, which greatly reduces unnecessary troubles and makes the immigration work more smooth. You can just copy and paste past experience.
So at the end of the year, the East African colonies were able to cause trouble again. Although they had occupied southern Kenya before, northern Kenya was still there.
As for the northwest region, we can only watch this year. The local epidemic is not over yet, and the most optimistic estimate is that we will have to wait until next year before we can take action.
In northern Kenya, the natural conditions are far inferior to those in the south, mainly because there is less precipitation, and deserts and grasslands coexist.
However, the East African colonies were not picky about their food. The presence of grasslands meant that the rainfall was not bad, 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 about 500mm to 600mm. In some desert areas, 200mm cannot be reached.
The rainfall conditions are not bad. You can plant some drought-tolerant crops and develop animal husbandry.
Of course, the premise is to avoid those desert and arid areas, mainly in the northeastern part of Somalia, which is the driest area in Kenya.
This is mainly due to the influence of topography and ocean currents. The northwest is flat, while the southeast trade winds carry water vapor from the Indian Ocean to the interior of East Africa. In the Great Lakes (Lake Victoria) area, affected by the uplift of terrain, the southwest plateau of Kenya has abundant precipitation.
When the southeast trade wind crosses the equator, affected by the geostrophic deflection force, it turns into a southwesterly wind and blows to the northeast of Kenya without much rain.
The northeast trade wind, blowing from the Arabian Peninsula, mainly passes through the mainland, and it is difficult to carry a large amount of water vapor.
In addition, the northeastern coastal plain has a vast plain, which has a weak interception effect on water vapor, and there are cold currents in summer that cool down and dehumidify, so a non-zonal tropical desert is formed.
The impact of terrain on precipitation can be seen in Ethiopia, which is next door to Somalia. The Ethiopian plateau intercepts water vapor from the southwest monsoon, causing more precipitation in the southwest of the Ethiopian plateau, and even forming large-scale wetlands downstream of the river.
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Lake Turkana.
The boundary 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 appearing in Chapter 57) led a team to survey northwest Kenya. The conditions this time were much better than a year ago.
After replenishing supplies in the coffee growing area at the foothills of Kenya, Henriette and his team members embarked on a journey to conquer northwest Kenya.
Now Henriette was looking at the turquoise blue Lake Turkana.
"What a beautiful lake, even more magnificent than Lake Solon (Lake Tanganyika)!" Henriette exclaimed.
The reason why Lake Turkana shocks people is that in addition to its unique turquoise color, the most important thing is that the surrounding deserts and grasslands around the lake form a sharp contrast, giving people a visual impact.
"Captain, let's keep walking. Looking from south to north, this lake obviously has no end. What's in front of us may be just a corner of it. Going further north, maybe this is another large lake that can rival the three major lakes." The expedition team. Member Andy said to Henriette.
"Well, we still have to keep working hard. This time maybe there will be another major discovery, enough for us to leave a name in history." Henriette said.
What Andy said is very reasonable. The length of Lake Turkana from north to south is about 200 kilometers. Even at the fastest speed, you can't reach the northernmost point in a few days.
…
In the following days, Henriette and his party traveled north along Lake Turkana while recording the ecology, climate, hydrology and other characteristics of the lake.
The local indigenous people call this lake Lake Turkana. The water in the lake is alkaline and contains a large number of algae (blue-green algae), so it is blue-green.
Nile crocodiles, hippos and some fish live in the lake. There are also many wild animals around the lake. There are many dry rivers around the lake. I don’t know whether there is water in the rainy season. Henriette and others saw hundreds of birds around the lake. species (actually there are more than 300 species).
On the seventh day, Henriette and his party arrived at the northern part of Lake Turkana. Along the lakeshore, Henriette and his party saw the Omo River, the main water source of Lake Turkana.
The Omo River originates in Ethiopia. Its upper reaches flow through the rainy plateau. It has abundant water and a tight river body. Its downstream channel is 150-200 meters wide. It is a rare large river in East Africa.
Ninety percent of Lake Turkana's water source comes from the Omo River, which is why Lake Turkana can remain unshrunk 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 deserts and grasslands along Lake Turkana, the lower reaches of the Omo River have wide rivers and abundant water resources, which can feed at least 200,000 people.
The lower reaches of the Omo River can be used as a key area for development in northern Kenya. Of course, some areas around Lake Turkana can also grow some drought-resistant crops.
Since then, the lower Omo River and Turkana have been regarded as possessions by the East African colonies. Even in the future, the East African colonies will continue to erode the land in the upper reaches of the Omo River in order to ensure the safety of the Omo River and Lake Turkana.
This is not a fuss, but Ethiopia has a history in the previous life. In the previous life, Ethiopia built a series of hydropower stations on the upper reaches of the Omo River to generate electricity.
This has caused a decrease in river water in the lower reaches 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 rely on Lake Turkana for survival. The river water has decreased and the lake has shrunk, resulting in a reduction in fish production and triggering conflicts among tribes in Kenya over fishing rights to fishery resources.
Therefore, Ernst's request for the Omo River Basin must at least ensure that most of it is in the hands of the East African colonial government to ensure water source security.
At present, Ethiopia is still under the Abyssinian Empire, and its control over the south is not very tight, and it also faces threats from Western colonists such as Britain.
Just in 1863, Theodorus II of the Abyssinian Empire did something stupid because the British Foreign Office did not reply to him (he wrote a letter to Queen Victoria, asking Britain to cooperate with him against Egypt and the Ottoman Empire), in 1864 they kidnapped British diplomats and 58 Europeans in Ethiopia as hostages.
Ernst had to admire this old man's courage, but what happened next was even more surprising.
Theodorus II released the hostages after the British Foreign Office asked an Iraqi serving the British to bring a reply to Theodorus II.
But soon, Theodorus II went back on his word, recaptured British diplomats in the Abyssinian Empire, and at the same time extorted a group of craftsmen and machines from the British government.
It was in the same month (December 1867) that Henriette and others explored Lake Turkana and the Omo River.
The British expeditionary force to Abyssinia has assembled in Mumbai, India, and is ready to show some color to Theodorus II, who does not know the heights of the sky.
The fate of Theodorus II and the Abyssinian Empire is already known (the British stole a large number of artifacts and treasures, including Theodorus II's crown, and Theodorus II committed suicide after the defeat) .
When Ethiopia and the British start fighting next year, it will also be the time when East Africa is expanding in the Omo River Basin. This 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 vassal disputes and posed no threat to the East African colonies for at least three or four years.