Chapter 242 Why Mayotte?

Chapter 242 Why Mayotte?

Mayotte is located in the Mozambique Channel and together with Grande Comoros, Anjouan and Moheli make up the Comoros Islands. It covers an area of ​​374 square kilometers. Its economy is mainly based on agriculture, and it mainly produces spices such as vanilla. In its previous life, it was an overseas region of France and had one province under its jurisdiction, namely Mayotte.

In 1870, France's colonies had six key areas. The first was North Africa (French Algeria). Its importance is self-evident. It was the closest to mainland France and the area that France most wanted to localize.

The second is West Africa (French Seychelles - Gambia, Guinea, etc. Ivory Coast - Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, etc. Gabon, Equatorial Guinea - later developed into the French Congo) in terms of quantity and quality, it can It is considered the most economically valuable colony in France. At the same time, the latter two are located in the Gulf of Guinea, and the French mainland navy can easily support these areas.

The third is Madagascar, which together with the French Comoros (Mayotte) and the French Reunion Island form its strategic fulcrum in the Indian Ocean.

The fourth is Southeast Asia (Cambodia, southern Vietnam) and the Far East.

The fifth is French Guiana, South America.

Finally, add the Djibouti region that controls the Suez Canal. After all, the importance of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait is self-evident. Without the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the Suez Canal is a dead end. Both Britain and France have deployed forces near this area.

These areas constitute the main body of French colonies. Together with the French mainland, they can radiate around the world, so none of the above areas can be touched.

Moreover, Africa accounts for 4 of these 6 regions, which is enough to show that France attaches great importance to Africa. After all, according to the European version of the world map, Africa is the real geographical center of the world, and the junction of 0 degrees longitude and latitude is in the Gulf of Guinea.

Therefore, Ernst could only think of solutions from the islands controlled by France, which would definitely not work if they were too far away. Mayotte Island is the closest to East Africa and is located in the center of the Mozambique Channel. Its strategic position is very important to East Africa.

At the same time, the island's agricultural conditions are good, and it has no problem feeding tens of thousands of people. Including the entire Comoros Islands, there is no problem for hundreds of thousands of people (in fact, the population of the Comoros Islands in later generations was more than 800,000), and the other three islands are Borderlands (actually there are two indigenous kingdoms, of which the Grand Comoro Island speaks Swahili like the natives of East Africa), but Mayotte, which is separately occupied by France, is very conspicuous, so Ernst paid attention to the island. Pay more attention to it.

The inhabitants of Mayotte are the Malagasy people. The southern part of Madagascar is composed of Malagasy tribes, and the northern part is the French colony of Madagascar and the Kingdom of Immerina.

It is certainly impossible to say that Ernst was not interested in Madagascar, but the French colony of Madagascar could not be defeated, and the four ships of the East African Navy could not withstand the torment.

The Kingdom of Imerina is obviously not what East Africa is today. Not to mention its size, it is not a tribal group like the East African natives who have no knowledge, no guns and no unity. Ernst’s criteria for judging indigenous civilization are very simple and primitive. , slave, half-feudal and half-slave, feudal.

The expansion of East Africa in Africa also verified this statement. The best ones to fight were the primitive tribes, followed by the slave kingdoms, then the semi-feudal kingdoms, and finally the feudal kingdoms.

The higher the level, the higher the degree of centralization and the stronger the organizational ability. So far, the most difficult countries to fight in East Africa are the semi-feudal and semi-slavery kingdoms in the Great Lakes region and the Grady Sultanate. As for the Zanzibar Sultanate It was completely unexpected. After all, Felix, who had no martial ethics, took control of its senior leaders. If East Africa had chosen to eliminate the senior leaders of the Zanzibar Sultanate at that time, I am afraid that there would still be a fight with the Zanzibar Sultanate in the future. Its main body is in Zanzibar Island, and at that time East Africa did not even have its own ships, so it was impossible to attack across the sea.

The Kingdom of Immerina is a very difficult bone to crack. Among the African natives, it is at the same level as the Abyssinian Empire.

It can only be said that the Madagascars, like the Abyssinians, are not pure African natives. One is deeply influenced by Middle Eastern civilization, and the other is mostly brown people from the Far East. The two countries happen to be at the intersection of civilizations, so they are relatively civilized.

As early as 1817, Britain signed a treaty with the Kingdom of Madagascar, recognized Radama I as the King of Madagascar, and promised to provide weapons and advisors and prohibit the slave trade. The London Mission was allowed to join the missionary mission in Madagascar.

Its ruler, Radama I, was also a heroic figure who abolished the slave trade and implemented modern reforms. His successors, Ranavalona II and Ranavalona III, came into conflict with France and were eventually overthrown by France. After the failure of the Anti-French War in 1896, Immerina was destroyed and became a French colony.

Even so, the Kingdom of Immerina continued to have uprisings, so it was impossible to take over Madagascar without a sufficient population.

Judging from the time of its fall, we know that the Kingdom of Immerina is not a good enemy. Belgium, a small country, annexed the entire Congo only a few years ago, but the Kingdom of Imerina has been fighting France for nearly a century.

Therefore, Ernst was more interested in the tribes in southern Madagascar than the Kingdom of Immerina.

The focus of East Africa is now on the mainland, so it is impossible to expand to Madagascar, but if it is not possible now, it does not mean it will not be possible in the future. The southern part of Madagascar is far away from East Africa, and the Comoros Islands in the middle can be used as a transit point.

The biggest problem in acquiring the Comoros Islands is the French-controlled Mayotte Island. Mayotte Island is very important, but it is just that for France, because there are already colonies of Madagascar and Reunion. The colony of Madagascar is definitely a key area of ​​concern for the French, as it is related to its global strategy (threats to the Cape of Good Hope and Indian Ocean routes).

The only colony that can be acquired through the Franco-Prussian War is Mayotte. The other French colonies are powerful, far away, and have strong autonomy. They may not obey the central government. To be precise, They have a cooperative relationship with the French central government.

So forget about those colonies with large areas and large populations. Even if France agrees, East Africa will have to fight a second war.

Mayotte has no such concerns. It has a sparse population, a small area, and low value. It would not hurt to cede it to Hechingen.

As for the issue of competition, it is not East Africa's turn. The British are the French's biggest worry in this area. For example, the Seychelles Islands were taken away from the French by the British. At the same time, the British navy is stronger than France. This is also an important reason.