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rubberduck3y6 β€” Southern African Railways

#africa #alternatehistory #map #railways #southafrica
Published: 2016-02-07 14:33:24 +0000 UTC; Views: 30157; Favourites: 232; Downloads: 146
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Description Instead of being annexed into the British Empire, the Boers republics in southern Africa manage to retain their independence through an alliance with a newly unified and ambitious German Empire. Wanting to ensure their access to the mineral riches of the upper Limpopo region, German interest in the southern areas of Portuguese East Africa intensifies to the extent that with some expert negotiation round the conference tables of Europe, Germany is able to gain official control of the area as the German colony of Sofala. Naturally, the Portuguese aren't too happy at losing an area that had been under their control for over 350 years, leading to the development of a Germano-Portuguese rivalry in southern Africa. Thus, when the Germans start construction of their "Southern African Railway" to connect the gold, copper and diamond fields of the South African Republic and Matabeleland to the Indian, and later Atlantic Oceans, the Portuguese respond by planning their own African transcontinental railway, known as the Zambezi-Angola Railway.

The map shows southern Africa at the close of the nineteenth century, with the routes of the German Southern African Railway and the Portuguese Zambezi-Angola Railway, plus other railways built by the British, Boers and Germans.
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Comments: 23

IreneDenebOct1917 [2021-09-29 18:19:48 +0000 UTC]

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InfernoMole [2016-11-03 10:35:42 +0000 UTC]

How are the protectorates doing?

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AdoribiliusKermode [2016-09-18 21:32:15 +0000 UTC]

So would there not have been a system of Apartheid, should Cape Colony have been independent? Not to push blame on the Boer Descendants for apartheid, but would the british government in Cape Colony be more lenient in regards to the 'black' and 'colored population?

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bruiser128 [2016-02-10 03:25:17 +0000 UTC]

Just wondering but could the Boer have done this with the Portuguese?

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rubberduck3y6 In reply to bruiser128 [2016-02-10 20:44:49 +0000 UTC]

How do you mean??

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bruiser128 In reply to rubberduck3y6 [2016-02-10 20:49:29 +0000 UTC]

I mean could the boer states have formed an alliance with the Portuguese in backing each others claims.

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KantiaCartography In reply to bruiser128 [2016-02-11 00:16:20 +0000 UTC]

The Anglo-Portuguese Alliance is the oldest standing alliance in human history.Β 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Po…

The Portuguese wouldn't betray the British Empire for the Boer Republics.Β 

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bruiser128 In reply to KantiaCartography [2016-02-11 00:26:32 +0000 UTC]

And yet the British always treated Portugal as it's b!#@$ throughout the 19th century onward.

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KantiaCartography In reply to bruiser128 [2016-02-11 00:54:43 +0000 UTC]

That may be true, but they also sided with Portugal in every major conflict and Portugal has done the same. Prior to 1890, the only pauses in their alliance occurred when Portugal became part of the Iberian Union and was dominated by Spain, and during the War of Spanish Succession, when Portugal initially sided with France, but switched back to its original alliance before the end of the war. The biggest split was the Ultimatum of 1890, when the British government demanded that Portuguese troops evacuate the area between Mozambique and Angola, at the behest of Cecil Rhodes. But, the Ultimatum of 1890 never occurred in this timeline, so the biggest point of contention is rendered void.Β 

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bruiser128 In reply to KantiaCartography [2016-02-11 00:57:59 +0000 UTC]

Speaking of Iberian Union, could Spain have annexed it during Napoleons invasion of it?

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AntonioFL In reply to bruiser128 [2018-07-21 15:39:46 +0000 UTC]

 Hispanics are weak and lazy, if they lost their Empire before Portugal, how could they annex anything? They still have the French royal family ruling Spain as its colony. 🐿

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KantiaCartography In reply to bruiser128 [2016-02-11 04:07:36 +0000 UTC]

I assume you mean annexing Portugal. There is almost always a point of divergence that leads to Spain annexing Portugal. You just have to look hard enough. I prefer to stick to the New World though.Β 

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bruiser128 In reply to KantiaCartography [2016-02-11 04:22:56 +0000 UTC]

Well I would think that Napoleon would pressure Spain into annexing it out of wanting to deprive Great Britain of an important ally.

I could a mix of a portuguese exodus to Brazil and a resistance against the Spaniards.

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InfernoMole [2016-02-09 18:21:27 +0000 UTC]

What are the protectorates like? Are they counted as independent, like Ethiopia and Liberia?

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KantiaCartography In reply to InfernoMole [2016-02-11 00:18:53 +0000 UTC]

Typically, a protectorate would be considered part a colonial empire. For example, French Morocco (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_p… ) was a protectorate, but it wasn't independent like Ethiopia or Liberia.Β 

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rubberduck3y6 In reply to InfernoMole [2016-02-10 20:44:36 +0000 UTC]

Protectorates are not independent like Ethiopia and Liberia were. The retain their own local rulers, but their external and military affairs are controlled by the colonial power.

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KantiaCartography [2016-02-08 19:23:39 +0000 UTC]

Besides the cool idea, I really love the use of color. All of the hues contrast very well, especially the grayish-brown of the Boer Republics, which is a great offset to red and yellow around it.

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rubberduck3y6 In reply to KantiaCartography [2016-02-10 20:15:56 +0000 UTC]

Thank you! I did try an choose colours that work well together - it's nice to see that effort's appreciated!

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KantiaCartography In reply to rubberduck3y6 [2016-02-11 00:20:11 +0000 UTC]

Much appreciated!

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jolly75chloroform [2016-02-07 16:23:44 +0000 UTC]

Cool map!Β 

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Leopold002 [2016-02-07 15:00:03 +0000 UTC]

Nicely done and organized!

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zalezsky [2016-02-07 14:59:48 +0000 UTC]

AMAZING!

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DaneofScandinavia [2016-02-07 14:52:52 +0000 UTC]

Love the map style, it's nicely done.

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