Trade and Industry

Abyssinia's trade with East Africa had, over the entirety of 1882, made it East Africa's sixth-largest major trading partner, ranking only behind Oman. Thus, East Africa attached considerable importance to the Abyssinian Empire.

At present, the five countries ahead of the Abyssinian Empire in East African trade were the Far East Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Germany, the Russian Empire, and Oman.

Oman stood out so prominently mainly because of the existence of Zanzibar merchants as intermediaries. Many East African goods sold to the Arab regions were gathered and distributed through Oman, reaching the Middle East, Central Asia, and even parts of Southeast Asia.

Trade between the Abyssinian Empire and East Africa had also caused the border trade of the entire Turkana Province to surpass that of Southern Frontier Province, now ranking behind only Central Province and Eastern Province.

Southern Frontier Province's outlet to the sea was New Hamburg City; Central Province had the three trading ports of Dar es Salaam city, Bagamoyo city, and Tanga City; Eastern Province also had Mombasa city.

Therefore, the foreign trade volume of Central Province and Eastern Province was difficult for other provinces to surpass, especially Central Province, which possessed three major trading ports.

Behind New Hamburg City in Southern Frontier Province lay an economic hinterland that included Southern Frontier Province (the Zulu Kingdom), Hechingen Province (the Republic of the Transvaal), Lorraine Province (the Kalahari Basin), New Baden Province (Bechuanaland), and part of Matabele Province.

Thus, for Turkana Province to surpass New Hamburg City in Southern Frontier Province solely through trade with the Abyssinian Empire was indeed an extraordinary achievement.

The only pity was that the trading locations between Turkana Province and the Abyssinian Empire—that was, the border trade cities—were not limited to just one, unlike New Hamburg Port or Mombasa, which held unique positions.