If there had been no Lake Malawi, the Central Railway would not have needed to shift north at all. Northern Mozambique also had many natural harbors and could have completely replaced Dar es Salaam city's role.
Of course, Lake Malawi's existence brought both advantages and disadvantages. For East Africa as a whole, having this lake was naturally better. After all, lakes were precious natural resources, and a giant lake like Lake Malawi was a resource many countries could only dream of encountering. Moreover, Lake Malawi's existence did not mean a complete transportation disadvantage. At the very least, the Lake Malawi Industrial Zone had taken shape by relying on the local lake transport industry.
The natural conditions along Lake Malawi's shores were excellent, and it was also a vital transport route linking East Africa's central and eastern regions, enabling the rapid circulation of resources within the region.
The local natural resource base was not poor either. The lakeside cities led by Mbeya city had become East Africa's most important heavy industrial bases in its early years precisely because of the area's abundant coal and iron resources.
Furthermore, Mbeya city had the added advantage of the Central Railway. Its economic strength was not to be underestimated in East Africa, and in the future, Mbeya city would also become a land transportation hub for the central and eastern regions.
Of course, Lake Malawi's conditions were excellent, yet it happened to restrict the development of the Northern Mozambique Region east of the lake. The main issue was that its transportation infrastructure was insufficient to support connections between the local economy and the interior.
For example, New Württemberg Province north of Northern Mozambique had railway links running through the coast and the Lake Malawi Industrial Zone. This instead made New Württemberg Province one of East