Botswana was rich in diamonds, but to the Austrian Empire, they were the least valuable thing of all.
Botswana was the second-largest diamond producer in later generations, but the Austrian Empire already had too many diamond mines, and as a luxury good, diamonds were clearly in a state of oversupply.
Once the price of a luxury good collapsed, it was difficult to recover. Besides, demand for diamonds on the European continent was not great in this era; the regions where diamonds truly caught on were Britain and America.
It was not until after Napoleon III became emperor in 1852 that British tastes spread through France.
The Austrian Empire never lagged behind when it came to keeping up with fashion, but diamonds only became a minor fad there. In Prussia, their popularity would have to wait until after the Franco-Prussian War.
At this time, industrial demand for diamonds was also low, so most of the diamonds mined could only be stored away.
Fortunately, they did not take up much space in storage. Otherwise, Franz would have had another headache.
Botswana's most important resources were coal, copper, and gold.
Of these resources, only gold could yield returns in the short term. Although Franz did not know where the gold deposits were located, fortunately, a German immigrant caravan had stumbled upon gold while trading goods with the local Tswana people, and eventually discovered that its source lay in the hills of northeastern Botswana.
In the nineteenth century, wherever there was gold, development and immigrants were never in short supply.
Botswana was well suited to animal husbandry. The fact that its primitive tribes could support hundreds of thousands of people through simple livestock farming and hunting was the best proof.
But to the Austrian Empire, its strategic position was truly the most valuable thing.