An area the size of New York State but with twice the people.
Finding new markets for specialty produce and the wild grains would provide income to the farmers and all the various minority group members. The world's foodies need some thing new and exotic all the time, and will pay for it.
I expect transportation is the major issue - not only the major routes to the coast and north and south, but having good secondary routes to mines, tourist sites, forests, etc.
One way to play this -
Where the land is flat, it is hard to determine where a highway or railroad will go. Even a little bit of relief will make the paths for trains very limited - trains do not climb or go down hills very well, cars and trucks do okay.
So you could get options on facilities near the future railways and highways.
A modest coal mine next to a rail road will do much better than a huge deposit 30 miles from a rail road. Even when a rail link may be justified, the rail builders may have their priorities set for the next two 5 year plans.
One US example is Mercator Resources ML.to, which has a mine in Arizona next to a rail line, a highway, and the old Route 66 now Interstate 40, and Prescott, a fairly large town with air service, hospitals, suburbs, etc.
Contrast with the Ashdown mine owned by Golden Phoenix GPXM in North West Nevada, over 100 air miles from Wendover, Nevada or Klamath Falls Oregon, and 150 miles from Reno, Nevada. Because of mountains, road miles are about 60% more. A 25 mile radius has under 2000 people.
There nearest air strip is maybe 15 miles, and that is private.
Blow a fuse, need a relay or printer paper, and you are in for a weight. Workers need to stay overnight, a dormitory had to be built, plus trailers.
The payoff is ore that is over 5% molybdenum.
Any reason besides transport that the place has not developed more ? |
