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What sort of variables, precedents, or PoD's would be required for Portugal to gain a set of colonies connecting Angola to Mozambique, during the Scramble for Africa?
 
The best way is to make Britain less interested in the Zambia area.

Maybe someone less ambitious than Cecil Rhodes comes to power in South Africa, or Britain doesn't take over Egypt, meaning that there's no point in there being a cohesive strip of British territory from north to south.
 
If Britain controls everything south, and someone else Britain is hostile to controls everything north, the Pink Map could be a buffer between them. Maybe France or Germany gets the Congo.
 
Does It need to be the entire area of the Pink Map, or just secure the land connection between Angola and Mozambique? The Portuguese government was considering negotiations regarding a smaller territory.
 
If Portugal takes Zanzibar and the upper east africa during the 19th century they'll have a stronger claim to pink area.

In all honesty the most likely is the British endorsing the Portuguese claim to the region as a buffer state to a more belligerent France.
 
One way might be to make Britain see it as economically beneficial for itself, rather than just in terms of security; in other words, if it is Portuguese they may well be able to secure some kind of privileged access to the area commercially, given their relationship with Portugal, while not having to pay for the upkeep of the colonies.

Perhaps if the 'Scramble for Africa' isn't quite so competitive? Perhaps could be changed if Leopold II doesn't go for the Congo; maybe he buys somewhere like the Philippines instead.
 
One way might be to make Britain see it as economically beneficial for itself, rather than just in terms of security; in other words, if it is Portuguese they may well be able to secure some kind of privileged access to the area commercially, given their relationship with Portugal, while not having to pay for the upkeep of the colonies.

This is how it would work. It wouldn't be hard to make Portugal foot the bill on the upkeep of the place while Britain reaps most of the rewards. Britain did so in the past with Brazil (and the rest of Latin America) in the 19th century. And in case Portugal really can't maintain it (it was a real possibility regarding the OTL colonial empire in the early 20th century), the British are in prime position to move in and peacefully acquire the place at dirt cheap rates.

Portugal would be overjoyed if they could acquire the Pink Map (OTL their failure was quite an issue in the last days of the monarchy), and it would further deepen the Anglo-Portuguese relationship.
 
I should note that colonial Portugal already had some inroad with the African kingdoms of the region IOTL. For instance, they had a foothold in the kingdom of Yeke (modern-day Katanga) through Portuguese-African traders selling gunpowder to the reigning king, Msiri. He even married a Portuguese-Angolan woman, Maria de Fonseca, and she became his favorite wife of them all.

Other than outright conquest, Portugal could also play the diplomacy card and make protectorate treaties with the kingdoms and peoples within the Pink Map, offering protection from Msiri's rapaciousness or Tippu Tip's slavers, all in exchange for a few 'suggestions'. Given that Yeke lies smack dab in the middle of regional trade routes, the Portuguese could even use Yeke as an native 'cadet' to subjecting the central heart of the Pink Map.

Msiri%27s_kingdom_in_1880_760x460_lo-res.jpg
 
Wouldn't the best bet be for Portugal to acquire the territories before Britain takes an interest? Like say in the 1840s or 1850s, before the scramble for Africa really begins. By the time London gets interested they would already have been Portuguese for decades and wouldn't be able to get away with forcing Lisbon to back off.
 
I should note that colonial Portugal already had some inroad with the African kingdoms of the region IOTL. For instance, they had a foothold in the kingdom of Yeke (modern-day Katanga) through Portuguese-African traders selling gunpowder to the reigning king, Msiri. He even married a Portuguese-Angolan woman, Maria de Fonseca, and she became his favorite wife of them all.

Other than outright conquest, Portugal could also play the diplomacy card and make protectorate treaties with the kingdoms and peoples within the Pink Map, offering protection from Msiri's rapaciousness or Tippu Tip's slavers, all in exchange for a few 'suggestions'. Given that Yeke lies smack dab in the middle of regional trade routes, the Portuguese could even use Yeke as an native 'cadet' to subjecting the central heart of the Pink Map.

Msiri%27s_kingdom_in_1880_760x460_lo-res.jpg
And what is stopping Britain from conquering them?
 
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