So let me guess? Second British-American war? Britain involving itself with the CSA? That’s definitely be enough to let Colombia steamroll through the French and Spanish possessions in the Caribbean? Would the British be willing to sell its Caribbean territories though?
Well, I hate the CSA with a burning passion so under no terms will they be allowed to become and remain independent ITTL. Most Britons considered that getting involved would be useless and hard, and they disliked slavery. But a second Anglo-American War is possible. After all, both powers are at odds more often than in OTL, and Americans are very Anglophobic as a result of the War of 1814 and the Oregon Affair. The Colombians are focusing on the Spanish possessions first, but the French territories are on the list. As for the British, well, Jamaica is probably not an option but minor islands are.
In general even french little island are more prestige, the same carribean, the only one i think Gran Colombia would want is Trinidad(and maybe tobago too) as those island fullify the old colombia(those were venezuelan before spanish loss them) and other islands work mostly for prestige, i think they could use a threat either nation to back down a conflict but generally..i doubt it as the only prize worth to get(Trinidad and Tobago) could get it later, at this point the island are mostly empty too. Indian Labourers are yet to come.
Yeah, when the green revolution boom allowed thing, we forgot we change migatory pattern too, Dominica repulbic for example, without trujillo and wars with haiti will have much bigger population and both Colombia and Venezuela(dunno, how 'full' is ecuador for you) are empty, we can see Dominincan emigrated to the 'mainland' and the remaning would fill numbers too, ditto Haitians trying their luck in Dominica and later the 'mainland'(Continente in spanish?) plus other inmigrants(spanish and italians) could target it over argentina or brazil too.
Those seem like reasonable objectives, but Cuba and Puerto Rico are bigger plums.
Internal immigration is big too in Gran Colombia. Of course, the biggest movement is from the countryside to the cities, but people also migrate between states in search of better conditions or work. Hispaniola is the fastest growing state in part thanks to this immigration. The demand of labor is too big for Dominicans to immigrate to the mainland (el continente, los continentales, or also called the "Colombian Main"), though.
I don’t imagine Britain selling its Caribbean possessions for cheap if it does agree to sell them. And I do imagine that the annexation of French Caribbean islands is definitely gonna give Colombia prestige. Who knows they could abolish slavery there.
Britain could sell them, but the price would be dear indeed.
At this time Slavery is already gone and the island themselves very empty but tempting target
as say before, the only islands Colombia would target are trinidad and tobago, Jamaica is too british right now to get it and is not that important unlike trinidad, with trinidad, you've an open way to high atlantic
Trinidad and Tobago are on the list because an enemy with them could blockade Colombia easily.
France abolished slavery in 1848, so yeah you have a point. Also, I can only imagine how high a price Britain would sell its possessions.
ITTL, French liberalism was way stronger so slavery was abolished in 1830.
Bit too early to get Anglo Caribbean migration I think. They only really started moving out to the other islands in the 1860s becuase the sugar industry enter a bust phase at the time (and in the 1880s, straight up famine). We probably sped this up on the basis of much higher wages earlier on, but I feel it would be a decade until the real chain migration starts.
As for Dominican Migration to Colombia, too early outside of middle and upper class traders who have an office in like, Caracas or so on. Country is too empty, sugar and tobacco too labor intensive to draw away peasants looking for jobs. And given the industrial heartland of North Venezuela-Central Colombia is starting to form the Cibao and Southeast will get demand for agricultural goods to feed the cities- mostly rice, yams, plantains, spices. I'd say veggies but that requires mountain farming and I'm doubtful it'd be economical to ship them from the highlands to the ports and off. Could be wrong.
On the other hand, if you somehow get an enterprising Andean to export terrace farming techniques, theres plenty of potential.
ITTL, the railroads, canals and rivers are advanced enough for food to be produced in Cundinamarca and shipped off to Hispaniola. Colombian tariffs are designed to keep American food out. So Cundinamarca, Boyaca and Magdalena are the center for food production for the entire Republic. If you meant farming in the mountains of Hispaniola itself, farming there does not make economic sense, and most railroads connect plantations with ports, so transportation in the interior is very bad.
Yeah seems the americas were more empty people remember at times, i know colombia did was very empty till 1900's and even them, colombian are always being city dwelers alongside the traditional peasants...
Very empty still!