| As part of their grand visions for the British Empire, | | | | Zimbabwe capital Harare is fine. From Harare heading |
| some prominent men including Cecil Rhodes proposed | | | | north into Lusaka but beyond there heading into the |
| a railway to run from Cape Town in South Africa | | | | north of Zambia, the road is in poor condition with |
| north to Cairo in Egypt, connecting a number of the | | | | numerous potholes. It is these central areas of Africa |
| colonies in Africa that were under British rule during | | | | where the quality of the roads deteriorates and |
| the 19th century. The colonies in question were the | | | | there are many sections in Tanzania and Kenya which |
| Union of South Africa (South Africa), Southern | | | | are unpaved and are plagued by armed bandits. |
| Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), Northern Rhodesia (Zambia), | | | | The section in Ethiopia is also mainly paved but there |
| Nyasaland (Malawi), Kenya, Sudan and Egypt. | | | | is a section in the north west which remains unpaved |
| Although Tanganyika (Tanzania) was under German | | | | as well as some hazardous mountain terrain. From |
| control, Rhodes had persuaded the German Kaiser to | | | | Ethiopia, the route continues in to Sudan and it is at |
| allow the railroad to pass through but it was never | | | | the border with Egypt the problems really start. |
| completed. As time went on and the British Empire in | | | | When Lake Nasser was created in the 1960s, the |
| Africa started to crumble, Rhodes vision of a railroad | | | | rising waters swallowed up the previous border |
| became less and less likely. | | | | crossings and the town of Wadi Haifa was relocated. |
| However, time has moved forward to the 21st | | | | It has been many years since road crossings were |
| century and the vision of such a highway is still very | | | | permitted from Sudan to Egypt and the only access |
| much alive. The ideas have moved from rail to road | | | | is now by vehicle ferry. Once in Egypt, paved roads |
| and there are still several sections that need working | | | | run all the way up to Cairo. |
| on before an all weather surface will link Cape Town | | | | One day the Cape Town to Cairo road will be |
| with Cairo, a total distance of more than 10,000km | | | | complete and the route is known as Trans-African |
| (6,000 miles). | | | | Highway 4 and is one of 9 highways being planned to |
| Heading north from Cape Town the route into the | | | | give better road links to the entire continent. |