British frica ]

3 SURFACE AND COAST

comes lower and more sandy, and in the neighbourhood of the Lamu group consists of a maze of creeks and

islands. Northof Kwaihu Bay it is low and unbroken , though small islands and reefs are still numerous. It is well provided with natural harbours, of which Mombasa is the most important. Port Durnford and Kismayu, in Jubaland, have some importance owingto the lack of harbours further north along the Benadir

coast.

The islands, Wasin ( near the mouth of the Umba ), the Lamu group , and the Bajun islands north of Port Durnford , are the site of the chief Arab towns on the coast, and still possess a considerable population.

The Coastal Plain . — The section furthest south be tween the River Umba and the River Sabaki consists of a narrow strip between the sea and the Shimba and

Giriama Hills (600 to 1,500 ft . ) . Sandhills also rise in places to a height of several hundred feet.

This zone is fertile and well cultivated, and south west of Malindi there is a large tract of forest. North of the River Sabaki the coast plain widens greatly, being joined by the inland plains of the Tana. In the Witu and Lamu districts the soil is especially fertile. Further north , in Jubaland, the coast plain is com pletely merged in the great plains of the interior. In this section it is covered with bush , and there is little cultivation. A line of sandhills about 200 ft: high here follows the coast, not far inland.

( 2 ) The Plateau Slopes. — The southern part of the coast plain is bounded on the west by a range of sandstone hills, and behind these are the thinlypeopled steppes of Nyika or Taru,which risegradually west ward to a height of 3,000 ft. The soilof these plains is a characteristic red earth , which is fertile when irrigated, and the vegetation consists of a dense thorn scrub. To the south and west of Voi the plains are broken by a number of lofty summits, ranging from 4,000 to 7,000 ft. high , among them being Bura and Kadiaro. Between Tsavo and Taveta, the country is well watered and fertile.