Sudan Archive

16 GEOGRAPHY : UGANDA ( No. 96

( 2 ) The Western Western · Lukes and Highlands.-- The western lakes of the Protectorate, Lake Albert, Lake Edward and Lake George, belong to the system of the Western Rift.. This is broken south of Lake Edward by the intrusion of the great volcanic mass of the Mfumbiro Mountains; while north of Lake Edward the western shoulder of the Ruwenzori range pro trudes into the depression. Only in the case of Lake Albert are both walls of the Rift valley regular andclearly defined.

This region includes the districts of Kigezi, Ankole, Toro, the north -west portion of the Buganda province, and Bunyoro.

Kigezi. — This district is bounded on the north by Lake Edward ( 830 square miles ). A clearly -defined escarpment runs east of this lake and of Lake George

( 114 square miles ) , and there is a strip of low grass and forest -covered country along the lake shores. In the extreme south -west lie the Mfumbiro Mountains, the loftiest of which - Muhavura - has an altitude of 13,547 ft . North -east of Mfumbiro lies the mountain district of Kayonsa , which is covered by dense virgin

forest. South -east, towards the former German frontier, the country is more open, the general level

sinking from 7,000 to 5,000 ft . There are a number of small lakes in this south-west frontier region.

: Ankole.-- East of Kigezi and of Lake Edward lie the lofty, rolling uplands of Ankole , at an altitude of be tween 4,500 and 6,000 ft . They are mostly open pas ture lands which support great herds of Bahima cattle.

The north -western part is rich in forest, and there are numerous crater lakes .

Toro is bounded on the west by the great isolated range of Ruwenzori. It is a well-watered highland region, and exceptionally fertile. There are large tracts of forest on the Mpanga River , and in the Semliki

Valley. East and Central Toro, together with the north -western districts of Buganda and Central Bunyoro, is an open country of rocky and grassy hills.

Bunyoro is traversed from north - east to south-west

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