UGANDA, a British protectorate in Eastern Equatorial Af rica, lying between Lake Victoria and Lakes Albert and Edward, and between the Mountain Nile and Lake Rudolf. The same name was originally applied to the Bantu kingdom of Buganda, which is one of the provinces of the protectorate, and is now styled of ficially by the correct native name of "Buganda." The Swahili followers of the first explorers always pronounced the territorial prefix, Bu, as a simple vowel, U; hence the incorrect rendering "Uganda." It was first applied to the kingdom on the north-west shores of Lake Victoria discovered by J. H. Spekc in 1862, and in time came to include the large protectorate which grew out of the extension of British influence over Buganda.
The area of the protectorate has varied considerably since Buganda was placed under British protection in 1894. From that date up to 1901 various regions were added. Its then eastern province, which included the northern half of the eastern shores of Lake Victoria, was transferred in 1903 to the East Africa Protectorate (now Kenya Colony). The northern frontier is, roughly, about the line of 4° N. and is conterminous with the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. On the Nile itself the frontier was at Lado (a little north of 5° N.). By agreement, made in 1914, the frontier on the river was drawn back to Nimule, while the Sudan surrendered to Uganda approximately 4,000 sq.m. W. of the Nile which had been part of the Lado enclave. On the south the protectorate includes part of Lake Victoria, and west of the lake the frontier, for the most part, is the 1st degree of S. lat. This frontier coincided with the northern frontier of German East Africa. On the west, where German, British and Congo Free State territories met, the Uganda frontier was to begin along the 30th meridian of east longitude. In 1904 it was found, however, that the 30th meridian had been placed some 25 m. W. of its true po sition on the maps used when the frontier was agreed upon, and the adjustment of claims caused by this "wandering meridian" gave much trouble. As finally settled in 1912 the Uganda-Belgian Congo frontier is drawn so as to include Kizegi, a highland region containing some of the peaks of the Mfumbiro volcanoes, in Uganda, and to put most of Lake Edward in Belgian territory.
From that lake the frontier goes across the Ruwenzori range and along the Semliki river to Lake Albert, the western half of which, nearly to the north end, fell to the Belgian Congo. Thence the frontier follows the Congo-Nile watershed. In 1922 further fron tier changes were made. The Didinga district east of the Nile was taken over by the Sudan, while in 1926 Kenya Colony took over administration of the Rudolf province. These arrangements relieved Uganda of responsibility for remote, unsettled, semi-arid regions where Abyssinians, Somali and Turkana carried on gun running and raided peaceful tribes. The area of Uganda protec torate, allowing for the changes stated, is approximately 94,000 sq.m. (including 15,000 sq.m. of water). The division into prov inces is (I) Buganda, (2) Eastern (originally Central), (3) West em, (4) Northern (originally Nile). The following description includes in part the former Rudolf province.
The protectorate, with a singularly diver sified surface of lofty plateaux, snow-capped mountains, vast swamps, dense forests and regions of desolate aridity (valley of Lake Rudolf) offers a remarkable variety of climates. The East ern province is abundantly watered near Victoria Nyanza and around Mt. Elgon and the noble Debasien mountain (about 5o in. to roo in. annually) ; elsewhere in Karamojo and the northern regions, the rainfall lessens to about 20 inches. Busoga and the western part of the Elgon district have a regular West African climate—hot, moist and not over-healthy. These are the condi tions of Buganda, a country with an annual rainfall of from 6o to 8o in., a regular West African climate, and severe and frequent thunderstorms. Much the same may be said about the Western province, except for the cooling influence of the Ruwenzori snow range, which pleasantly affects Toro and northern Ankole. The rainfall on Ruwenzori and the central Semliki valley is quite roo in. per annum. Along the Ruwenzori range are glaciers and snowfields nearly 15 m. in continuous length and some 5 m. in breadth. The Northern province is, perhaps, the hottest part of Uganda. Like the districts round Lake Rudolf, the average alti tude (near the Nile) is not more than 2,000 ft., but the rainfall is more abundant, being an average of 3o in. per annum.