UGANDA PROTECTORATE, a Brit ish protectorate in east Africa; extend ing along the N. W. shore of the Vic toria Nyanza, and lying on both sides of the equator; area 121,437 square miles; pop. about 3,000,000. It was first vis ited (in 1862) by Speke and Grant, and by Stanley was called the "Pearl of Af rica." The country is partly mountain ous, partly undulating, partly in plain, very fertile on the whole, and well wooded. The climate is mild and singu larly uniform throughout the year, the variation being from 50° to 90° F. The Waganda are a warlike and highly intel ligent people speaking a language of the Bantu stock, with well-developed native industries. At the request of King Mtesa, English Protestant missionaries settled here in 1877, and French Catho lics followed in 1879. The Christians had much to endure from Mtesa's son, King Mwanga, by whose orders Bishop Hannington was murdered in 1885 on the borders of Uganda, and hundreds of Christians were burned. The presence
of Arabs and Mohammedanism further complicated matters, and intestine strug gles were not long in breaking out. Dr. Peters tried to extend German influence hither, but the Imperial British East Africa Company regarded Uganda as be ing within the British sphere under the Anglo-German agreement of 1887, and that it was so settled between England and Germany in 1890. In 1892 a war broke out between sections of the people calling themselves respectively Protes tants and Catholics. In 1896 Great Brit ain bought out the rights of the Impe rial British East Africa Company, and Uganda became a British protectorate under a resident commissioner. There are several railroads in the protectorate. In recent years there has been consider able commercial and agricultural devel opment. Cotton is grown extensively and is the chief product. Coffee, peanuts and hides are also exported.