Except in the Rudolf district, the flora, which is in general kindred to that of West Africa, is rich and abundant, but there is no oil palm. Papyrus covers the swampy Nile Valley. The lofty mountains explain the presence of the al pine vegetation in the higher parts, and of the witch-hazel and trees of kindred classes on the plateaus. Uganda has a peculiar long grass, from 10 to 15 feet high, which is used for build ing purposes by the natives. The fauna is allied to that of equatorial Central Africa and the Congo Basin, in conformity with the moist and forested character of the region. A list of the birds and quadrupeds would include most of those of Africa which are not strictly desert or sea coast forms. Lions and leopards are numerous, living upon antelopes and wild and tame cattle; and the rivers and lakes abound in crocodiles, feeding upon the fish, many of which arc whole some for food. There are no anthropoid apes, but many monkeys, of which the guerza is most notable. Large collections of insects and land shells have been made, but much remains to be learned of the smaller life of the region.
In the eastern sections of the protectorate granite and gneiss are prominent ; in the central regions, quartz, sandstone, and basalt are added: around Lake Rudolf lava and tuff are superim posed on the foregoing formations. Iron ore abounds. Gold has been discovered in the north, and there are promising indications that math• va rieties of precious stones and metals will be found. The soil is of great fertility. Coffee of an excellent kind is indigenous, and much of it is being cultivated. Not a little has been done toward improving the country by building substantial houses, making good roads, etc. Rubber. ivory, and hides are the leading articles of trade. The commerce is chiefly in the hands of Germans, British India us, and native dealers, and is slowly developing. The total value in 1901-02 was about /530,000, £50,000 being exports. Steamers ply between the northern boundary and Khartum, The so-called Uganda Railway lies wholly within the British East Africa Protectorate (q.v.).
The administration is left largely by Great Britain to the native chiefs. The British Gov ernment is represented by a commissioner and a deputy commissioner. The colonial forces, num bering 4,000 men, are commanded and largely officered by Englishmen. The headquarters of the English administration are at Entebbe. The gov
ernment of the kingdom of Uganda, the chief state of the protectorate, is a feudal and heredi tary monarchy. The native King's parliament is called 'Lnkiko;' the capital is Mengo. The kings of Toro, tinyoro, and Ankole possess similar though less important honors and privileges. The protectorate is divided into five prov inces, which are subdivided into districts or counties. There are British consular courts for the settlement of disputes between Europeans and natives. The local revenue of the protecto rate in 1903 was estimated at about $200,000; the expenditure, at $670,000. Great Britain makes up the deficits. The population is es timated to be about 4,000,000. There are less than 500 Europeans.
The natives of the protectorate may be classi fied as Negritos or Pygmies, Bantus (q.v.), iNl lotie Negroes, Ilamites, and Masai (q.v.), though most of them are probably mixtures in varying degree of these different types. The Pygmies are not numerous, a few being found in that part of the Congo forest which is included within the limits of the protectorate. The Bantus, who in general are an agricultural people, make up nearly half the population. The Hamites are represented by a few tribes in the islands and on the north shore of Lake Rudolf and by the pastor al Wa-Huma or Bahima, probably of Galla ancestry (see GALLAS ) , who more than 100 years ago conquered the Bantu agriculturists, and at present, more or less mixed with Bantu blood, form the aristocraey and ruling classes. They are purest in the western part of the protecto rate, where there pre also a few separate Bahima tribes. The Masai are met with in the Rudolf region, the Suk and Turkana tribes being good representatives. The Nilotic Negroes occupy the Nile Province and a large part of the Central Province, reaching the Victoria Nyanza in Kay irondo. Negro tribes also extend southward along the Albert Nyanza, especially on the west side, the Semliki River, and the Albert Edward Nyanza to the extreme southwest corner of the protectorate.
The Uganda Protectorate was formed initially of the once powerful native kingdom of Uganda, which has been in the British sphere of influence since 1890. The protectorate dates from 1894. The region was first visited by a European (Cap tain Speke) in 1862. Stanley passed through Uganda in 1875.