Juuctiou" of the future traus-coutiueutal railway 

 systems of Africa. 



For agricultural purposes, the British East Africa 

 Protectorate is roughly divided into six zones--the 

 Coast or Lowland, the JSIidland, the Upland, the 

 Lake, and the Semi-Arid Zone. The last named 

 mcludes a vast stretch of territory in the north 

 occupied in parts only by pastoral native tribes, and 

 unHkely to be touched for years to come by European 

 colonists. 



The Coast Zone comprises a belt of land 40 to 50 coastbklt. 

 miles in width, running from Vang.i about 5 degiees 

 south to the Juba River just below the Equator 

 Climatically it may be considered t(> be purely tro- 

 pical, with an average rainfall of 35 to 40 inches. 

 Cocoanuts have in the past been the main industry, 

 but of late years sisal, rubber, cotton, rice, maize, 

 beans, sugar cane, etc., have been receiving increasing 

 attention 



The Midland Zone represents a i.ractically midland 

 parallel belt of 130 to 150 miles in width lying west- /one. 

 ward. It includes two large stretches of rich land— 

 the Tana Desert and the Seringetti Plains— which 

 under a comprehensive scheme of irrigation couLl bt 

 made very valuable for the cultivation of sisal, rubber, 

 maize and other crops. 



The Upland Zone comprises an extensive opeu upland zonb. 

 plain to the west of the Midland belt, at an altitude 

 of 4,000 to 5,000 feet, with an irregular rainfall of 

 15 to -^8 inches. Maize and beans are gruwii ii 

 certain areas, sisal plantations have been laid down 

 and are now reaching the productive stage, but 

 generally speaking this area is more adapted for stock 

 raising than for agriculture, the short rich grasse.'^ 

 offering excellent pasture. 



The Highland Zone — the principal centre ot the high- 

 attraction of European colonization — includes the rich lands. 

 districts of Nairobi, Kikuyu, Kyambu, Kenia, 

 N'aivasha, Nakuru, Lumbwa, Kericho, Kisii, Nyeri, 

 and the Uasin Gishu. In the eastern half of this zone 

 the soil is a rich chocolate loam, highly ferruginous; 

 in the Rift Valley it is a lava ash; and from Man 



XI 



