Formation and (leneral Features of lluwcnzori. 



basin of Lake Riiisamba to the imrtli and upon wliicli are 

 situated Toro ami P'ort Portal ; the othei- branch passes to the 

 west ot tlie I'anye and forms the Sendiki Vallcv ;nid the basin 

 of Lake Albert, and is prolonged for several hundred miles 

 by the upper valley of tlie Nile. Huwenzori is thus nearlv 

 completely surrounded by the " Albertine Depression,' and forms 

 with the three lakes an independent bvdroi;raphic svstt-ni 

 absolutely distinct from that of Lake Victoria. 



Thus it is that this lluwenzori r;nii;e siieds the waters of 

 all its .slopes east, west, noi-th and south into one and the 

 same river basin, feeding- almost unassisted the three lakes 

 and the Sendiki, which together form tlie south- western 

 sources of the Nile. Km-thermoi'p. lluwenzori hein^- without 

 doubt the most considerable u-rouji ot' snow \- mountains on 

 the African continent, and situated in the middle of tliat 

 continent, and running;- in the dn-ection of its main axis. 

 d(jes not form a portion of its main watershed. 'I'Jie actual 

 waterslied between the Coni;d and the Nile consists of a line 

 of low hills, lying at a short distance to the west of the 

 Semliki, and masked bv the "reat C-onw) forest, running' 

 noithwaiil along Lake Albert, jirolonged southwaicl in the 

 volcanic chain which forms the duiding ridge of thp rift, 

 between Lakes Kivu and Albert Edward, and tinallv skirting 

 the eastern shores of Lake Kivu and of Lake Tanganika. 



The Duke of the Abnizzi preserves to the chain the name 

 of Ruwenzori, given to it by its first disco\'erer, Staniew and 

 adopted since then by the majority of geogra])hers. 



Stanley iiad heard the natives dwelling to the 

 north and west of these mountains call tla-m by the 

 names Ruwenzori, Ukoiiju, Bugombowa, A\uiuka, Avirika, 

 Ruweii/Jiru-ru, Ruwenjura, etc. Ht^ was of opinion that 



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