ABSTRACT
The topography of Central Province is dominated by Mount Kenya and the Nyandarua Range. The terrain is characterized by deep valleys extending from the high grounds in the north and west, to the lower areas in the south and east. The province is divided into five districts, Nyeri and Nyandarua in the north and Kiambu, Murang'a and Kirinyaga in the east and south. As elsewhere in Central Kenya there are two distinct rainy seasons: the long rains in April and May and the short rains during November, although rainfall does vary from one year to another. The high rainfall in the higher areas feeds numerous streams flowing into the Tana and Athi rivers in the south. In the lower regions rainfall diminishes and the ridges gradually flatten out. The ridges have deeply curved flanks that consist of rich red soils, mostly humic nitosols, allowing intensive agriculture. Most of the land was formerly forested, but population increase, settlement and subsequent cultivation has resulted in the felling of much of the forest.
