The natural conditions of the Great Lakes Region would have counted among the finest even in an agricultural age. The densely scattered kingdoms here in the last century made that clear. Apart from the coast, the several kingdoms of the Great Lakes Region had represented the highest level of political civilization in East Africa.
Of course, although the Great Lakes Region had favorable conditions, it was not without flaws. Watercourses and marshes crisscrossed the land, tropical jungles were abundant, and its climate greatly resembled the Jingchu region of the ancient Far East Empire.
Therefore, to make effective use of local natural conditions, the population and civilization had to reach a certain scale. The original native Kingdoms clearly could not achieve that.
This also explained why the Great Lakes Region had become the area with the highest grain yield per unit of land in East Africa. In terms of soil alone, the abundance of swamps and seasonally flooded land meant that black-gray clay soils were widely distributed here.
These poorly drained lowlands and wetlands favored the rapid accumulation of organic matter. Moreover, due to standing water and high elevation, temperatures were relatively low, slowing decomposition.
Thus, the land surrounding the Great Lakes Region could be regarded as East Africa's black earth. Its soil fertility ranked among the very best in East Africa, and more importantly, the Great Lakes Region covered a vast area. This was one of the key reasons it had become East Africa's granary.
The black clay areas in particular were best suited for rice cultivation. As long as East Africa properly handled drainage and irrigation works, it could ensure harvests regardless of drought or flood.
East Africa itself had been one of the great infrastructure-building powers from the late nineteenth century to the early twentieth century, and the