The Geograpy of Karamoja...

The Karamoja region lies in the northeastern corner of Uganda in east central, equatorial Africa. The region is mostly a semi-arid plain bounded on the east by Kenya's Rift Valley escarpment, on the north by Sudan, on the south by the area around Mount Elgon, and on the west by the areas of the Teso, Langi and Acholi peoples. The region is considered a remote territory by most Ugandans.

An Arid Savannah

The plain is largely a savannah covered with seasonal grasses, thorned plants, and occasional small trees. Karamoja's climate is harsh, and during the dry season of the year many of the plants are either dead or in a dormant state, with the visible portions above ground nearly white from dessication. As the sporadic rainy season commences, some areas burgeon with verdant grasses as the rains renew life.

The average elevation of the plain of Karamoja lies at around 4500 feet (1400 meters) above sea level. The few large mountains lying at the periphery of Karamoja have peaks reaching around 10,000 feet (3000 meters) and higher. The homeland of the Karamojong can be thought of as being bounded by the four main large massifs of Toror on the north, Moroto on the east, Kadam on the south, and Napak on the west. These mountains more or less separate the Karamojong from the Jie, the Turkana, the Pokot, and the Teso peoples, respectively.

Political Partitioning

Earlier in the twentieth century, Karamoja, as a political designation within Uganda, was a single district or province that fairly paralleled the geography described above. In the 1970s, Uganda partitioned the political region into two districts: Kotido in the north, and Moroto in the south.

Kotido District is populated in its northern area by the Dodoth, and by the Jie in the south. These two groups are closely related to the Karamojong linguistically and culturally, and are considered groups of the Karamojong Cluster. The northern part of Kotido has been set aside as Kidepo Valley National Park, the third largest park in Uganda. Kotido is bordered on the north by Sudan, on the east by Kenya, on the west by Kitgum District, on the southwest by Lira District, and the south by Moroto District.

The Moroto District is mostly populated by the Karamojong proper, consisting of the sub-groups of the Matheniko, the Bokora, and the Pian. Moroto is bordered on its east by Kenya, on the south by Mbale and Kapchorwa Districts, on the west by Soroti, Kumi, and Lira Districts, and on the north by Kotido District.