Overview
The large central plateau, the Highlands, is divided by the fault in two parts. At the western edge, the Mau Escarpment rises from the tanzanian border up to the Cherangani Hills, which fence the plateau that extends itself to the slopes of Mount Elgon. At the east side of the Rift, the Aberdare Range is backed by the Ngong Hills, southwest of Nairobi, and northward to Laikipia Escarpment.
The Eastern Highlands are dominated by the massive Mount Kenya, the highest in the country and the second in the whole continent. At its snowy heights there are three outstanding peaks, Lenana (4,985 m) and the twin Nelion (5,188 m) and Batian (5,199 m). This region comprises the provinces Rift Valley, Central and Nairobi. Two major cities are included: Nairobi, the capital, and Nakuru, the country’s fourth city, next to the lake of the same name. The Highlands’ moderate climate and fertile valleys attracted the settling of the first pioneers.