Caricature of Cecil John Rhodes, after he announced plans for a telegraph line from Cape Town to Cairo.
Caricature of Cecil John Rhodes, after he announced plans for a telegraph line from Cape Town to Cairo.
Photo credit: Punch

The Cape to Cairo Railway is an uncompleted project to cross Africa from south to north by rail. The plan was initiated at the end of the 19th century, largely under the vision of Cecil Rhodes, in the attempt to connect adjacent African possessions of the British Empire through a continuous line from Cape Town, South Africa to Cairo, Egypt. While most sections of the Cape to Cairo railway are in operation, a major part is missing between Sudan and Uganda.