Compiled : 05/27/2005

 

 

Uganda
Table of Contents
1. Uganda map and information page
2. U-gan-da

1. Uganda map and information page ^Top

Date Accessed: 27 May. 2005
Title: Uganda map and information page by World Atlas
URL: http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/africa/ug.htm
 
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Facts and Figures

arrow Official Name Republic of Uganda

arrow Population 26,219,000

arrow Capital City Kampala (1.3 million)

arrow Currency Uganda Shilling

arrow Currency Converter here

arrow Flag here

arrow Languages English (official), local dialects

arrow National Day 9 October; Independence Day

arrow Religions Catholic, Protestant, traditional beliefs.

arrow Latitude/Longitude 0° 32'N, 32° 58'E

arrow Highest Point Mt. Stanley (16,765 ft.) (5,110 m)

arrow Land Area 199,550 sq km (77,046 sq miles)

arrow Land Divisions 56 districts; including Adjumani, Apac, Arua, Bugiri, Bundibugyo, Bushenyi, Busia, Gulu, Hoima, Iganga, Jinja, Kabale, Kabarole, Kaberamaido, Kalangala, Kampala, Kamuli, Kamwenge, Kanungu, Kapchorwa, Kasese, Katakwi, Kayunga, Kibale, Kiboga, Kisoro, Kitgum, Kotido, Kumi, Kyenjojo, Lira, Luwero, Masaka, Masindi, Mayuge, Mbale, Mbarara, Moroto, Moyo, Mpigi, Mubende, Mukono, Nakapiripirit, Nakasongola, Nebbi, Ntungamo, Pader, Pallisa, Rakai, Rukungiri, Sembabule, Sironko, Soroti, Tororo, Wakiso and Yumbe.

arrow Population and Size of all land divisions and major cities here!

arrow Time and Date in Kampala

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2. U-gan-da ^Top

Date Accessed: 27 May. 2005
Title: Uganda: Map, History and Much More From Answers.com
URL: http://www.answers.com/Uganda
Uganda
(Click to enlarge)
Uganda
(Mapping Specialists, Ltd.)
U·gan·da (yu-gan'd?, u-gän') pronunciation

A country of east-central Africa. Inhabited since Paleolithic and Neolithic times, the region was settled by migrating Bantu people around A.D. 1100 and by Nilotic peoples from the north in the late 17th century. Various kingdoms and states were established beginning in the 14th century, including the Bantu kingdom of Buganda, which became a British protectorate in 1894. The protectorate was later extended to the entire region, which became independent as Uganda in 1962. Kampala is the capital and the largest city. Population: 26,400,000 .

U·gan'dan adj. & n.
Uganda (yugän'd?, ugän') , officially Republic of Uganda, republic (1995 est. pop. 19,573,000), 91,133 sq mi (236,036 sq km), E central Africa. It borders on Tanzania and Rwanda in the south, on Congo (Kinshasa) in the west, on Sudan in the north, and on Kenya in the east. Kampala is Uganda's capital and its largest city.

Land and People

Lying astride the equator, most of Uganda consists of a fertile plateau (average elevation 4,000 ft/1,220 m), in the center of which is Lake Kyoga. The plateau is bounded (W) by the western branch of the Great Rift Valley, including lakes Albert and Edward (in each case about half of the lake is in Uganda) and the Albert Nile River; by the Ruwenzori Range (SW), including Margherita Peak (16,794 ft/5,119 m), Uganda's loftiest point, and the Virunga Mts.; by Lake Victoria (S), about half of which is in Uganda; and by several mountain ranges (E and N). The eastern mountains include Mt. Elgon (14,178 ft/4,321 m), part of which is in Kenya, and Mt. Moroto (10,114 ft/3,083 m). Altogether, about 18% of Uganda is made up of water surface and about 7% comprises highland situated at more than 5,000 ft (1,520 m). The country is divided into 39 districts. In addition to Kampala, other cities include Entebbe, Gulu, Jinja, Masaka, and Mbale.

About 90% of Uganda's inhabitants live in rural areas. Approximately 70% of the people speak one of the Bantu languages; the main Bantu ethnic groups, all of whom live in the southern half of the country, are the Ganda (who make up about 18% of the country's total population), Soga, Ankole, Nyoro, and Toro. Other language groups in Uganda are the Western Nilotic (principally the Acholi, Lango, and Alur), whose speakers live in the north and make up about 15% of the population; the Eastern Nilotic (mainly the Karamojong, Pokot, Teso, and Turkana), whose members live in the northeast and make up about 10% of the population; and the Sudanic (the Lugbara), whose speakers live in the northwest and make up about 5% of the population. Between 1980 and 1985, thousands of refugees (mostly Tutsis) from Rwanda and Zaïre (now the Congo) settled in Uganda. English is the country's official language; Swahili is widely spoken in commercial centers. About two thirds of the people are Christian; the rest either follow traditional religious beliefs or are Muslim.

Economy

The economy of Uganda, which was devastated during the Idi Amin regime of the 1970s and the subsequent civil war, made a significant comeback beginning in the mid-1980s, when economic reforms aimed at dampening inflation and boosting production and export earnings were undertaken. The country is overwhelmingly agricultural, and farming employs over 80% of the workforce. Most of the farms are small in size. The chief food crops are cassava, sweet potatoes, plantains, millet, sorghum, corn, and pulses. The principal cash crops are coffee, cotton, tea, tobacco, and sugarcane. Large numbers of poultry, cattle, goats, and sheep are raised. There is a sizable fishing industry, and much hardwood (especially mahogany) is cut.

Copper ore, once the leading mineral resource, has been virtually mined out. Other minerals extracted on a small scale include tin and iron ores, beryl, tungsten, and gold. Uganda's few manufactures are limited mainly to processed agricultural goods, but they also include textiles, chemical fertilizers, and cement. There is a large hydroelectric plant at Owen Falls, located on the Victoria Nile where it leaves Lake Victoria.

Uganda has two main rail lines; one traverses the southern part of the country, the other connects Tororo on the Kenya border with Gulu in the north. The country is linked by rail with Mombasa, Kenya, on the Indian Ocean. The annual value of Uganda's imports is usually considerably higher than the value of its exports. The principal exports are coffee (which accounts for the bulk of export revenues), cotton, gold, and tea. The leading imports are transportation equipment, machinery, consumer goods, chemicals, fuel, and foodstuffs. The main trade partners are the European Union countries, Kenya, and Japan.

Government>

Uganda is governed by a president, who is elected by popular vote for a five-year term. There is a unicameral 265-seat legislature, whose members also serve for five years. According to the 1995 constitution, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) is the only political organization allowed to sponsor candidates for public office, at least until a referendum is held in 2000.

History

Early History

Around 500 B.C., Bantu-speaking people migrated into SW Uganda from the west. By the 14th cent. they were organized in several kingdoms (known as the Cwezi states), which had been established by the Hima. Around 1500, Nilotic-speaking Luo people from present-day SE Sudan settled the Cwezi states and established the Bito dynasties of Buganda (in some Bantu languages, the prefix Bu means state; thus, Buganda means “state of the Ganda people”), Bunyoro, and Ankole. Later in the 16th cent., other Luo-speaking peoples conquered N Uganda, forming the Alur and Acholi ethnic groups. In the 17th cent. the Lango and Teso migrated into Uganda.

During the 16th and 17th cent., Bunyoro was the leading state of S Uganda, controlling an area that stretched into present-day Rwanda and Tanzania. From about 1700, Buganda began to expand (largely at the expense of Bunyoro), and by 1800 it controlled a large territory bordering Lake Victoria from the Victoria Nile to the Kagera River. Buganda was centrally organized under the kabaka (king), who appointed regional administrators and maintained a large bureaucracy and a powerful army. The Ganda raided widely for cattle, ivory, and slaves. In the 1840s Muslim traders from the Indian Ocean coast reached Buganda, and they exchanged firearms, cloth, and beads for the ivory and slaves of Buganda. Beginning in 1869, Bunyoro, ruled by Kabarega and using guns obtained from traders from Khartoum, challenged Buganda's ascendancy. By the mid-1880s, however, Buganda again dominated S Uganda.

European Contacts and Religious Conflicts

In 1862, John Hanning Speke, a British explorer interested in establishing the source of the Nile, became the first European to visit Buganda. He met with Mutesa I, as did Henry M. Stanley, who reached Buganda in 1875. Mutesa, fearful of attacks from Egypt, agreed to Stanley's proposal to allow Christian missionaries (who Mutesa mistakenly thought would provide military assistance) to enter his realm. Members of the British Protestant Church Missionary Society arrived in 1877, and they were followed in 1879 by representatives of the French Roman Catholic White Fathers; each of the missions gathered a group of converts, which in the 1880s became fiercely antagonistic toward one another. At the same time, the number of Ganda converts to Islam was growing.

In 1884, Mutesa died and was succeeded as kabaka by Mwanga, who soon began to persecute the Christians out of fear for his own position. In 1888, Mwanga was deposed by the Christians and Muslims and replaced by his brothers. He regained the throne in 1889, only to lose it to the Muslims again after a few weeks. In early 1890, Mwanga permanently regained his throne, but at the expense of losing much of his power to Christian chiefs.

The Colonial Era

During the period in 1889 when Mwanga was kabaka, he was visited by Carl Peters, the German colonialist, and signed a treaty of friendship with Germany. Great Britain grew alarmed at the growth of German influence and the potential threat to its own position on the Nile. In 1890, Great Britain and Germany signed a treaty that gave the British rights to what was to become Uganda. Later that year Frederick Lugard, acting as an agent of the Imperial British East Africa Company (IBEA), arrived in Buganda at the head of a detachment of troops, and by 1892 he had established the IBEA's authority in S Uganda and had also helped the Protestant faction defeat the Roman Catholic party in Buganda.

In 1894, Great Britain officially made Uganda a protectorate. The British at first ruled Uganda through Buganda, but when Mwanga opposed their growing power, they deposed him, replaced him with his infant son Daudi Chwa, and began to rule more directly. From the late 1890s to 1918, the British established their authority in the rest of Uganda by negotiating treaties and by using force where necessary. In 1900 an agreement was signed with Buganda that gave the kingdom considerable autonomy and also transformed it into a constitutional monarchy controlled largely by Protestant chiefs. In 1901 a railroad from Mombasa on the Indian Ocean reached Kisumu, on Lake Victoria, which in turn was connected by boat with Uganda; the railroad was later extended to Jinja and Kampala. In 1902 the Eastern prov. of Uganda was transferred to the British East Africa Protectorate (Kenya) for administrative reasons.

In 1904 the commercial cultivation of cotton was begun, and cotton soon became the major export crop; coffee and sugar production accelerated in the 1920s. The country attracted few permanent European settlers, and the cash crops were mostly produced by African smallholders and not on plantations as in other colonies. Many Asians (Indians, Pakistanis, and Goans) settled in Uganda, where they played a leading role in the country's commerce. During the 1920s and 30s the British considerably reduced Buganda's independence.

In 1921 a legislative council for the protectorate was established; its first African member was admitted only in 1945, and it was not until the mid-1950s that a substantial number of seats was allocated to Africans. In 1953, Mutesa II was deported for not cooperating with the British; he was allowed to return in 1955, but the rift between Buganda and the rest of Uganda remained. In 1961 there were three main political parties in Uganda—the Uganda People's Congress (UPC), whose members were mostly non-Ganda; the Democratic party, made up chiefly of Roman Catholic Ganda; and the Kabaka Yekka [Kabaka only] party, comprising only Ganda.

An Independent Nation

On Oct. 9, 1962, Uganda became independent, with A. Milton Obote, a Lango leader of the UPC, as prime minister. Buganda was given considerable autonomy. In 1963, Uganda became a republic, and Mutesa was elected president. The first years of independence were dominated by a struggle between the central government and Buganda. In 1966, Obote introduced a new constitution that ended Buganda's autonomy. The Ganda protested vigorously and seemed on the verge of taking up arms when Obote captured the kabaka's palace at Mengo, forced the kabaka to flee the country, and ended effective Ganda resistance.

In 1967 a new constitution was introduced giving the central government—especially the president—much power and dividing Buganda into four districts; the traditional kingships were also abolished. In 1969, Obote decided to follow a leftist course in the hope of bridging the country's ethnic and regional differences through a common social policy.

Amin's Reign of Terror

In Jan., 1971, Obote, at the time outside the country, was deposed in a coup by Maj. Gen. Idi Amin. Amin was faced with opposition within the army by officers and troops loyal to Obote, but by the end of 1971 he was in firm control. Amin cultivated good relations with the Ganda. In 1972–73 he initiated severe diplomatic wrangles with the United States and Israel, both of which had provided Uganda with military and economic aid and were now accused of trying to undermine the government. Amin purged the Lango and Acholi tribes and moved against the army. In Aug., 1972, he ordered Asians who were not citizens of Uganda to leave the country, and within three months all 60,000 had left, most of them for Great Britain. Although a small minority, Asians had played a significant role in Ugandan business and finance, and their expulsion hurt the economy. From 1971 to 1973, there were border clashes with Tanzania, partly instigated by exiled Ugandans loyal to Obote, but, in early 1973, Amin and Julius Nyerere, president of Tanzania, reached an agreement that appeared to head off future incidents.

Amin's rule became increasingly autocratic and brutal; it is estimated that over 300,000 Ugandans were killed during the 1970s. His corrupt and arbitrary system of administration exacerbated rifts in the military, which led to a number of coup attempts. Israel conducted a successful raid on the Entebbe airport in 1976 to rescue passengers on a plane hijacked by Palestinian terrorists. Amin's expulsion of Israeli technicians won him the support of Arab nations such as Libya.

In 1976, Amin declared himself president for life and Uganda claimed portions of W Kenya; the move was diverted by the threat of a trade embargo. In 1978, Uganda invaded Tanzania in an attempt to annex the Kagera region. The next year Tanzania launched a successful counterinvasion and effectively unified disparate anti-Amin forces under the Uganda National Liberation Front (UNLF). Amin's forces were driven out and Amin himself fled the country.

Uganda after Amin

Tanzania left an occupation force in Uganda that participated in the looting of Kampala. Yusufu Lule was installed as president but was quickly replaced by Godfrey Binaisa. The UNLF, suffering from internal strife, was swept out of power by Milton Obote and his party, the Uganda People's Congress. The National Resistance Army (NRA) conducted guerrilla campaigns throughout the country and, following the withdrawal of Tanzanian troops in 1981, attacked former Amin supporters. In the early 1980s, approximately 200,000 Ugandans sought refuge in neighboring Rwanda, Congo, and Sudan. In 1985, a military coup deposed Obote, and Lt. Gen. Tito Okello became head of state.

When it was not given a role in the new regime, the NRA continued its guerrilla campaign and took Kampala in 1986, and its leader, Yoweri Museveni, became the new president. He instituted a series of measures, including cutbacks in the civil service and army and privatization of state-owned companies, in a generally successful effort to rebuild the shattered economy. AIDS became a serious health problem during the 1980s and has continued to claim many lives in Uganda.

In 1993, Museveni permitted the restoration of traditional kings, including King Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II, the kabaka of the Baganda people, but did not grant the kings political power. In 1994 a constituent assembly was elected; the resulting constitution, promulgated in 1995, legalized and extended a ban on political party activity, although allowing party members to run as independents. In May, 1996, Museveni was easily returned to office in the country's first direct presidential elections. A new parliament, chosen in nonpartisan elections in June of the same year, was dominated by Museveni supporters.

In the 1980s and 90s rebel militias based in Sudan and Congo (Kinshasa) staged intermittent attacks on border areas of Uganda. Fighting with northern rebels, mainly the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), which consisted of former government forces defeated by Museveni in 1986, continued into the next decade. In 2002, after Sudanese officials permitted Ugandan forces to attack rebels bases in Sudan, the conflict intensified, but the army failed to achieve any significant success.

Ugandan troops also became involved in ongoing civil unrest in the Congo (then called Zaïre), first (1997) helping rebel groups to oust Mobutu Sese Seko and install Laurent Kabila as president, and then (1998) backing groups who sought to overthrow Kabila. Conflicts also erupted with Rwandan troops in the Congo in 1999. Uganda claimed its only interest was in securing its own borders. In early 2000, Ugandan officials discovered the bodies of nearly 800 people who had died by mass murder and mass suicide; they had been members of the Ugandan millennialist Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God. In May, 2000, new fighting between Rwandan and Ugandan forces in the Congo led to tense relations with Rwanda.

In June a referendum was held in which Ugandans could vote for Museveni's “no-party” system or a multiparty democracy. Museveni argued that Uganda was not ready for political parties, which he said had divided the nation by tribe and religion. Opposition leaders, calling Museveni's system a one-party state, called for a boycott of the referendum. Museveni secured the voters' approval, but by a narrower margin than in 1996; although 88% voted yes, the turnout was only 51%. In the presidential election in Mar., 2001, Museveni was reelected, but his margin of victory was inflated by apparent vote fraud. His popularity was, in part, diminished by discontent with Uganda's intervention in Congo's civil war and signs of corruption in the government. Uganda's forces were largely withdrawn from Congo by the end of 2002, but there was fighting in 2003 between the remaining Ugandan forces and Congolese rebels allied with Rwanda shortly before the last Ugandan troops withdrew. Early in 2004 LRA rebels massacred perhaps as many as 200 civilians in N Uganda. The attack prompted a renewed government offensive that achieved some successes against the LRA; late in 2004 there was a brief truce with the LRA.

Bibliography

See D. E. Apter, The Political Kingdom in Uganda (2d ed. 1967); P. M. Gukiina, Uganda: A Case Study in African Political Development (1972); G. S. Ibingira, The Forging of an African Nation (1973); J. Jorgensen, Uganda (1981); A. Omara-Otunnu, Politics and the Military in Uganda, 1890–1985 (1987); D. Berg-Schlosser and R. Siegler, Political Stability and Development: A Comparative Analysis of Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda (1990).

Uganda

Uganda

Local Time: May 28, 12:06 AM

Local Cities: Kampala

Uganda (yooh-gan-duh, ooh-gahn-duh)

Landlocked nation on Lake Victoria in east-central Africa, bordered by Tanzania and Rwanda to the south, Democratic Republic of Congo to the west, Sudan to the north, and Kenya to the east. Its capital and largest city is Kampala.

  • From 1971 to 1979, Uganda was ruled by the notorious military strongman Idi Amin. It is estimated that Amin killed as many as 300,000 Ugandans through internal purges and campaigns of terror before he was overthrown.
  • Under Amin, Uganda was a sponsor of international terrorism. In 1976, a French airliner was hijacked and flown to Entebbe Airport outside Kampala. An Israeli commando unit subsequently rescued the hostages in a sensational raid.
  • Uganda

    The international dialing code for Uganda is:   256


    Uganda Shilling



    Uganda

    Introduction

    Background: Uganda achieved independence from the UK in 1962. The dictatorial regime of Idi AMIN (1971-79) was responsible for the deaths of some 300,000 opponents; guerrilla war and human rights abuses under Milton OBOTE (1980-85) claimed at least another 100,000 lives. During the 1990s, the government promulgated non-party presidential and legislative elections.

    Geography

    Location: Eastern Africa, west of Kenya
    Geographic coordinates: 1 00 N, 32 00 E
    Map references: Africa
    Area: total: 236,040 sq km
    water: 36,330 sq km
    land: 199,710 sq km
    Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Oregon
    Land boundaries: total: 2,698 km
    border countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo 765 km, Kenya 933 km, Rwanda 169 km, Sudan 435 km, Tanzania 396 km
    Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
    Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
    Climate: tropical; generally rainy with two dry seasons (December to February, June to August); semiarid in northeast
    Terrain: mostly plateau with rim of mountains
    Elevation extremes: lowest point: Lake Albert 621 m
    highest point: Margherita Peak on Mount Stanley 5,110 m
    Natural resources: copper, cobalt, hydropower, limestone, salt, arable land
    Land use: arable land: 25.34%
    permanent crops: 8.77%
    other: 65.89% (1998 est.)
    Irrigated land: 90 sq km (1998 est.)
    Natural hazards: NA
    Environment - current issues: draining of wetlands for agricultural use; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; water hyacinth infestation in Lake Victoria; poaching is widespread
    Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
    signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
    Geography - note: landlocked; fertile, well-watered country with many lakes and rivers

    People

    Population: 25,632,794
    note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2003 est.)
    Age structure: 0-14 years: 50.8% (male 6,528,724; female 6,486,736)
    15-64 years: 46.8% (male 5,985,911; female 6,024,798)
    65 years and over: 2.4% (male 266,930; female 339,695) (2003 est.)
    Median age: total: 14.7 years
    female: 14.8 years (2002)
    male: 14.6 years
    Population growth rate: 2.96% (2003 est.)
    Birth rate: 46.57 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
    Death rate: 16.95 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
    Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population
    note: according to the UNHCR, by the end of 2001, Uganda was host to 178,815 refugees from a number of neighboring countries, including: Sudan 155,996, Rwanda 14,375, and Democratic Republic of the Congo 7,459 (2003 est.)
    Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
    under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
    15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
    65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female
    total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
    Infant mortality rate: total: 87.9 deaths/1,000 live births
    female: 80.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
    male: 95.41 deaths/1,000 live births
    Life expectancy at birth: total population: 44.88 years
    male: 43.42 years
    female: 46.38 years (2003 est.)
    Total fertility rate: 6.72 children born/woman (2003 est.)
    HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 5% (2001 est.)
    HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 600,000 (2001 est.)
    HIV/AIDS - deaths: 84,000 (2001 est.)
    Nationality: noun: Ugandan(s)
    adjective: Ugandan
    Ethnic groups: Baganda 17%, Ankole 8%, Basoga 8%, Iteso 8%, Bakiga 7%, Langi 6%, Rwanda 6%, Bagisu 5%, Acholi 4%, Lugbara 4%, Batoro 3%, Bunyoro 3%, Alur 2%, Bagwere 2%, Bakonjo 2%, Jopodhola 2%, Karamojong 2%, Rundi 2%, non-African (European, Asian, Arab) 1%, other 8%
    Religions: Roman Catholic 33%, Protestant 33%, Muslim 16%, indigenous beliefs 18%
    Languages: English (official national language, taught in grade schools, used in courts of law and by most newspapers and some radio broadcasts), Ganda or Luganda (most widely used of the Niger-Congo languages, preferred for native language publications in the capital and may be taught in school), other Niger-Congo languages, Nilo-Saharan languages, Swahili, Arabic
    Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
    total population: 69.9%
    male: 79.5%
    female: 60.4% (2003 est.)

    Government

    Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Uganda
    conventional short form: Uganda
    Government type: republic
    Capital: Kampala
    Administrative divisions: 55 districts; Adjumani, Apac, Arua, Bugiri, Bundibugyo, Bushenyi, Busia, Gulu, Hoima, Iganga, Jinja, Kabale, Kabarole, Kalangala, Kampala, Kamuli, Kamwenge, Kanungu, Kapchorwa, Kasese, Katakwi, Kayunga, Kibale, Kiboga, Kisoro, Kitgum, Kotido, Kumi, Kyenjojo, Lira, Luwero, Masaka, Masindi, Mayuge, Mbale, Mbarara, Moroto, Moyo, Mpigi, Mubende, Mukono, Nakapiripirit, Nakasongola, Nebbi, Ntungamo, Pader, Pallisa, Rakai, Rukungiri, Sembabule, Sironko, Soroti, Tororo, Wakiso, Yumbe
    note: there may be one additional district: Kaberamaido
    Independence: 9 October 1962 (from UK)
    National holiday: Independence Day, 9 October (1962)
    Constitution: 8 October 1995; adopted by the interim, 284-member Constituent Assembly, charged with debating the draft constitution that had been proposed in May 1993; the Constituent Assembly was dissolved upon the promulgation of the constitution in October 1995
    Legal system: in 1995, the government restored the legal system to one based on English common law and customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
    Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
    Executive branch: chief of state: President Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI (since seizing power 26 January 1986); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
    head of government: President Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI (since seizing power 29 January 1986); Prime Minister Apollo NSIBAMBI (since 5 April 1999); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government; the prime minister assists the president in the supervision of the cabinet
    cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among elected legislators
    election results: Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI elected president; percent of vote - Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI 69.3%, Kizza BESIGYE 27.8%
    elections: president reelected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 12 March 2001 (next to be held NA 2006); note - first popular election for president since independence in 1962 was held in 1996; prime minister appointed by the president
    Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (303 members - 214 directly elected by popular vote, 81 nominated by legally established special interest groups [women 56, army 10, disabled 5, youth 5, labor 5], 8 ex officio members; members serve five-year terms)
    election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; note - election campaigning by party was not permitted
    elections: last held 26 June 2001 (next to be held May or June 2006);
    Judicial branch: Court of Appeal (judges are appointed by the president and approved by the legislature); High Court (judges are appointed by the president)
    Political parties and leaders: only one political organization, the Movement (formerly the NRM)[President MUSEVENI, chairman] is allowed to operate unfettered; note - the president maintains that the Movement is not a political party, but a mass organization, which claims the loyalty of all Ugandans
    note: the constitution requires the suspension of political parties while the Movement organization is in governance; of the political parties that exist but are prohibited from sponsoring candidates, the most important are the Ugandan People's Congress or UPC [Milton OBOTE]; Democratic Party or DP [Paul SSEMOGERERE]; Conservative Party or CP [Ken LUKYAMUZI]; Justice Forum [Muhammad Kibirige MAYANJA]; and National Democrats Forum [Chapaa KARUHANGA]
    Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
    International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, EADB, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
    Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Edith Grace SSEMPALA
    FAX: [1] (202) 726-1727
    telephone: [1] (202) 726-7100 through 7102, 0416
    chancery: 5911 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011
    Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Jimmy KOLKER
    embassy: 1577 Ggaba Rd., Kampala
    mailing address: P. O. Box 7007, Kampala
    telephone: [256] (41) 234-142
    FAX: [256] (41) 258-451
    Flag description: six equal horizontal bands of black (top), yellow, red, black, yellow, and red; a white disk is superimposed at the center and depicts a red-crested crane (the national symbol) facing the hoist side

    Economy

    Economy - overview: Uganda has substantial natural resources, including fertile soils, regular rainfall, and sizable mineral deposits of copper and cobalt. Agriculture is the most important sector of the economy, employing over 80% of the work force. Coffee accounts for the bulk of export revenues. Since 1986, the government - with the support of foreign countries and international agencies - has acted to rehabilitate and stabilize the economy by undertaking currency reform, raising producer prices on export crops, increasing prices of petroleum products, and improving civil service wages. The policy changes are especially aimed at dampening inflation and boosting production and export earnings. During 1990-2001, the economy turned in a solid performance based on continued investment in the rehabilitation of infrastructure, improved incentives for production and exports, reduced inflation, gradually improved domestic security, and the return of exiled Indian-Ugandan entrepreneurs. Ongoing Ugandan involvement in the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, corruption within the government, and slippage in the government's determination to press reforms raise doubts about the continuation of strong growth. In 2000, Uganda qualified for enhanced Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) debt relief worth $1.3 billion and Paris Club debt relief worth $145 million. These amounts combined with the original HIPC debt relief added up to about $2 billion. Growth for 2001-02 was solid despite continued decline in the price of coffee, Uganda's principal export. Prospects for 2003 are mixed, with probable strengthening of coffee prices yet with halting growth in the economies of major export customers.
    GDP: purchasing power parity - $31 billion (2002 est.)
    GDP - real growth rate: 5.5% (2002 est.)
    GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,260 (2002 est.)
    GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 43%
    industry: 19%
    services: 38% (2001 est.)
    Population below poverty line: 35% (2001 est.)
    Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 4%
    highest 10%: 21% (2000)
    Distribution of family income - Gini index: 37.4 (1996)
    Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0.1% (2002 est.)
    Labor force: 12 million (2001 est.)
    Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 82%, industry 5%, services 13% (1999 est.)
    Unemployment rate: NA%
    Budget: revenues: $959 million
    expenditures: $1.04 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY98/99 est.)
    Industries: sugar, brewing, tobacco, cotton textiles, cement
    Industrial production growth rate: 6.3% (2002 est.)
    Electricity - production: 1.928 billion kWh (2001)
    Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 0.9%
    hydro: 99.1%
    other: 0% (2001)
    nuclear: 0%
    Electricity - consumption: 1.62 billion kWh (2001)
    Electricity - exports: 174 million kWh (2001)
    Electricity - imports: 1 million kWh (2001)
    Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
    Oil - consumption: 8,750 bbl/day (2001 est.)
    Oil - exports: NA (2001)
    Oil - imports: NA (2001)
    Agriculture - products: coffee, tea, cotton, tobacco, cassava (tapioca), potatoes, corn, millet, pulses; beef, goat meat, milk, poultry, cut flowers
    Exports: $476 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)
    Exports - commodities: coffee, fish and fish products, tea; gold, cotton, flowers, horticultural products
    Exports - partners: Germany 12.0%, Netherlands 10.2%, US 8.7%, Spain 8.0%, Belgium 7.2% (2000 est.)
    Imports: $1.14 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)
    Imports - commodities: capital equipment, vehicles, petroleum, medical supplies; cereals
    Imports - partners: Kenya 41.0%, UK 7.6%, India 6.8%, South Africa 6.5%, Japan 3.5% (2000)
    Debt - external: $2.8 billion (2002 est.)
    Economic aid - recipient: $1.4 billion (2000)
    Currency: Ugandan shilling (UGX)
    Currency code: UGX
    Exchange rates: Ugandan shillings per US dollar - 1,797.55 (2002), 1,755.66 (2001), 1,644.48 (2000), 1,454.83 (1999), 1,240.31 (1998)
    Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

    Communications

    Telephones - main lines in use: 50,074; however, 80,868 main lines have been installed (1998)
    Telephones - mobile cellular: 9,000 (1998)
    Telephone system: general assessment: seriously inadequate; two cellular systems have been introduced, but a sharp increase in the number of main lines is essential; e-mail and Internet services are available
    domestic: intercity traffic by wire, microwave radio relay, and radiotelephone communication stations, fixed and mobile cellular systems for short-range traffic
    international: satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat; analog links to Kenya and Tanzania
    Radio broadcast stations: AM 7, FM 33, shortwave 2 (2001)
    Television broadcast stations: 8 (plus one low-power repeater) (2001)
    Internet country code: .ug
    Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000)
    Internet users: 60,000 (2002)

    Transportation

    Railways: total: 1,241 km
    narrow gauge: 1,241 km 1.000-m gauge (2002)
    Highways: total: 27,000 km
    paved: 1,800 km
    unpaved: 25,200 km (of which about 4,200 km are all-weather roads) (1990)
    Waterways: Lake Victoria, Lake Albert, Lake Kyoga, Lake George, Lake Edward, Victoria Nile, Albert Nile
    Ports and harbors: Entebbe, Jinja, Port Bell
    Merchant marine: total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 5,091 GRT/8,229 DWT
    ships by type: roll on/roll off 3
    note: these ships are in cargo and passenger (ferry) service on Uganda's inland waterways (2002 est.)
    Airports: 27 (2002)
    Airports - with paved runways: total: 4
    over 3,047 m: 3
    1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2002)
    Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 23
    2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
    1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
    914 to 1,523 m: 9
    under 914 m: 7 (2002)

    Military

    Military branches: Ugandan Peoples' Defense Force (including Army, Marine unit, Air Wing)
    Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 5,476,612 (2003 est.)
    Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 2,974,259 (2003 est.)
    Military expenditures - dollar figure: $124.7 million (FY02)
    Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.1% (FY02)

    Transnational Issues

    Disputes - international: Tutsi, Hutu, and other ethnic groups, associated political rebels, armed gangs, and various government forces continue fighting in the Great Lakes region, transcending the boundaries of Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda to gain control over populated areas and natural resources; government heads pledge to end conflict, but localized violence continues despite UN peacekeeping efforts; conflict in Sudan has extended rebel forces and refugees into Uganda


    National Anthem of: Uganda

    Oh Uganda! may God uphold thee,
    We lay our future in thy hand.
    United, free,
    For liberty
    Together we'll always stand.

    Oh Uganda! the land of freedom.
    Our love and labour we give,
    And with neighbours all
    At our country's call
    In peace and friendship we'll live.

    Oh Uganda! the land that feeds us
    By sun and fertile soil grown.
    For our own dear land,
    We'll always stand:
    The Pearl of Africa's Crown.

    Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

    The noun Uganda has one meaning:

    Meaning #1: a landlocked republic in eastern Africa; achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1962
      Synonym:
    Republic of Uganda


    Uganda

    The Republic of Uganda is a country in east central Africa. It is bordered in the east by Kenya, in the north by Sudan, by the Democratic Republic of Congo in the west, Rwanda in the southwest and Tanzania in the south. The southern part of the country includes a substantial portion of Lake Victoria, within which it shares borders with Kenya and Tanzania. It is named after the Buganda tribe.

    Republic of Uganda
    Flag of Uganda Coat of Arms of Uganda
    (Flag) (Coat of Arms)
    National motto: For God and My Country
    National anthem: Oh Uganda, Land of Beauty
    Location of Uganda
    Capital Kampala
    Largest city Kampala
    Official languages English
    Government Authoritarian republic
    Yoweri Museveni
    Independence
    October 9, 1962
    Area
     - Total
     - Water (%)
     
    236,040 km² (
    81st)
    36,330 km² (15.39%)
    Population
     - 2000 est.
     - census
     -
    Density
     
    24,699,073 (
    42nd)

    105/km² (
    )
    GDP (PPP)
     -
    2003 est.
     - Per capita
     
    $6.198 billion (
    108th)
    $245 (
    170th)
    Currency Shilling (UGX)
    Time zone
     - Summer (DST)
    Local time (UTC+3)
    not observed (
    UTC+3)
    Internet TLD .ug
    Calling code +256 (+006 from Kenya and Tanzania)

    History

    Main article: History of Uganda

    Little is known about the history of the region until the arrival of the first non-Africans, although humans are known to have lived in the area since at least the first millennium BC. When Arabs and Europeans arrived in the 19th century, they encountered a number of kingdoms in the area, supposedly founded in the 16th century. The largest and most important of these kingdoms was the still-existing Buganda.

    The area was placed under the charter of the British East Africa Company in 1888, and became a protectorate under the United Kingdom in 1894. Uganda was granted independence in 1962.

    A 1971 coup saw Idi Amin take power, ruling as a dictator for the coming decade. His rule cost an estimated 300,000 Ugandans' lives. His reign was ended by a Tanzanian invasion in 1979. The situation improved little with the coming of Milton Obote, who was deposed in 1985, although rebels continued to fight long afterwards. Current president Yoweri Museveni has been in power since 1986.

    Politics

    Main article: Politics of Uganda

    The president, currently Yoweri Kaguta Museveni is both head of state and head of government. The president appoints a prime minister, who aids him in his tasks. The parliament is formed by the National Assembly, which has 303 members. 86 of these members are nominated by interest groups, including women and the Ugandan army. The remaining members are elected for five-year terms during general elections.

    Districts

    Main article: Districts of Uganda

    Uganda is divided into 56 districts, listed below. The districts are all named after their chief town.

    • CENTRAL:
    • Kalangala
    • Kampala
    • Kayunga
    • Kiboga
    • Luwero
    • Masaka
    • Mpigi
    • Mubende
    • Mukono
    • Nakasongola
    • Rakai
    • Sembabule
    • Wakiso
    • EASTERN:
    • Bugiri
    • Busia
    • Iganga
    • Jinja
    • Kaberamaido
    • Kamuli
    • Kapchorwa
    • Katakwi
    • Kumi
    • Mayuge
    • Mbale
    • Pallisa
    • Sironko
    • Soroti
    • Tororo
    • NORTHERN:
    • Adjumani
    • Apac
    • Arua
    • Gulu
    • Kitgum
    • Kotido
    • Lira
    • Moroto
    • Moyo
    • Nakapiripirit
    • Nebbi
    • Pader
    • Yumbe
    • WESTERN:
    • Bundibugyo
    • Bushenyi
    • Hoima
    • Kabale
    • Kabarole
    • Kamwenge
    • Kanungu
    • Kasese
    • Kibaale
    • Kisoro
    • Kyenjojo
    • Masindi
    • Mbarara
    • Ntungamo
    • Rukungiri

    Geography

    Map of Uganda
    Enlarge
    Map of Uganda

    Main article: Geography of Uganda

    Although landlocked, Uganda has access to several large water bodies, including Lake Victoria, Lake Albert, Lake Kyoga and Lake Edward. The country is located on a plateau, averaging about 900 m above sea level. Although generally tropical in nature, the climate differs between parts of the country.

    Most important cities are located in the south, near Lake Victoria, including the capital Kampala and the nearby city of Entebbe.

    Economy

    Main article: Economy of Uganda

    Uganda has substantial natural resources, including fertile soils, regular rainfall, and sizable mineral deposits of copper and cobalt. Agriculture is the most important sector of the economy, employing over 80% of the work force. Coffee accounts for the bulk of export revenues. Since 1986, the government - with the support of foreign countries and international agencies - has acted to rehabilitate and stabilize the economy by undertaking currency reform, raising producer prices on export crops, increasing prices of petroleum products, and improving civil service wages. The policy changes are especially aimed at dampening inflation and boosting production and export earnings. During 1990-2001, the economy turned in a solid performance based on continued investment in the rehabilitation of infrastructure, improved incentives for production and exports, reduced inflation, gradually improved domestic security, and the return of exiled Indian-Ugandan entrepreneurs. Ongoing Ugandan involvement in the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, corruption within the government, and slippage in the government's determination to press reforms raise doubts about the continuation of strong growth. In 2000, Uganda qualified for enhanced Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) debt relief worth $1.3 billion and Paris Club debt relief worth $145 million. These amounts combined with the original HIPC debt relief added up to about $2 billion. Growth for 2001-02 was solid despite continued decline in the price of coffee, Uganda's principal export. Prospects for 2003 are mixed, with probable strengthening of coffee prices yet with halting growth in the economies of major export customers.

    Demographics

    Main article: Demographics of Uganda

    People from many different tribes live in Uganda, none of which has a significant majority. There are therefore also many different languages spoken, although English is the country's official language. Luganda is also widely spoken, and taught in schools throughout Uganda.

    Christian and Muslim missionaries first arrived in the 1860s, attempting to convert the Bugandan king. At present, about two-thirds of the population has adopted Christianity. The remaining one-third is split about evenly between Muslims and members of traditional faiths.

    Culture

    Main article: Culture of Uganda

    Due to the large number of tribes, many still living within their own kingdoms, culture within Uganda is diverse. A lot of the Asians (mostly from India) who were expelled during the regime of Amin are returning to Uganda.

    Miscellaneous topics

    External links

    See also



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    Best of the Web

    Some good "Uganda" pages on the web:


    World Leaders
    www.cia.gov
     
    Mentioned In
    uganda is mentioned in the following topics:
    List of Governors-General of Uganda Eriya Kategaya
    Albert Nile (Part of the upper Nile River in northwest Uganda) Lango
    Paulo Muwanga List of political parties in Uganda
    Presidential Commission of Uganda Uganda Airlines
    Buganda (region and former kingdom) Masaka
    More>
     

    Copyrights:

    Dictionary definition of Uganda
    The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2004, 2000 by
    Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. More from Dictionary
    Encyclopedia information about Uganda
    The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
    www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/ More from Encyclopedia
    Map information about Uganda
    The World Factbook is prepared by the Central Intelligence Agency. More from Map
    Local Time information about Uganda
    Copyright © 2001 -
    Chaos Software. All rights reserved More from Local Time
    Geography information about Uganda
    The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Edited by E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph F. Kett, and James Trefil. Copyright © 2002 by
    Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved. More from Geography
    Dialing Code information about Uganda
    © 1999-2005 by GuruNet. All rights reserved. More from Dialing Code
    Stats information about Uganda
    The World Factbook 2003 is prepared by the Central Intelligence Agency. More from Stats
    National Anthems information about Uganda
    © 1999-2005 by GuruNet. All rights reserved. More from National Anthems
    WordNet information about Uganda
    WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. More from WordNet
    Wikipedia information about Uganda
    This article is licensed under the
    GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Uganda". More from Wikipedia
    Translations for Uganda
    Copyright © 2005,
    WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved. More from Translations


    Bibliography ^ Top

    Uganda map and information page by World Atlas. 27 May. 2005 <http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/africa/ug.htm>.
    Uganda: Map, History and Much More From Answers.com. 27 May. 2005 <http://www.answers.com/Uganda>.