Are you looking for facts about Uganda? Do you know the fun places in Uganda? What are your favorite fun facts of Uganda?
There is much to learn about Uganda on this page. And for that matter we are giving you this page to guide you hand in hand .
To know more about Uganda you will have to check more pages and learn about Uganda history,Economy,Culture,wildlife,Civil wars,education and many others.
On this page we shall summarize them so take your time and check the other page as we promise to give you enough information on this website.
Area: 235,796km2 (91,041 square miles), similar to Great Britain or the state of Oregon.
Location: Equatorial Africa between latitudes 4°12’ N and 1°29’ S and longitudes 29°35’W and 25°E. Bordered by Rwanda (169km) and Tanzania (396km) to the south, Kenya (933km) to the east, Sudan (435km) to the north and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for 765km to the west.
Altitude: 85% of the country lies between 900m and 1,500m above sea level.
The lowest region is the Lake Albert basin (612m) and the Albert Nile.The
highest point is Mount Stanley (Rwenzoris) at 5,109m.
Population: 35 Million (May 2013), 28.2 million (September 2006), 13% urban. Previous results were 16.7 million (1991), 12.6 million (1980), 9.5 million (1969), 6.5 million (1959),5 million (1940), 3.5 million (1931), 2.9 million (1921) and 2.5 million (1911).
Capital:Kampala (population 4.2 million in 20013)
Other major towns Gulu, Lira, Jinja. Other towns with populations of more than 50,000 are Mbale, Mbarara, Masaka, Entebbe, Kasese and Njeru in descending order.
Language: English, the official language, is spoken by most reasonably educated Ugandans. Among the country’s 33 indigenous languages, Luganda is the closest to being a lingua franca.
Religion: Christian (85%), Islam (11%), also some Hindu and Jewish, while tribes such as the Karimojong adhere to a traditional animist faith.
Currency: Uganda shilling; Ush2,500 = US$1 in 2013
Head of State: President Yoweri Museveni (since 1986)
Time zone: GMT+3
International dial code: +256 (Kampala: 414)
Electricity 240: volts at 50Hz
Mineral resources: Copper, cobalt, limestone, salt, alluvial gold. In July 2006,significant oil reserves were discovered below the shores of Lake Albert at Kaiso-Tonya.
Major exports: Coffee (55%), fish (7.5%), tea (5%), tobacco (4%)
Other crops: Bananas, maize, millet, sorghum, cotton, rice, cassava, groundnuts,Potatoes
GDP US$7 million per annum (US$1,800 per capita, annual growth rate 3.4% in 2009)
Human development: Average life expectancy 45.7 years; under-five mortality rate 13.7%; rate of HIV infection 8–10% (estimate); primary school completion 38%; secondary school enrolment 13%; adult literacy 65%; access to safe water 45%; access to electricity 4%
Land use: Arable land 25%; agriculture 9%; pasture 9%; forest and woodland 28%; open water 18%; marsh 4%; other 7%
National flag: Two sets of black, yellow and red horizontal stripes, with a white central circle around the national bird, the grey crowned crane.
National anthem:
Oh! Uganda, May God uphold thee,We lay our future in thy hand,
United, free, for liberty,Together,We 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.
Land Boundaries:
Uganda is surrounded by 5 countries thus making it a landlocked country.
Democratic Republic of the Congo 765 km, Kenya 933 km, Rwanda 169 km, Sudan 435 km and Tanzania 396 km.
Geography:
Size 236,040 sq km, smaller than Kenya, but bigger than Rwanda and Burundi combined. Uganda is a landlocked country. The terrain is mostly plateau with a rim of mountains.
Its highest point is Margherita Peak on Mount Stanley which stands at 5,110 m at Mt Rwenzori National Park. Uganda’s lowest point is Lake Albert at 621 m. The climate is tropical; generally rainy with two dry seasons (December to February, June to August).
The northeast of Uganda is semi-arid and therefore drier. The country is generally very fertile with many lakes and rivers. Click here for more information on the geography of Uganda
Facts about Uganda and its Population:
Basing on the previous census Uganda population is over 35 million people
Life expectancy is around 51 years. Birth rate is on average 6.7 per woman. 4.1% of the population is believed to have HIV/AIDS. Literacy rate is just above 70%.
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, and Arabic.
Facts about Uganda and its Ethnic Groups:
Uganda is composed of different tribes which fall under Luo and Bantu .We have put each tribe and how big we expect to be .
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%. But for more information about these tribes we have a full page describing their culture and origins
Religion:
Roman Catholic 33%, Protestant 33%, Muslim 16%, indigenous beliefs 18%.
Facts about Uganda and its Political History:
The British were the colonial masters of Uganda .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.Click here to know more about the current government and how it has improved Ugandan economy.
Economic Overview:
After the discovery of Oil in Uganda, we hope its economy to shoot up in the near future. 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.Click here to read more about Uganda economy
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.
Corruption within the government and slippage in the government’s determination to press reforms raise doubts about the continuation of strong growth.
Uganda is a country in East Africa. It is bordered on the east by Kenya, the north by Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by Tanzania.
Famously called the Pearl of Africa by Winston Churchill, it is home to one of the most diverse and concentrated ranges of African fauna including the highly endangered mountain gorilla and the endangered common chimpanzee.
