Uganda officially became the Republic on 9th October 1962 after attaining its independence from the British rule. It is a landlocked country in East Africa bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by Tanzania. The southern part of the country includes a substantial portion of Lake Victoria, shared with Kenya and Tanzania. Uganda lies within the Nile basin and has an equatorial climate.
Uganda takes its name from the Buganda kingdom, which encompasses a large portion of the south of the country including the capital Kampala. The people of Uganda were hunter-gatherers until 1,700 to 2,300 years ago, when Bantu-speaking populations migrated to the southern parts of the country. The official language is English. Luganda, a central language is widely spoken across the country and multiple other languages are also spoken including Swahili. The current President of Uganda is Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, who came to power in a coup in 1986.
Full name: Republic of Uganda
Uganda known as ‘The Pearl of Africa’, offers many exotic, un-exploited travel opportunities, unique biodiversity, an impressive birding experience with over 1000 recorded bird species, national parks, wildlife, forest reserves, the source of the mighty Nile, and of course gorilla tracking opportunities.
Avid mountaineers will find that Mt Elgon and The Rwenzori “Mountains of the Moon” are dream destinations. For dedicated ornithologists, Uganda is the place to be to catch a glimpse of the shoebill, the raucous black & white casqued hornbill as well as the gem-like green broadbill.
Explore Uganda
Uganda is one of the most beautiful destinations in Africa. This relatively tiny country is found in the heart of Africa. It is crisscrossed by the Equator into two. Despite its past image that was characterized by Dictator Idi Amin Dada and the notorious rebel Kony in northern Uganda, the country is becoming one of the best places to visit on the African continent.
For the visitor, Uganda’s reputation as “Africa’s Friendliest Country” offers exceptional diversity combining some of the best features that Africa has to offer. The country lies at the overlap between the tropical East African Savannah and the West African rain-forest zones.
Uganda is a country blessed with contrasting physical features ranging from extensive plains with undulating hills to snow-capped mountains, waterfalls, meandering rivers and spectacular flora and fauna. Seven of Africa’s plant kingdoms are represented in Uganda, which is more than any other country on the continent.
In addition, Uganda ranks among the top ten in the world in terms of the diversity of its mammal groups. For example, by comparison with the UK, Uganda supports five times more bird species, six times as many mammals, ten times as many reptiles and amphibians and three times the number of plant species.
Uganda is also the source of the Great River Nile and Africa’s largest fresh water lake, the Lake Victoria. Such is Uganda’s potential in Africa that the former British Premier, Sir Winston Churchill after his many journeys across the length and width of the African continent, concluded that the country (Uganda) was indeed the Pearl of Africa. His verdict did not only describe the wealth of Uganda’s resources, but also the peaceful environment and social system in which the people of Uganda lived. Uganda welcomes you.
Safaris in Uganda
There are ten national parks that can be visited by tourists in Uganda. These include forest reserves, savanna game parks and montane parks.
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest: This tropical rain forest is found in South Western Uganda. It is arguably the best destination for mountain gorilla trekking in Central Africa. Compared with Rwanda, Bwindi hosts almost half of the remaining population of the mountain gorillas.
Queen Elizabeth National Park: This park is part of a much larger conservation area including the Ruwenzoris, Kibale Forest, Virunga National Park and Kigezi/Chambura. Almost included as part of a more encompassing Uganda safari through various national parks. The park protects impressive wildlife including the famous tree climbing lions of the Ishasha Sector, buffaloes, elephants, and more.
Kibale Forest National Park: This is one of the best places to see endangered chimpanzees. Kibale forest has the highest density of chimpanzees in the world. The park is very popular to those looking for primates tours most especially those looking for chimp trekking in Uganda. The park also protects 13 primate species and is also renowned for some specialist guides whose penchant is for birds, orchids, butterflies and more.
Semuliki National Park: This magnificent national park lies at the base of the Albertine Rift. It is hemmed in by the Rwenzori Mountains, Lake Albert and the Semliki river. The park is excellent for birding, scenic viewing, chimpanzee tracking and night game drives. Game viewing in this park is very impressive given its wild nature and lack of crowds.
Where is Uganda
Uganda borders the Republic of South Sudan in the north, the Democratic Republic of Congo to the west, Kenya to the east and Tanzania and Rwanda to the south.
Nationality
Noun: Ugandan(s)
Adjective: Ugandan
Flag:
Area:
Total: 236,040 sq km
Land: 199,710 sq km
Water: 36,330 sq km
Population: 27,269,482
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 2005 est.)
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%
Capital: Kampala , population 260 000
Largest Cities
Jinja-70 000
Mbale-55 000
Masaka-50 000
Entebbe-45 000
Mbarara-45 000
Gulu-35 000
Official Language
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
Religion
Roman Catholic 33%
Protestant 33%
Muslim 16%
indigenous beliefs 18%
Political system: republic presidential/parliamentary democracy
GDP: purchasing power parity – $39.39 billion (2004 est.)
GDP per head: purchasing power parity – $1,500 (2004 est.)
Annual growth: 5% (2004 est.)
GDP – composition by sector
agriculture: 35.8%
industry: 20.8%
services: 43.6% (2004 est.)
Inflation: 3.5% (2004 est.)
Uganda is a landlocked country in East Africa, stretching along the equator between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Kenya. It shares its borders with five other countries; Rwanda, Tanzania, Kenya, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It has earned the title of ‘The Pearl of Africa’ due to the beauty of its natural features and significant natural resources. With fertile lands and regular rainfall approximately 80% of the populations are farmers.
Uganda has many large lakes where by the south of the country is heavily influenced by one of the world’s biggest lakes, Lake Victoria, which contains many islands. Lake Victoria found in Uganda is the source of the Nile and is the largest tropical lake in the world. The lake is also considered the second largest fresh water lake. Uganda’s main cities are located in the south, near this lake, including the capital city of Kampala. Besides Lake Victoria there is Lake Albert, Lake Edward, and the smaller Lake George. Lake Kyoga is found in the center of the country and is surrounded by extensive marshy areas.
Uganda also has 60 protected areas, including ten national parks of which the two; Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Rwenzori Mountains National Park are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These areas are home to many endangered species, such as mountain gorillas and hippos.
The climate is tropical and there are two dry seasons that run from December to February and again in June through August. Mountain Rwenzori (Margherita peak) is the 4th highest in Africa and reaches 5109m (16, 761ft). Interesting to note is it’s covered by snow throughout the year.
It is estimated that there are around 40 different languages regularly and currently used in Uganda. English became the official language after independence and is taught in schools, used in courts of law, used by most newspapers, and by some radio broadcasters. Swahili is also widely spoken and is used as a trade language throughout the East African region. Thanks to Uganda’s important economic bonds with Kenya and Tanzania, Swahili has grown in popularity, and was designated in 2005 by the Ugandan Parliament as the country’s second official language. Luganda, spoken by the Baganda people, is thought to be the most widely-spoken vernacular language. Other significant vernacular anguages spoken are Luo, Ateso and Runyakitara.
Uganda is among the top 16 holiday destinations for 2016 by CNN. Also ranked as top tourist destination for 2012 by lonely planet. There are about 880 mountain gorrillas in the whole world and half of them are found in Uganda. More so, there are about 150,000 chimpazees in Africa and a third of them are found in Uganda. In fact a significant number chimpazees across Africa are found in only 4 countries and Uganda is one of them. Uganda is known as Africa’s premier birding destination. There are over 1000 bird species recorded in Uganda. It is even believed that some of the birds living in Uganda’s forests may not be classified as yet.
The story of the Uganda martyrs and their shrine built at Namugongo is a fascinating one. Thousands of people from East and Central Africa flock the shrine on 3rd June every year to honour the martyrs.
Uganda is one of the few countries in Africa to design her own car, the Kiira that was unveiled in 2011. The prototype was first designed by students at Makerere University and has since then undergone a couple of improvements and modifications.