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| Uganda Main Page · World Factbook Main Page |
INTRODUCTION
The colonial boundaries created by Britain to delimit Uganda grouped together a wide range of ethnic groups with different political systems and cultures. These differences prevented the establishment of a working political community after independence was achieved 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. The rule of Yoweri MUSEVENI since 1986 has brought relative stability and economic growth to Uganda. During the 1990s, the government promulgated non-party presidential and legislative elections. |
GEOGRAPHY
Location: | |
| Eastern Africa, west of Kenya, east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo | |
Geographic Coordinates: | |
| 1 00 N, 32 00 E | |
Area: | |
| Total: 241,038 sq km Land: 197,100 sq km Water: 43,938 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, South Sudan 435 km, Tanzania 396 km | |
Coastline: | |
| 0 km (landlocked) (Rank: 243) | |
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, gold | |
Land Use: | |
| Arable land: 21.57% Permanent crops: 8.92% Other: 69.51% (2005) | |
Irrigated Land: | |
| 90 sq km (2008) | |
Total Renewable Water Resources: | |
| 66 cu km (1970) | |
Freshwater Withdrawal: | |
| Total: 0.3 cu km/yr (43%/17%/40%) Per capita: 10 cu m/yr (2002) | |
Environment - Current Issues: | |
| Draining of wetlands for agricultural use; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; water hyacinth infestation in Lake Victoria; widespread poaching | |
Environment - International Agreements: | |
| Party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands Signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification | |
Geography - Note: | |
| Landlocked; fertile, well-watered country with many lakes and rivers | |
Nationality: | |
| Noun: Ugandan(s) Adjective: Ugandan | |
Ethnic Groups: | |
| Baganda 16.9%, Banyakole 9.5%, Basoga 8.4%, Bakiga 6.9%, Iteso 6.4%, Langi 6.1%, Acholi 4.7%, Bagisu 4.6%, Lugbara 4.2%, Bunyoro 2.7%, other 29.6% (2002 census) | |
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 | |
Religions: | |
| Roman Catholic 41.9%, Protestant 42% (Anglican 35.9%, Pentecostal 4.6%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1.5%), Muslim 12.1%, other 3.1%, none 0.9% (2002 census) | |
Population: | |
| 34,612,250 (July 2011 est.) 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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected | |
Age Structure: | |
| 0-14 years: 49.9% (male 8,692,239/female 8,564,571) 15-64 years: 48.1% (male 8,383,548/female 8,255,473) 65 years and over: 2.1% (male 291,602/female 424,817) (2011 est.) | |
Median Age: | |
| Total: 15.1 years Male: 15 years Female: 15.1 years (2011 est.) | |
Population Growth Rate: | |
| 3.576% (2011 est.) | |
Birth Rate: | |
| 47.49 births/1,000 population (2011 est.) | |
Death Rate: | |
| 11.71 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.) | |
Net Migration Rate: | |
| -0.02 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.) | |
Urbanization: | |
| Urban population: 13% of total population (2010) Rate of urbanization: 4.8% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.) | |
Major Cities - Population: | |
| KAMPALA (capital) 1.535 million (2009) | |
Sex Ratio: | |
| At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female Under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female Total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2011 est.) | |
Maternal Mortality Rate: | |
| 430 deaths/100,000 live births (2008) | |
Infant Mortality Rate: | |
| Total: 62.47 deaths/1,000 live births Male: 66.05 deaths/1,000 live births Female: 58.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2011 est.) | |
Life Expectancy At Birth: | |
| Total population: 53.24 years Male: 52.17 years Female: 54.33 years (2011 est.) | |
Total Fertility Rate: | |
| 6.69 children born/woman (2011 est.) | |
Health Expenditures: | |
| 8.2% of GDP (2009) | |
Physicians Density: | |
| 0.117 physicians/1,000 population (2005) | |
Hospital Bed Density: | |
| 0.39 beds/1,000 population (2009) | |
Drinking Water Source: | |
| Urban: 91% of population Rural: 64% of population Total: 67% of population Unimproved: Urban: 9% of population Rural: 36% of population Total: 33% of population (2008) | |
Sanitation Facility Access: | |
| Urban: 38% of population Rural: 49% of population Total: 48% of population Unimproved: Urban: 62% of population Rural: 51% of population Total: 52% of population (2008) | |
HIV/AIDS - Adult Prevalence Rate: | |
| 6.5% (2009 est.) | |
HIV/AIDS - People Living With HIV/AIDS: | |
| 1.2 million (2009 est.) | |
HIV/AIDS - Deaths: | |
| 64,000 (2009 est.) | |
Major Infectious Diseases: | |
| Degree of risk: very high Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever Vectorborne diseases: malaria, plague, and African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) Water contact disease: schistosomiasis Animal contact disease: rabies (2009) | |
Children Under 5 - Underweight: | |
| 16.4% (2006) | |
Education Expenditures: | |
| 3.2% of GDP (2009) | |
Literacy: | |
| Definition: age 15 and over can read and write Total population: 66.8% Male: 76.8% Female: 57.7% (2002 census) | |
Average Years of Schooling: | |
| Total: 11 years Male: 11 years Female: 11 years (2009) | |
Country Name: | |
| Conventional long form: Republic of Uganda Conventional short form: Uganda | |
Government Type: | |
| Republic | |
Capital: | |
| Name: Kampala Geographic coordinates: 0 19 N, 32 25 E Time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) | |
Administrative Divisions: | |
| 80 districts; Abim, Adjumani, Amolatar, Amuria, Amuru, Apac, Arua, Budaka, Bududa, Bugiri, Bukedea, Bukwa, Bulisa, Bundibugyo, Bushenyi, Busia, Butaleja, Dokolo, Gulu, Hoima, Ibanda, Iganga, Isingiro, Jinja, Kaabong, Kabale, Kabarole, Kaberamaido, Kalangala, Kaliro, Kampala, Kamuli, Kamwenge, Kanungu, Kapchorwa, Kasese, Katakwi, Kayunga, Kibale, Kiboga, Kiruhara, Kisoro, Kitgum, Koboko, Kotido, Kumi, Kyenjojo, Lira, Luwero, Lyantonde, Manafwa, Maracha, Masaka, Masindi, Mayuge, Mbale, Mbarara, Mityana, Moroto, Moyo, Mpigi, Mubende, Mukono, Nakapiripirit, Nakaseke, Nakasongola, Namutumba, Nebbi, Ntungamo, Oyam, Pader, Pallisa, Rakai, Rukungiri, Sembabule, Sironko, Soroti, Tororo, Wakiso, Yumbe | |
Independence: | |
| 9 October 1962 (from the UK) | |
National Holiday: | |
| Independence Day, 9 October (1962) | |
Constitution: | |
| 8 October 1995; amended 2005 Note: the amendments in 2005 removed presidential term limits and legalized a multiparty political system | |
Legal System: | |
| Mixed legal system of English common law and customary law | |
International Law Organization Participation: | |
| Accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction | |
Suffrage: | |
| 18 years of age; universal | |
Executive Branch: | |
| Chief of state: President Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI (since seizing power on 26 January 1986); Vice President Edward SSEKANDI (since 24 May 2011) note - the president is both chief of state and head of government Head of government: President Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI (since seizing power on 26 January 1986); Prime Minister Amama MBABAZI (since 24 May 2011); note - the prime minister assists the president in the supervision of the cabinet Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among elected legislators Elections: president reelected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held on 18 February 2011 (next to be held in 2016) Election results: Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI elected president; percent of vote - Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI 68.4%, Kizza BESIGYE 26.0%, other 5.6% | |
Legislative Branch: | |
| Unicameral National Assembly (372 seats; 215 members elected by popular vote, 104 nominated by legally established special interest groups [women 79, army 10, disabled 5, youth 5, labor 5], 13 ex-officio members; members to serve five-year terms); note - the composition of the National Assembly has changed but the the details are not yet available Elections: last held on 18 February 2011 (next to be held in 2016) Election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NRM 279, FDC 34, DP 11, UPC 9, CP 1, JEEMA 1, independents 37 | |
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: | |
| Conservative Party or CP [Ken LUKYAMUZI]; Democratic Party or DP [Kizito SSEBAANA]; Forum for Democratic Change or FDC [Kizza BESIGYE]; Inter-Party Co-operation or IPC (a coalition of opposition groups); Justice Forum or JEEMA [Muhammad Kibirige MAYANJA]; National Resistance Movement or NRM [Yoweri MUSEVENI]; Peoples Progressive Party or PPP [Bidandi SSALI]; Ugandan People's Congress or UPC [Miria OBOTE] Note: a national referendum in July 2005 opened the way for Uganda's transition to a multi-party political system | |
Political Pressure Groups and Leaders: | |
| Lord's Resistance Army or LRA [Joseph KONY]; Young Parliamentary Association [Henry BANYENZAKI]; Parliamentary Advocacy Forum or PAFO; National Association of Women Organizations in Uganda or NAWOU [Florence NEKYON]; The Ugandan Coalition for Political Accountability to Women or COPAW | |
International Organization Participation: | |
| ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, EAC, EADB, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO | |
Diplomatic Representation in the US: | |
| Chief of mission: Ambassador Perezi Karukubiro KAMUNANWIRE Chancery: 5911 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011 Telephone: [1] (202) 726-7100 through 7102, 0416 FAX: [1] (202) 726-1727 | |
Diplomatic Representation From the US: | |
| Chief of mission: Ambassador Jerry P. LANIER Embassy: 1577 Ggaba Road, Kampala Mailing address: P. O. Box 7007, Kampala Telephone: [256] (414) 259 791 through 93, 95 FAX: [256] (414) 258-794 | |
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; black symbolizes the African people, yellow sunshine and vitality, red African brotherhood; the crane was the military badge of Ugandan soldiers under the UK | |
National Symbols: | |
| Grey crowned crane | |
National Anthem: | |
| Name: "Oh Uganda, Land of Beauty!" Lyrics/music: George Wilberforce KAKOMOA Note: adopted 1962 | |
Economy - Overview: | |
| Uganda has substantial natural resources, including fertile soils, regular rainfall, small deposits of copper, gold, and other minerals, and recently discovered oil. Uganda has never conducted a national minerals survey. 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. Since 1990 economic reforms ushered in an era of solid economic growth based on continued investment in infrastructure, improved incentives for production and exports, lower inflation, better domestic security, and the return of exiled Indian-Ugandan entrepreneurs. Uganda has received about $2 billion in multilateral and bilateral debt relief. In 2007 Uganda received $10 million for a Millennium Challenge Account Threshold Program. The global economic downturn has hurt Uganda's exports; however, Uganda's GDP growth is still relatively strong due to past reforms and sound management of the downturn. Oil revenues and taxes will become a larger source of government funding as oil comes on line in the next few years. Instability in southern Sudan is the biggest risk for the Ugandan economy in 2011 because Uganda's main export partner is Sudan, and Uganda is a key destination for Sudanese refugees. | |
GDP (Purchasing Power Parity): | |
| $42.15 billion (2010 est.) $40.08 billion (2009 est.) $37.37 billion (2008 est.) Note: data are in 2010 US dollars | |
GDP (Official Exchange Rate): | |
| $17.01 billion (2010 est.) | |
GDP - Real Growth Rate: | |
| 5.2% (2010 est.) 7.2% (2009 est.) 8.7% (2008 est.) | |
GDP - Per Capita (PPP): | |
| $1,300 (2010 est.) $1,200 (2009 est.) $1,200 (2008 est.) Note: data are in 2010 US dollars | |
GDP - Composition By Sector: | |
| Agriculture: 22.5% Industry: 26.5% Services: 50.9% (2010 est.) | |
Labor Force: | |
| 15.51 million (2010 est.) | |
Labor Force - By Occupation: | |
| Agriculture: 82% Industry: 5% Services: 13% (1999 est.) | |
Unemployment Rate: | |
| NA% | |
Population Below Poverty Line: | |
| 35% (2001 est.) | |
Household Income / Consumption By Share: | |
| Lowest 10%: 2.4% Highest 10%: 36.1% (2009) | |
Distribution of Family Income - Gini Index: | |
| 44.3 (2009) 45.7 (2002) | |
Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons: | |
| Refugees (country of origin): 215,700 (Sudan); 28,880 (Democratic Republic of Congo); 24,900 (Rwanda) IDPs: 1.27 million (350,000 IDPs returned in 2006 following ongoing peace talks between the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and the Government of Uganda) (2007) | |
Investment (Gross Fixed): | |
| 23.2% of GDP (2010 est.) | |
Budget: | |
| Revenues: $2.544 billion Expenditures: $3.137 billion (2010 est.) | |
Taxes and Other Revenues: | |
| 15% of GDP (2010 est.) | |
Budget Surplus / Deficit: | |
| -3.5% of GDP (2010 est.) | |
Public Debt: | |
| 21.8% of GDP (2010 est.) 20.9% of GDP (2009 est.) | |
Inflation Rate (Consumer Prices): | |
| 4% (2010 est.) 13.4% (2009 est.) | |
Central Bank Discount Rate: | |
| 14% (31 December 2010 est.) 9.65% (31 December 2009 est.) | |
Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate: | |
| 20.17% (31 December 2010 est.) 20.96% (31 December 2009 est.) | |
Stock of Money: | |
| $1.483 billion (31 December 2008) $1.347 billion (31 December 2007) | |
Stock of Quasi Money: | |
| $1.485 billion (31 December 2008) $1.258 billion (31 December 2007) | |
Stock of Narrow Money: | |
| $2.041 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $1.881 billion (31 December 2009 est.) | |
Stock of Broad Money: | |
| $4.199 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $3.718 billion (31 December 2009 est.) | |
Stock of Domestic Credit: | |
| $2.496 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $1.801 billion (31 December 2009 est.) | |
Market Value of Publicly Traded Shares: | |
| $NA (31 December 2010) $116.3 million (#REF!) | |
Agriculture - Products: | |
| Coffee, tea, cotton, tobacco, cassava (tapioca), potatoes, corn, millet, pulses, cut flowers; beef, goat meat, milk, poultry | |
Industries: | |
| Sugar, brewing, tobacco, cotton textiles; cement, steel production | |
Industrial Production Growth Rate: | |
| 8.9% (2010 est.) | |
Electricity - Production: | |
| 2.176 billion kWh (2008 est.) | |
Electricity - Production By Source: | |
| Fossil fuel: 0.9% Hydro: 99.1% Nuclear: 0% Other: 0% (2001) | |
Electricity - Consumption: | |
| 1.958 billion kWh (2008 est.) | |
Electricity - Exports: | |
| 82.04 million kWh (2009) | |
Electricity - Imports: | |
| 82.04 million kWh (2009 est.) | |
Oil - Production: | |
| 0 bbl/day (2010 est.) | |
Oil - Consumption: | |
| 14,000 bbl/day (2010 est.) | |
Oil - Exports: | |
| 0 bbl/day (2009 est.) | |
Oil - Imports: | |
| 13,770 bbl/day (2009 est.) | |
Oil - Proven Reserves: | |
| 1 billion bbl (1 January 2010 est.) | |
Natural Gas - Production: | |
| 0 cu m (2009 est.) | |
Natural Gas - Consumption: | |
| 0 cu m (2009 est.) | |
Natural Gas - Exports: | |
| 0 cu m (2009 est.) | |
Natural Gas - Imports: | |
| 0 cu m (2009 est.) | |
Natural Gas - Proven Reserves: | |
| 14.16 billion cu m (1 January 2011 est.) | |
Current Account Balance: | |
| -$729.1 million (2010 est.) -$1.064 billion (2009 est.) | |
Exports: | |
| $2.164 billion (2010 est.) $2.327 billion (2009 est.) | |
Exports - Commodities: | |
| Coffee, fish and fish products, tea, cotton, flowers, horticultural products; gold | |
Exports - Partners: | |
| Sudan 15.3%, Kenya 10.2%, Rwanda 8.5%, Democratic Republic of the Congo 7.8%, UAE 7.7%, Netherlands 6.4%, Germany 5.4%, Belgium 4.1% (2010) | |
Imports: | |
| $4.264 billion (2010 est.) $3.787 billion (2009 est.) | |
Imports - Commodities: | |
| Capital equipment, vehicles, petroleum, medical supplies; cereals | |
Imports - Partners: | |
| Kenya 17.1%, UAE 14.1%, China 8.5%, India 8.2%, South Africa 6.2%, Japan 5.9%, Germany 4.3% (2010) | |
Reserves of Foreign Exchange and Gold: | |
| $2.96 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $2.995 billion (31 December 2009 est.) Note: excludes gold | |
Debt - External: | |
| $2.938 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $2.49 billion (31 December 2009 est.) | |
Exchange Rates: | |
| Convert Ugandan Shilling to Any Currency Ugandan shillings (UGX) per US dollar - | |
Telephones - Main Lines In Use: | |
| 327,100 (2010) | |
Telephones - Cellular: | |
| 12.828 million (2010) | |
Telephone System: | |
| General assessment: mobile cellular service is increasing rapidly, but the number of main lines is still deficient; work underway on a national backbone information and communications technology infrastructure; international phone networks and Internet connectivity provided through satellite and VSAT applications Domestic: intercity traffic by wire, microwave radio relay, and radiotelephone communication stations, fixed and mobile-cellular systems for short-range traffic; mobile-cellular teledensity about 30 per 100 persons in 2009 International: country code - 256; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat; analog links to Kenya and Tanzania | |
Broadcast Media: | |
| Public broadcaster, Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC), operates radio and television networks; Uganda first began licensing privately-owned stations in the 1990s; by 2007 there were nearly 150 radio and 35 TV stations, mostly based in and around Kampala; transmissions of multiple international broadcasters are available in Kampala (2007) | |
Radio Broadcast Stations: | |
| AM 7, FM 33, shortwave 2 (2001) | |
Television Broadcast Stations: | |
| 8 (plus 1 repeater) (2001) | |
Internet Country Code: | |
| .ug | |
Internet Hosts: | |
| 19,927 (2010) | |
Internet Users: | |
| 3.2 million (2009) | |
Airports: | |
| 46 (2010) | |
Airports - With Paved Runways: | |
| Total: 5 Over 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2010) | |
Airports - With Unpaved Runways: | |
| Total: 41 Over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 25 Under 914 m: 8 (2010) | |
Railways: | |
| Total: 1,244 km Narrow gauge: 1,244 km 1.000-m gauge (2010) | |
Roadways: | |
| Total: 70,746 km Paved: 16,272 km Unpaved: 54,474 km (2003) | |
Waterways: | |
| (there are no long navigable stretches of river in Uganda; parts of the Albert Nile that flow out of Lake Albert in the northwestern part of the country are navigable; several lakes including Lake Victoria and Lake Kyoga have substantial traffic; Lake Albert is navigable along a 200-km stretch from its northern tip to its southern shores) (2009) | |
Ports and Terminals: | |
| Entebbe, Jinja, Port Bell | |
Military Branches: | |
| Uganda Peoples Defense Force (UPDF): Army (includes Marine Unit), Uganda Air Force (2010) | |
Military Service Age and Obligation: | |
| 18-26 years of age for voluntary military duty; 18-30 years of age for professionals; no conscription; 9-year service obligation; the government has stated that recruitment under 18 years of age could occur with proper consent and that "no person under the apparent age of 13 years shall be enrolled in the armed forces"; Ugandan citizenship and secondary education required (2010) | |
Manpower Available For Military Service: | |
| Males age 16-49: 7,249,271 Females age 16-49: 7,025,439 (2010 est.) | |
Manpower Fit For Military Service: | |
| Males age 16-49: 4,313,068 Females age 16-49: 4,200,901 (2010 est.) | |
Manpower Reaching Militarily Significant Age Annually: | |
| Male: 423,923 Female: 420,236 (2010 est.) | |
Military Expenditures: | |
| 2.2% of GDP (2006) | |
Disputes - International: | |
| Uganda is subject to armed fighting among hostile ethnic groups, rebels, armed gangs, militias, and various government forces that extend across its borders; Uganda hosts 209,860 Sudanese, 27,560 Congolese, and 19,710 Rwandan refugees, while Ugandan refugees as well as members of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) seek shelter in southern Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Garamba National Park; LRA forces have also attacked Kenyan villages across the border | |
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