Uganda is an East African country that lies along the equator. Named the pearl of Africa by Sir Winston Churchill in 1902, Uganda is among the most beautiful nations in the world. It is located astride the Equator that divides the world into the northern and southern hemisphere. The country is bordered by Sudan to the north, Democratic republic of Congo to the west, Kenya in the east, Tanzania and Rwanda to the south.

Uganda is a land locked country that lies at the centre of Africa. With its beautiful National parks and wildlife reserves, the country has a got an attractive country side with tremendous mountain ranges, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, and rich cultures among the people of Uganda that have made it a home away from home. Travelers taking safaris in Uganda are not disappointed given the immense things to see and do in Uganda.

Quick Facts About Uganda

Area: 236,580 sq km approximately the size of the United Kingdom, the state of Oregon in the United States of America.

20% of the country’s surface is covered by water, which include lakes, rivers and swamps of international importance.

Population: Uganda has a population of 26 million people (2005 Population and Housing Census)

Languages: English is the official language, Luganda; Bantu languages are widely used, Nilotics, and Swahili.

Religion: Protestants 33%, Roman Catholics 33%, Moslems 16%, others 17% including Pentecostal which has gained a lot of followers.

Average family income: about US $ 200 per annum

Government: Republic with direct presidential elections the country moved to multiparty system.

Independence date: Attained on the 9th October 1962 from Britain

Main towns: Kampala (capital city), Entebbe, Jinja, Mbarara, Mbale, Fort portal among others.

Life expectancy: 42 (males), 45(women)

Agriculture: Mjor crops grown include coffee, cotton, vanilla, tea, millet, milk, poultry, meat, and fruits among others.

Industry: sugar factories, cotton and textile, fish, brewery, pharmaceuticals (medicine), oil among others.

Minerals: Oil discovered from the Albertine Rift, Salt etc

Climate: Tropical

Famously known as the pearl of Africa, Uganda is remarkably one of a few most stunning African countries that are worth exploring. It is truly a pearl of Africa for many reasons and most importantly, the fact that it is a host all that Africa has to offer. Incredibly, a visit to this magical landlocked country gets you not only the best of its breathtaking sceneries but also allows you to explore its natural wonders, diverse wildlife, ideal climate and interact with the most humble, warm welcoming and friendliest people and many more.

Uganda spans up to 236041 square kilometers and it is surrounded by several states. To the west, there is the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), South Sudan in the north, in the east–Kenya and in the south you find Tanzania and Rwanda. It gained her independence on 9th October 1962 from Britain with its flag comprising of 6 horizontal bands of black, yellow and red.

Unlike other African states, Uganda is situated suitably a stride equator thus experiencing mainly tropical kind of climate with less fluctuation in its temperatures. Given its ideal climatic condition, this landlocked country is best known as an all year round safari destination. That said, in 2012 alone, Uganda featured as the best tourist destination in the Lonely Planet and in 2016, it was ranked among the top 16 holiday destinations by CNN then featured among the 19 top destinations to visit in 2019.

Geography

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. In January 2009, Uganda assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2009-10 term.

Location:
Eastern Africa, west of Kenya

Geographic coordinates: 1 00 N, 32 00 E
Map references: Africa

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, Sudan 435 km, Tanzania 396 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Population: 33,398,682
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 (July 2010 est.)

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