Uganda is an East African country. Crossed by the
equator, it is located next to Lake Vitória and has an
area of 28 195 754 km2. Uganda borders
Tanzania and Rwanda to the south, the Democratic
Republic of Congo to the west, Sudan to the north and
Kenya to the east. The main cities are Kampala, the
capital, with 1 280 300 inhabitants (2004), Gulu (119
900 inhab.), Jinja (91 700 inhab.) And Mbale (74 600
inhab.).
Much of the country is located on the Central Plateau of
Africa, characterized by the existence of numerous very
deep and elongated valleys, some volcanic cones and
lakes. The entire relief of the country is related to
the tectonic characteristics of the African Great Lakes
region, an area of the globe crossed by a huge rift,
which reaches the Middle East. The drainage of the
country is done through the lakes Vitória, Alberto and
Kyoga.Climate
Uganda has a high altitude tropical climate.
Economy
Agriculture employs four-fifths of the labor force and
is the basis of the Ugandan economy. It produces coffee,
tobacco, tea, cotton and sugar. The industry is limited
to the transformation of some agricultural raw materials
and the production of soap, footwear and
cement. Uganda's main trading partners are the United
Kingdom, Kenya, Belgium and Japan. Environmental
indicator: the value of carbon dioxide emissions, per
capita (metric tons, 1999), is 0.1.
Population
The population was, in 2006, 28 195 754 inhabitants. The
birth and death rates are, respectively, 47.35% and
12.24%. Average life expectancy is 52.67 years. The
value of the Human Development Index (HDI) is 0.489 and
the value of the Gender-adjusted Development Index (IDG)
is 0.483 (2001). It is estimated that, in 2025, the
population will be 48,021,000 inhabitants. Several
peoples converged on Uganda. There are about 40 ethnic
groups that belong to three major linguistic groups,
Bantu, Nilotic and Nilo-Hamitic. The main ethnic groups
are Gandas (18%), Tesos (9%), Nkoles (8%), Sogas (8%),
Gisus (7%), Chigas (7%), Langos (6 %) and Ruandas
(6%). The most important religions are Catholic (39%),
Protestant (26%), traditional beliefs (19%) and Muslim
(15%). English and Swahili are the official languages
but Luganda is the most widely spoken.
History
Uganda was discovered in 1862 by the English explorer,
JH Speke. He was a British protectorate between 1894 and
1962. He became independent on October 9, 1962, but
after that date this country no longer experienced
political stability and its economic and social
development has suffered serious disturbances due to
violence of political origin or tribal. |
