General information: Uganda gained independence in 1962 (until 1962, a protectorate of Great Britain). The dictatorial regime of Idi AMIN (1971-1979) is responsible for the death of 300,000 of its opponents; guerrilla warfare and civil rights abuses under Milton OBOTE (1980-1985) claimed another 100,000 lives. During the 1990s The government announced a transition to a system of non-partisan presidential and legislative elections.
Geography
Location: East Africa, west of Kenya.
Geographical coordinates: 1° 00′ s. latitude, 32° 00′ E
Reference map: Africa.
Area: total: 236,040 km2; land surface area: 199,710 km2; water surface area: 36,330 km2
Comparative area: slightly smaller than the state of Oregon.
Land borders: total: 2,698 km; with neighboring states: with the Democratic Republic of the Congo 765 km, with Kenya 933 km, with Rwanda 169 km, with Sudan 435 km, with Tanzania 396 km;
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked).
Maritime claims: none (landlocked).
Climate: tropical; predominantly rainy with two dry seasons (December – February, June – August); semi-desert in the northeast.
Terrain: mostly plateau, bordered by mountains.
Maximum and minimum heights: lowest point: Alberta Lake 621 m; highest point: Margherita Peak on Mount Stanley 5,110 m.
Natural resources: copper, cobalt, water resources, limestone, salt, fertile soil.
Land use: arable land: 25%; cultivated land: 9%; pastures: 9%; forests and plantations: 28%; others: 29% (1993 est.).
Irrigated land: 90 km2 (1993 est.).
Natural hazards: no data available.
Current environmental issues: draining swamps for agricultural purposes; deforestation; overgrazing by livestock; soil erosion; spread of poaching.
International environmental treaties: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands; signed but not ratified: Environmental change. Note to the section “Geography”: has no access to the sea.
Note to the section “Geography”:
Population
Population: 23,985,712; note: estimates for this country take into account rising AIDS deaths; due to the spread of AIDS, life expectancy, population size and population growth may actually be lower, and child mortality and overall mortality rates correspondingly higher; there may also be changes in age structure and sex ratios (July 2001 est.).
Age structure: under 14: 51.08% (male 6,150,038; female 6,100,880); 15 to 64 years old: 46.78% (male 5,613,499; female 5,607,526); over 65: 2.14% (male 244,216; female 269,553) (2001 est.).
Population growth: 2.93% (2001 est.).
Birth rate: 47.52 newborns / 1000 people. (2001 est.).
Mortality: 17.97 deaths / 1000 people (2001 est.).
Migration: -0.29 people / 1000 people (2001 est.); note: according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) at the end of 1999, 218,000 refugees from several neighboring countries found refuge in Uganda, among them: 200,600 people from Sudan, 8,000 from Rwanda, 8,000 from the Democratic Republic Congo.
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male/female; under 15: 1.01 male/female; from 15 to 64 years old: 1 male/female; over 65: 0.91 male/female; for the general population: 1 male/female. (2001 est.);
Child mortality: 91.3 deaths/1000 live births (2001 est.).
Life expectancy: for the general population: 43.37 years; men: 42.59 years; women: 44.17 years (2001 est.).
Total fertility rate: 6.88 children/wives. (2001 est.).
Proportion of adults infected with HIV: 8.3% (1999 est.).
Number of people infected with HIV: 820,000 (1999 est.).
AIDS deaths: 110,000 (1999 est.).
Nationality: noun: Ugandan; adjective: Ugandan.
Ethnic groups: Baganda 17%, Karamajong 12%, Basogo 8%, Iteso 8%, Langi 6%, Rwanda 6%, Bagisu 5%, Acholi 4%, Lugbara 4%, Bunero 3%, Batobo 3%, non-Africans (Europeans), Asians, Arabs) 1%, other 23%.
Believers: Catholics 33%, Protestants 33%, Muslims 16%, adherents of indigenous beliefs 18%.
Languages): English (official state language, taught in schools, used in legal proceedings, most newspapers and on some radio stations), Ganda or Luganda (most widely used in the Niger-Congo basin, used in print media in the capital and allowed to be taught in schools), others languages: languages of the regions of Niger-Congo, Nile-Sahara, Swahili, Arabic.
Literacy: definition: persons aged 15 and over who can read and write; for the general population: 61.8%; men: 73.7%; women: 50.2% (1995 est.).
Politics
Common long form: Republic of Uganda;
conventional short form: Uganda State system: republic.
Government: See politicsezine.com to know more about Uganda Political System.
Capital: Kampala.
Administrative divisions: 45 districts: Aju-mani, Apak, Arua, Bindibujio, Bugiri, Busya, Bushenyi, Gulu, Jinja, Iganga, Kabale, Kaba-role, Kalangala, Kampala, Kamuli, Kapchorwa, Kasese, Katakwe, Kibale, Kiboga, Kisora, Kit-gum, Kotido, Kumi, Lyra, Luvero, Masaka, Masin-di, Mbale, Mbarara, Moya, Moroto, Mpigi, Mu-bende, Mukono, Nakasongola, Nebbe, Ntungano, Pallisa, Rakai, Rukungiri, Sembabule, Soroti, Tororo, Hoyma.
Dependent Territories:
Independence: from October 9, 1962 (before that – a protectorate of Great Britain).
National holiday: Independence Day, October 9 (1962).
Constitution: October 8, 1995; adopted by the provisional 284-member Constitutional Assembly, which, after deliberation, approved the draft constitution proposed in May 1993; The constitutional assembly was dissolved in October 1995 after the adoption of the constitution.
Legal system: in 1995 the government re-established a legal system based on English common law and local laws; subject to the compulsory jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice.
Suffrage: from the age of 18, universal.
head of state: President Lieutenant General Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI (since seized power on January 29, 1986); note – the president is both head of state and head of government;
head of government: President Lieutenant General Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI (since seized power on 29 January 1986); Prime Minister Apollo NSIBAMBI (since April 5, 1999); note – the prime minister assists the president in guiding the cabinet of ministers;
government: the cabinet of ministers is appointed by the president from among the deputies of the legislature; elections: president elected by popular vote for a term of 5 years, last presidential election held on 12 March 2001 (next to be held in 2006); note – the first general presidential election since independence in 1962 was held in 1996; the prime minister is appointed by the president; election results: Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI elected president; percentage of votes cast: Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI 69.3%, Kizza BESIGYE 27.8%.
Legislature: unicameral National Assembly (276 members: 214 directly elected by popular vote, 62 nominated by statutory social groups and approved by the president, among them 39 from women, 10 from the army, 5 from the disabled, 5 from youth, 3 from workers; term of office – 5 years ); elections: last held 27 June 1996 (next to be held June 2001); election results: no data; note – parties are excluded from participation in election campaigns.
Judiciary: Court of Appeal (judges appointed by the President and approved by the National Assembly); High Court (judges are appointed by the president).
Political parties and leaders: only one political organization is recognized – the National Resistance Movement (MUSEVENI, chairman); note – the president claims that the CSN is not a political party, but a movement to which all Ugandans are loyal; note: the new constitution requires the suspension of political parties while the country is run by the National Resistance Movement; among the political parties that exist but are not allowed to run candidates, the most important are the Uganda People’s Congress (Milton OBOTE); Democratic Party (Paul SSEMOGERE); Conservative Party (Joshua S. MAYANJA-NKANGI); Justice Forum (Muhammad Kibirige MAYANJA); Forum of National Democrats (Chapaa KARUHANGA).
Political influence groups and their leaders:
Participation in international organizations: ACP, AGOV, C, CCC, EADB, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO.
US Mission: Head of Mission: Ambassador Edith Grace SSEMPALA; office: 5911 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011; phone: [1] (202) 726-7100 to 726-7102,726-0416; fax: [\] (202) 726-1727.
US Diplomatic Mission: Chief of Mission: Ambassador Martin G. BRENNAN; embassy: Parliament Avenue, Kampala; mailing address: R. O. Box 7007, Kampala; phone: [256] (41) 259792, 259793, 259795; fax: [256] (41) 259794.
Description of the flag: six equal horizontal stripes of black (top), yellow, red, black, yellow, red and a white disk superimposed on them in the center, which depicts a crowned crane (national symbol ) facing the shaft.
