Located in East Africa, Uganda is a landlocked country in the African continent.

Officially, Uganda is known as the Republic of Uganda. Located in East Africa, it’s a landlocked country in the African continent, bordered on the north by Sudan, on the south by Tanzania, on the southwest by Rwanda, on the east by Kenya, and on the west by Zaire (the Democratic Republic of the Congo). As at the year 2013, the population of Uganda was 36,824,000 people (known as Ugandan people). Uganda is Swahili for 'Land of the Ganda'.

Geography

The landscape of Uganda is very diverse, encompassing the enormous Lake Victoria (half of which lies within Uganda) and the beautiful snow-capped Rwenzori mountains. There are many rare birds, and the abundant wildlife includes chimpanzees and endangered gorillas. The famous mountain gorilla sanctuary, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, has become world famous, while in the northwest hippos can be found in Murchison Falls National Park. And of course, there’s the stunning 45m-tall waterfall. There are a number of plateaus in Uganda, rolling northwest to their meeting place with the Nile; with numerous rivers and volcanic mountain ranges lying to the east and west. Margherita on Mount Stanley is Uganda’s highest peak, rising to more than 5000m.

A Short History

Uganda takes its name from the Buganda Kingdom.  More than 2300 years ago Bantu-speaking people migrated to the southern portion of the country, bringing with them ideas of political and social organization plus their iron-working skills and ideas. In 1888 this region was placed under the charter of the British East Africa Company, and in 1894 it was transformed into a protectorate. Then, in the late 19th century the Uganda Railway project commenced with laborers who were brought in from British India: once the bridge was completed, almost 7000 of these workers made the decision to stay in East Africa. Uganda was starting to take shape by 1914 with several tribes and territories being integrated into one, and independence from the United Kingdom was finally granted in 1962.

Idi Amin’s dictatorial regime from 1971 through to 1979 resulted in the deaths of more than 300,000 people. Then, between 1980 and 1985, human rights abuses and gorilla war resulted in the deaths of a further 100,000 lives.

Sadly, Uganda has become one of the poorest countries in the world, with its economy suffering from instability and devastating economic politics. More than half of Uganda’s population are still living below the international poverty line. However, besides its natural resources of cobalt, lime, and copper, Uganda does have untapped reserves of natural gas and crude oil and natural resources of minerals: of late, reforms have been implemented and the economy is now on the rise.  Uganda’s agricultural products include cotton, tea, coffee, tobacco, cassava, corn, potatoes, millet, goat meat, beef, pulses, poultry, milk, and cut flowers; while their industries include tobacco, sugar, brewing, cement, and cotton textiles.

The Capital of Uganda

The capital city of Uganda is Kampala, with a population of almost 1.5 million people. Kampala is the political center of Uganda and home to its Executive of Head of State. Other large cities in Uganda include Gulu with a population of 147,000 people, Lira - population 120,000, Mbarara - population 97.5 thousand, and Jinja with a population of 93,000.

The People of Uganda

Most of the people of Uganda live in the western and southern regions of the country. The majority of these people derive from the Bunyoro, Bagabda and Batoro ethnic groups: also represented are Nile-Hamites, Bushmen, Bantus, Sudanese, and European and Asian minorities.

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