About Uganda: Facts and Figures
Uganda, the home to the Endangered Mountain Gorillas in one of the countries that make East Africa. The country widely known as the Pearl of Africa that is gifted by nature is also a home to 10 National Parks and dozens of wildlife reserves. In short Uganda is a country for wildlife safaris and tours to its best tourist attractions. Uganda is also a home to the Big Five safari animals found in the parks.
Get to know Facts, Figures and everything about Uganda. If you keen at Uganda as a tourist or an investor, you need to read comprehensively about Uganda. Uganda, one of the five East African nations is a country of remarkable distinctiveness in term of attractions as shown by its tourism map. It has friendly people, beautiful cultural sites and natural endowments good for visitors’ memorable adventure. In this fine-looking country, you will find contrasts at every turn. From the moment you land at Entebbe with its magnificent equatorial location on the shore of Lake Victoria, it is clear Uganda is no ordinary destination. Most visitors to Uganda seize the opportunity to take in the sights and sounds of Kampala. This attractive city has so much to offer like the vegetation of its gardening setting, cultural sites, thrilling nightlife, and the impressive hills and scenery will make you hesitant to leave the country.
Ugandan Visitors enjoy the country’s eye-catching scenery, green rolling hills, snow-capped mountains, magnificent rivers and massive lakes and its attractive wildlife, including Africa’s largest population of mountain gorillas. Uganda has some of Africa’s major attractions. It is bordered to the west by the Rwenzori Mountains, named a World Heritage Site for its eerie, craggy tips and enormous vegetation. Uganda hosts four of Africa’s seven great lakes, blessed with the source of the Nile and is a home to more than 1,000 species of birds, making it the richest birding destination in Africa.
Culture
Ugandans are among the most hospitable and generous people in Africa and globally. The nation is a result of the amalgamation of ancient kingdoms, as well as many independent chieftains. Their tradition lives on in the hearts of the people, and their traditional costumes, language and practices are clearly identifiable in the life of Uganda today. The equatorial climate of Uganda is tempered by cooling breezes from the mountains and the abundant vegetation is the result of plentiful rainfall in two rainy seasons, which fall around April and November. Although nearly 30 different languages are spoken, English is the official language and is spoken. When you visit the various historical and cultural sites in Uganda, you will get a clear understanding of the country’s rich culture. Check out on this Map of Uganda showing the tourist attractions and holiday destinations.
Summarized Facts About Uganda
Capital City: Kampala, with 1,650,800 million inhabitants
Total Area: 236,040 sq km’s.
Area under water: 36,330 sq km’s.
Area (land): 199,710 sq km’s.
Population: 44.27 million (estimated 2019 figures)
Population growth rate: 3.26% and increases by 1.5% each year.
Birth rate: 45.72 Per 1,000 (2019 estimation)
Religions: Roman Catholics 33%, Protestants 33%, Moslems 16%, Hinduism and others 17% (including Pentecostal which has gained a lot of followers, traditional believers also exist).
Average Family Income: about $200 per annum
GDP: 25.89 billion USD (2017)
Inflation rate (annual headline or CPI, 2019): 1.9 %.
Government: Republic.
President: Yoweri Kaguta Museveni
Political System: Multiparty System
Ruling Party: National Resistance Movement (NRM)
Administrative arrangement: Decentralization
Independence Date: 9th, October 1962.
Industry: Sugar factories, Coffee and Tea factories, Cotton and Textile, Fish, Tobacco, Cement, soft drinks, plastics, soaps and beauty care, pharmaceuticals, wood and housing.
Trade: Exports (2019) – Exports in Uganda increased to 321.67 USD Million in August from 318.43 USD Million in July of 2019. Exports in Uganda averaged 136.74 USD Million from 1993 until 2019, reaching an all time high of 603.94 USD Million in March of 2019 and a record low of 12.39 USD Million in July of 1993.
Local currency: The unit of currency in Uganda is shillings, it’s in coins of 50, 100, 200 and 500 and paper notes of 1,000, 5,000, 10,000, 20,000 and 50,000. We advise business visitors to consult banks (over 20 banks and micro-finance institutions), forex bureaus and money transfer agencies for current exchange rates. Usually local currency, the shillings is exchanged into US dollars, Pound sterling, the euro, Kenyan shillings and currencies of the neighboring countries. Bank of Uganda (BOU) fixes the value of the shillings using a basket of currencies mentioned above.
Accessibility to Uganda: Entering Uganda can be by air through Entebbe International Airport and by land through Busia and Malaba in the East, Katuna in the west and Mutuluka in the South. There are other inlets like Arua, Mutukula and Kasese among others.
Uganda Tribes and Languages
Uganda is a home to many tribes and languages. Uganda has 56 tribes and about nine indigenous communities that formally came to be recognized in the constitution amendment of 2005 in the 1995 constitution. English is the official language of Uganda. Luganda and Swahili also widely spoken in most parts of the country. With the increasing Asian population, most Asian languages are spoken, there is also some French, Arabic and Germany mainly in institutions where they are taught and at embassies.
Uganda’s indigenous communities as at 1st February, 1926 and how they appear in the 1995 constitution:
1. Acholi
2. Alur
3. Baamba
4. Babukusu
5. Babwisi
6. Bafumbira
7. Baganda
8. Bagisu
9. Bagungu
10. Bagwe
11. Bagwere
12. Bahehe
13. Bahororo
14. Bakenyi
15. Bakiga
16. Bakonzo
17. Banyabindi
18. Banyankore
19. Banyara
20. Banyarwanda
21. Banyole
22. Banyoro
23. Baruli
24. Basamia
25. Basoga
26. Basongora
27. Batagwenda
28. Batoro
29. Batuku
30. Batwa
31. Chope
32. Dodoth
33. Ethur
34. Ik (Teuso)
35. Iteso
36. Jie
37. Jonam
38. Jopadhola
39. Kakwa
40. Karimojong
41. Kebu (Okebu)
42. Kuku
43. Kumam
44. Langi
45. Lendu
46. Lugbara
47. Madi
48. Mening
49. Mvuba
50. Napore
51. Nubi
52. Nyangia
53. Pokot
54. Sabiny
55. So (Tepeth)
56. Vonoma
The Constitution (amendment) Act 2005 added Aliba, Aringa, Banyabutumbi, Banyaruguru, Barundi, Gimara, Ngikutio, Reli and Shana as indigenous communities of Uganda.