Uganda
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by Tanzania. Uganda is the second most populous landlocked country.
The southern part of the country includes a substantial portion of Lake Victoria, shared with Kenya and Tanzania, situating the country in the African Great Lakes region. Uganda also lies within the Nile basin, and has a varied but generally equatorial climate.
Uganda takes its name from the Buganda kingdom, which encompasses a large portion of the south of the country including the capital Kampala. The people of Uganda were hunter-gatherers until 1,700 to 2,300 years ago, when Bantu-speaking populations migrated to the southern parts of the country.
Beginning in the late 1800s, the area was ruled as a colony by the British, who established administrative law across the territory. Uganda gained independence from Britain on 9 October 1962.
The period since then has been marked by intermittent conflicts, most recently a lengthy civil war against the Lord's Resistance Army, which has caused tens of thousands of casualties and displaced more than a million people.
The official language is English. Luganda, a central language, is widely spoken across the country, and multiple other languages are also spoken including Swahili. The current President of Uganda is Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, who came to power in a coup in 1986.
Republic of Uganda / Jamhuri ya Uganda
Motto: "For God and My Country"
Anthem: Oh Uganda, Land of Beauty
Capital and largest city: Kampala
Official languages: English Swahili
Vernacular languages:
• Luganda
• Southern
• Luo
• Runyankore
• Runyoro
• Ateso
• Lumasaba
• Lusoga
• Samia
• Swahili
Ethnic groups (2002):
• 16.9% Baganda
• 9.5% Banyankole
• 8.4% Basoga
• 6.9% Bakiga
• 6.4% Iteso
• 6.1% Langi
• 4.7% Acholi
• 4.6% Bagisu
• 4.2% Lugbara
• 2.7% Bunyoro
• 29.6% others
Demonym: Ugandan
Government: Presidential republic
• President:
• Vice-President:
• Prime Minister: Amama Mbabazi
Legislature: Parliament
Independence from the United Kingdom:
9 October 1962
Current constitution: 8 October 1995
Area:
• Total: 241,038 km2 (81st) - 146,670 sq mi
• Water (%): 15.39
Population:
2012 estimate 35,873,253 (35th) - 2002 census 24,227,297
Density: 137.1/km2 (80th) - 355.2/sq mi
GDP (PPP): 2012 estimate
• Total: $50.439 billion
• Per capita: $1,414
Currency: Ugandan shilling (UGX)
Time zone:
EAT (UTC+3) - Summer (DST) not observed (UTC+3)
Drives on the left
Calling code: +256 (a.)
ISO 3166 code: UG
Internet TLD: .ug
a.
+006 from Kenya and Tanzania.