Uganda

Full name of country: Republic of Uganda

Region: Africa

Official language: English, Swahili

Population: 49,283,041 (2024 est.)

Nationality: Ugandan(s) (noun), Ugandan (adjective)

Land area: 197,100 sq km (76,101 sq miles)

Water area: 43,938 sq km (16,965 sq miles)

Capital: Kampala

National anthem: "Oh Uganda, Land of Beauty!" by George Wilberforce Kakomoa

National holiday: Independence Day, October 9 (1962)

Population growth: 3.18% (2024 est.)

Time zone: UTC +3

Flag: The Ugandan flag features six horizontal stripes, a repeating pattern of black (on the top), yellow, and red. Emblazoned in the center of the flag is a white circle with a gray crowned crane, the national symbol. The crane is noted for its gentle nature and was the military badge of Ugandan military forces during British rule. The colors of the stripes are symbolic of the people (black), the sun (yellow), and the blood that connects all Africans (red).

Motto: “For God and My Country”

Independence: October 9, 1962 (from the UK)

Government type: presidential republic

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Legal system: mixed legal system of English common law and customary law

The Republic of Uganda is located in East Africa. It is bordered by the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, South Sudan to the north, Kenya to the east, and Rwanda and Tanzania to the south.

Famous for its vast savanna plains and diverse wildlife, Uganda obtained its independence from British rule in 1962. More recently, the country's social and economic structure was severely damaged by the brutal regime of Idi Amin, president of Uganda during the 1970s. The country has made some progress in humanitarian issues since that time, despite ongoing instances of internal conflict and instability.

Note: unless otherwise indicated, statistical data in this article is sourced from the CIA World Factbook, as cited in the bibliography.

People and Culture

Population: The overwhelming majority (73.2 percent) of Ugandans live in rural areas (2023 estimate). The country's capital, Kampala, in the southeast of the country, is also its largest city, with an estimated population of 3.846 million in 2023. Population density is greatest around Lake Victoria, in the southeastern corner of the country.

Uganda is a religiously diverse country. The majority of Ugandans are Christian, split between Roman Catholicism (39.3 percent as of the 2014 census) and various Protestant denominations (45.1 percent). Muslims account for 13.7 percent of the population.

While English and Swahili are the official languages, Luganda (or Ganda)—a Bantu language of the Niger–Congo language family—is widely used and sometimes also taught in schools, and is the preferred language for native-language publications in Kampala. Various other Niger–Congo and Nilo–Saharan languages are common. Many of the Indigenous languages are closely related enough to be mutually understood. For instance, a speaker of Luganda can easily communicate with a speaker of Soga (or Lusoga), Nyoro, Kiga, or Nkore.

By 2022, according to the United Nations, nearly 1.5 million refugees were living in Uganda, largely from South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, and Somalia. This made Uganda the African country that was hosting the largest number of refugees that year. At the same time, Uganda was still engaged in armed conflict with separatist militias and armed gangs.

Uganda was ranked 159 out of 193 countries and territories on the 2022 United Nations Human Development Index, which measures quality-of-life indicators.

Indigenous People: Uganda has a rich and diverse ethnic heritage. The area has been inhabited since the first millennium BCE, originally by Bantu and Luo speakers. Europeans did not arrive until the nineteenth century.

Resident tribes include the Baganda (16.5 percent of the population according to 2014 census data), Banyankore (9.6 percent), Basoga (8.8 percent), Bakiga (7.1 percent), Iteso (7 percent), Lango (6.3 percent), Bagisu (4.9 percent), Acoli (4.4 percent), and Lugbara (3.3 percent). The remaining 32.1 percent of the population includes various other ethnic African groups, such as the Alur, Bagwere, Bakonjo, Jopadhola, Karamojong, and Rundi, along with Europeans, Asians, and Arabs.

Education: Primary education in Uganda is free and compulsory. It begins at age six and lasts for seven years. Secondary education is divided into lower secondary (four years) and upper secondary (two years).

The institution of compulsory primary education in 2009 was part of Uganda's efforts toward achieving the UN Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of universal primary education by 2015. (The MDGs were later superseded by the Sustainable Development Goals.) While this MDG was not achieved, a net enrollment rate of about 97 percent in 2014 shows that some progress was made. However, in 2017, only 51 percent of pupils were completing primary school.

The government also worked to improve access to secondary schools (nearly half of which are private institutions), in part by establishing public-private partnership subsidy programs such as the Universal Secondary Education (USE) Public-Private Partnership; however, the USE program was phased out in early 2018, directly resulting in a decrease in secondary enrollment.

The oldest of Uganda's public universities is Makerere University in Kampala, established in 1922. The largest university in the region, it attracts students from all over East Africa. Uganda is also home to several private universities.

In 2021 the adult literacy rate was 79 percent, higher among men (84 percent) than among women (74.3 percent).

Health Care: The infant mortality rate in Uganda is rather high, at 28.5 deaths per 1,000 live births (2024 estimate). In 2024 average life expectancy at birth was 69.7 years—67.5 years for men and 72 years for women.

In 2020, an estimated 5.4 percent of Ugandan adults were living with HIV/AIDS. AIDS education initiatives have helped to decrease the rate of new infections.

The risk of contracting food or waterborne diseases such as bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever is quite high. The chances of contracting dengue, malaria, rabies, schistosomiasis, and sleeping sickness (African trypanosomiasis) are also high in certain parts of the country.

Food: Ugali, a starchy porridge made from corn meal, is a staple of the Ugandan diet. It is often served with stews and other dishes made with beef, goat, or mutton. Other staple foods include plantains, sweet potatoes, and yams. Many Ugandan farms have several acres of banana trees.

Beer is a popular drink throughout Uganda. Pombe (Swahili for "beer") is brewed using fermented bananas. Waragi, another type of local alcoholic beverage, is made from millet.

Peanuts, and to a lesser degree cowpeas and beans, are harvested to make a sauce to be ladled over these starchy foods. Other vegetables are served as a side dish or relish. Uganda's tropical climate contributes a variety of healthy fruits to the local cuisine.

In the central part of the country, the Jie people live almost entirely off their livestock. They rely upon the Zebu cattle for milk, meat, and hides. They also drain the blood of the cattle and either drink it or use it in preparing other foods.

Arts & Entertainment: Uganda has a rich tradition of folk music. Large, sacred drums are commonly-used instruments, along with the entongoli and adunga, harp-like instruments; the ndigindi, a type of lyre; the amadinda, a xylophone; and the lukeme, a thumb piano.

Choruses and other group vocals are typical of most styles of Ugandan music. The popular modern music style known as takeu combines elements from Ugandan, Tanzanian, and Kenyan music.

Acoli poet Okot p'Bitek (1931–82) is one of the best-known authors in Ugandan literature. Originally written in the Luo language, then translated into English in 1966, his epic "Song of Lawino" draws on local folklore and traditional songs.

Many traditional handicrafts have survived in Uganda, including wood carving, and bead and leather work. Artisans use leather to make bottles, sandals, floor mats, and other items.

Holidays: Ugandans celebrate their Independence Day each year on October 9, as they gained their freedom from Great Britain on that date in 1962. Other national holidays include Labor Day (May 1) and Martyrs' Day (June 3). Women's Day is celebrated in early March. Major Christian and Muslim holidays are celebrated as public holidays too.

Environment and Geography

Topography: Most of Uganda's land is plateau, consisting of low savanna with a tall reed-like grass known as elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum). The plateau is surrounded by mountains, and there are some small areas of equatorial forest. Much of this land is ideal for growing coffee (which is native to the area), as well as bananas, cotton, and other crops.

Buganda, in the southeast area of the country, is an eroded plateau dotted with small hills and valleys that are filled with papyrus swamp and an occasional forest. Fertile bands of red clay, ideal for farming, surround the hills. Other areas are not farmed, but may provide grasses for thatch and grazing livestock.

Uganda's highest point is Margherita Peak on Mount Stanley, at 5,109 meters (16,673 feet). The lowest point is Lake Albert, at 621 meters (2,037 feet).

Chief among Uganda's inland bodies of water are Lake Victoria (the source of the Nile River's longest branch, the White Nile), Lake Albert, Lake Edward, and Lake Kyoga. There are harbors on Lake Victoria at Entebbe, Jinja, and Port Bell.

Natural Resources: Large deposits of copper and cobalt are Uganda's most important natural resources, along with arable land and regular rainfall. Just over 34 percent of the land is arable, and about 13 percent of the land is composed of wetlands. Other minerals mined in Uganda include gold, limestone, and salt.

Uganda faces a number of environmental concerns, including deforestation and the draining of the wetlands. As in other East African nations, poaching of wild animals is a problem.

Plants & Animals: There are more than 340 species of mammals to be found in Uganda. Of these, nearly half are large animals, such as apes and monkeys, lions, leopards, cheetahs, golden jackals, and several different species of antelope. Smaller mammals include bats, rodents, and shrews.

Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is home to over 300 mountain gorillas, which are critically endangered and threatened with extinction. Uganda is also home to the Eastern chimpanzee.

Like other African countries, Uganda is home to a wide variety of bird life. More than 1,000 different species of birds nest in the country. Common reptiles include the Nile crocodile.

Of the eighteen plant kingdoms found in Africa, seven thrive in Uganda, more than in any other nation on the continent.

For decades, the area around Lake Victoria was infested with hyacinth, a weed from South America that prevented fishing boats from navigating the lake. The introduction of Neochetina weevils in 1997 succeeded in killing off the hyacinth, but not before more than half of the lake's 500 fish species were driven to extinction.

Climate: Uganda's climate is tropical, with temperatures ranging between 16 and 28 degrees Celsius (60 and 83 degrees Fahrenheit). Conditions are generally wet and rainy, but there are two dry seasons, from December to January and June to August. Otherwise, there is little seasonal variation in the weather.

Most of Uganda's rainfall occurs near Lake Victoria and Lake Albert, and ranges between 114 centimeters (45 inches) per year in those areas and 89 centimeters (35 inches) in the short-grass savannas. The heaviest rains fall between March and May, and lighter rainfall occurs between August and December. The northwestern part of the country is semi-arid.

Economy

Despite its many natural resources, Uganda has remained one of the world's least-developed countries due to continuing political instability. However, thanks to economic reform policies, inflation has been steadily declining since the late 1980s. Uganda is also eligible to receive significant international debt relief.

In 2023 Uganda's gross domestic product (GDP) in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP) was an estimated US$135.668 billion, or $2,800 per capita. The service sector accounted for the majority of GDP that year, followed by agriculture and industry.

Industry: Most of Uganda's industrial activity is related to the agricultural sector. Important manufacturing categories include sugar processing, brewing, textiles, tobacco, cement, and steel. Most consumer goods are manufactured for export.

As part of ongoing economic reforms, Uganda is attempting to diversify its industrial activity. There has been some progress in resuming the manufacture of construction materials and household goods.

Uganda's primary import partners are China and India, and it exports goods to Kenya and the United Arab Emirates..

Agriculture: Agriculture is a major part of the national economy, employing a majority of the country's workforce, according to the United Nations, mostly on small farms. Uganda is a major African producer of coffee, and the crop accounts for a large chunk of all the country's exports.

Other important crops include cassava, corn, cotton, flowers, millet, potatoes, tea, and tobacco. Sorghum, gourds, and peanuts are also grown locally.

Livestock farming, which includes poultry, goats, and cattle (beef and dairy), is also important to the agricultural sector, as are fishing and timber.

Tourism: The Uganda Tourist Board has billed Uganda as "Africa's Friendliest Country." Before Idi Amin came to power in 1971, Uganda enjoyed a healthy tourist trade. Although tourism declined during Amin’s tenure, it began to recover following his exile in 1979. However, the country’s wildlife attractions face significant competition in nearby Kenya and Tanzania.

Tourists visit Uganda to enjoy the natural beauty of its lakes and mountains, and to go on safari in the country's national parks and game reserves. Popular attractions include the volcanic Rwenzori Mountains (known as the "Mountains of the Moon"), Mount Elgon, and the Virunga Volcanoes. Adventurous tourists enjoy whitewater rafting near the Murchison Falls on the Nile.

Most visitors enter the country through the international airport in Entebbe. The best time to visit Uganda is during the dry season between December and February.

Government

Uganda was a British colony from 1894 to 1962, when it was granted independence. Several decades of coups and military rule followed, most notoriously during the 1970s. Under the regime of President Idi Amin, the country's economic structure was shattered. Between 1971 and 1979, an estimated three hundred thousand Ugandans were killed by the regime. A period of guerilla war followed under the rule of Milton Obote, the country's first president who returned to power in 1980. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni took power in 1986 and remained in office into the 2020s. Many international observers criticized his rule as autocratic.

Uganda's executive branch is headed by the president, who serves as both head of state and head of government and is elected by popular vote to a five-year term. There are no term limits. The president selects a cabinet from among the elected legislature. A prime minister supervises the cabinet and assists the president as needed.

The legislature is the unicameral National Assembly, which has 529 seats, some of which are directly elected by popular vote; some are reserved for women, also directly elected by popular vote; and others are reserved for representatives of special interest groups (the army, Ugandan youths, people with disabilities, and labor unions); several others are reserved for members appointed by the president.

The judicial branch of the government is headed by the Supreme Court of Uganda, which consists of a chief justice and at least six justices, all appointed by the president and approved by the National Assembly. Subordinate courts include the Court of Appeal (which also serves as the Constitutional Court), the High Court, and the Industrial Court, among others.

The dominant political party in Uganda is the National Resistance Movement (NRM), also known simply as the Movement. While other, smaller parties exist, they have been largely disenfranchised since 1986 and have only legally been allowed to operate since 2005.

Administratively, Uganda consists of 136 districts plus the capital city.

President Yoweri Museveni was last re-elected in the January 2021 presidential elections, winning 58% of the vote while popstar-turned-politician Bobi Wine had 35%.

Interesting Facts

• Mountain gorillas were first made known to Western science by Robert von Beringe, in the Virunga Mountains of southwest Uganda, in 1902.
• Uganda's national bird is the crested crane (Balearica regulorum gibbericeps).
• Lake Victoria, which Uganda shares with Kenya and Tanzania, is the largest lake in Africa and the second-largest freshwater lake in the world (after Lake Superior).
• Uganda was among the top ten alcohol-consuming nations per capita in 2016.
• From 2015 through 2019, the Uganda Museum hosted an unprecedented exhibition of Amin-era photographs.

Bibliography

Human Development Insights, United Nations Development Programme, 13 Mar. 2024, hdr.undp.org/data-center/country-insights#/ranks. Accessed 16 Jan. 2025.

"Institutions." Uganda National Council for Higher Education, www.unche.or.ug/institutions. Accessed 1 Dec. 2023.

Reid, Richard J. A History of Modern Uganda. Cambridge UP, 2017.

"Uganda." The World Bank, 2024, data.worldbank.org/country/uganda. Accessed 16 Jan. 2025.

"Uganda." The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, 15 Jan. 2025, www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/uganda/. Accessed 16 Jan. 2025.

"Uganda Country Profile." BBC News, 26 Apr. 2023, www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-14107906. Accessed 16 Jan. 2025.