7 Facts about Uganda – the Pearl of Africa : Uganda is a landlocked country bordered by Kenya in the East, South Sudan in the North, Democratic Republic of the Congo in the West, Rwanda in the Southwest and Tanzania in the South. Uganda’s total land area is 241,559 square Kilometres. About 37,000 square Kilometres of this area is occupied by open water while the rest is land. The southern part of the country includes a substantial portion of Lake Victoria, which it shares with Kenya and Tanzania , 7 Facts about Uganda.
Uganda is located on the East African plateau, averaging about 1,100 meters (3,609 feet) above sea level. The plateau generally slopes downwards towards Sudan explaining the northerly tendency of most river flows in the country. Although generally equatorial, the climate is not uniform since the altitude modifies the climate. Uganda’s elevation, soil types and predominantly warm and wet climate impart a huge agricultural potential to the country. They also explain the country’s large variety of forests, grasslands and wildlife reserves. Uganda has a total population of about 35.6 million people, thus 7 Facts about Uganda.
The official language is English and currency used is Uganda Shillings (1 UGX equivalent to USD$3,700). The president of Uganda is Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, who came to power in January 1986 after a protracted six-year guerrilla war.
GEOGRAPHY
Uganda lays along the Equator within the Nile basin on the Eastern plateau at an average of 3,609 feet (1,100 meters) above sea level. Major lakes in Uganda include; Lake Victoria, Lake George, Lake Albert, Lake Edward & Lake Kyoga. Uganda’s scenery is varied, from long elephant grass, endless papyrus swamps, to the amazing order of the tea plantations, coffee plantations and Sugar plantations. Topographically most of the Uganda’s areas are gently flat except for the southwestern part which is generally mountainous called the Kigezi regions covered with terraced hillsides. The Semi-arid north east parts of Uganda in Kidepo valley are averagely dry. The road network improves each day and driving from Kampala to the west region takes about 4 hours on a tarmac road or to the north-west region. Various attractions are located in different parts of the country Source of the Nile in the Eastern part of Uganda, Bwindi impenetrable national park in the far South, Kidepo valley national park in the far North east, Murchison falls national park in the North-west, and Rwenzori Mountain ranges in the West.
MAJOR CITIES & TOWNS IN UGANDA
Kampala City
Kampala city which is Uganda’s capital is estimated to have a population of over 2 million people & a city that never sleeps. With heavy traffic that exceeds the small roads, busy markets, taxi parks, banks, shopping malls, schools, hospitals and many hangout places. Kampala was originally built on 7 hills but it grew to over 10 hills but it’s still fairly a small geographical area. Downtown Kampala is congested and ‘Boda-Boda’ (motorbikes) used to ease transport within the city. Alternatively taxis are also used for longer distances since they are very cheap. Famous attractions in Kampala include Kasubi tombs (UNESCO world heritage site), Mengo Palace, Baha’i temple, Martyrs Shrine, Rubaga Cathedral, Gaddafi mosque, Owino market to mention a few
Jinja City
Jinja city is known as the best place for adventure in Uganda for any fun traveller would love to visit. Jinja is located on the northern shore of Lake Victoria, 82 Kilometres East of Kampala and lies in the historic town famous for having the source of the Nile. The people of Jinja are mostly the Basoga who speak ‘Lusoga’ – a Bantu speaking language. Jinja supports a great deal for tourism in Uganda given the experience of the Nile River. Activities to be enjoyed in Jinja include; white water rafting, Bungee jumping, mountain biking, Kayaking, Nile boat cruises, Horseback riding, quad biking and so many other adventure experiences, 7 Facts about Uganda.
Fort Portal town
Fort portal town is located in the western part of Uganda in Kabarole district which mean “let them see”. Driving from Kampala via Mubende town, then to Fort portal is about 300 kilometres, taking 5 to 6 hours’ drive on road. Fort portal town is amidst several attractions thus it is the tourism city iof Uganda with attractions like the Kibale national park, Semiliki national park, Toro Semiliki Wildlife reserve and the Rwenzori Mountain ranges. This is also where the heart of Toro Kingdom lays where we find Uganda’s youngest traditional kingdom. This area is also said to be associated with the legendary Bachwezi Empire. Amazing highlights in Fort portal include chimpanzee trekking, Tooro Crater Lake tours, Amabere Ganyamwiru caves and waterfalls, Tooro Palace tour, Sempaya Hot springs tour.
Kabale Town
Kabale town is situated in the south western part of Uganda near the Rwanda border called Katuna border in the Kigezi region. This is one of the largest towns in Uganda and also densely populated. Kabale town is also known as the Switzerland of Uganda because of its hilly nature and super coldness. Kibale town is located near Bwindi impenetrable forest in Kanungu district making it a perfect stop over for most tourists on their journey and return from Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park. It is in Kabale town where we find the famous Lake Bunyonyi which is the main attraction of the area. Lake Bunyonyi is the deepest second lake in Africa after Lake Tanganyika in Tanzania. It is generally cold and rainy all year long so most people have resorted to agriculture as an economic activity. The Kigezi highlands are very fertile and are arguably the most scenic part of Uganda, thus 7 Facts about Uganda.
Other major cities in Uganda with interesting tourist attractions include Entebbe where we find the Botanical gardens, the Entebbe Zoo, Ngamba Island, Mabamba swamp, Reptile village to mention a few, Mbarara city, Gulu city, Kasese, Masaka city, Mbale city where we find Mount Elgon national park just to mention a few.
CULTURE & PEOPLE
Uganda has so many different ethnic groups with different cultures. The Bantu speaking people dominate most of the parts of Uganda including the western, eastern, central and southern parts of Uganda. These tribes include the Baganda, Bagisu, Basoga, batooro, Banyakole, Bakiga, and Banyoro. In the northern & far eastern Uganda, there is where the Nilotic and Nilo Hamities ethnic groups including the Luo speaking people including the Lango, Acholi, Lugabra and Madi while in the Far East, the Iteso and the Karamajong people. Uganda also has the indigenous people called the Batwa people, a few Pygmies who lived isolated in the rainforests of western Uganda before Mgahinga national park and Bwindi impenetrable national park was gazetted as national reserves.
English is the national language of Uganda and is widely spoken followed by Luganda which is known by many people in Uganda compared to Swahili which is the trade language of East Africa. It is said that during president Amin’s regime, the army was hostile and brutal to the people while speaking in Swahili language and so could be the reason why most Ugandans had no desire to speak/learn Swahili language as it was known to be a language of hostile people. Above all, there are over 50 different languages spoken in Uganda by the different 56 tribes in Uganda. Traditional dance is part of culture and they are most done in ceremonies or special occasions by the different tribes. For example, the ‘Kiganda’ dance from the Baganda tribe is the most widely recognized where it involves the performers to move their lower body to a drum beat while keeping the upper part controlled. The ‘Basoga’ tribe have a special dance called the ‘Tamenhaibunga’ which expresses the importance of love and friendship in society. Other tribes like the ‘Ankole’ tribe have other special kinds of dances and can be seen while at cultural centres like Uganda museum or Ndere centre in Kampala capital city.
UGANDA’S FOOD
Uganda has a lot of fertile agricultural land which can grow anything thus a great variety food. The most common food grown is Matooke (the green banana) which is peeled at the time of preparing and steamed in the banana leaves. It’s either served the way it is or mashed plus source either beef stew, beans, Groundnuts and other dish sauces. Other foods include; Iris potatoes, Sweet potatoes, Rice and Posho (Corn flour), Yams and so many other foods.
Uganda is also rich in fruits like the Pineapple, water melon, Oranges, yellow bananas and mangoes, jackfruits, to mention a few. These are also common and can be bought from food markets like Owino market which is the largest market in Uganda and Nakasero market where we find all locally produced foods including fruits and vegetables. The Lake Victoria & other lakes in Uganda supply the country with a lot of fish including such as the ‘tilapia’, a tasty fresh water fish that can be deep fried or cooked. Other foods include ‘Luwombo’ which is a traditional dish for Baganda people and being prepared in banana leaves for sauces like inform of chicken sauce, fish and groundnuts. The other celebrated food in Uganda is “the Rolex”, a popular street fragility and snack in Uganda; it’s made of a combination of chapatti and eggs. Rolex has been listed among the top African fast foods by CNN, thus 7 Facts about Uganda.
UGANDA RELIGION
Religion plays an important part in the daily lives of Ugandans. Christians take the highest percentage population in Uganda with either Protestant or Catholic, Christianity takes 80%, Islam takes about 10% and the other 10% is shared by other religions. Ugandans are strong in their faith and see no conflict in holding to some traditional beliefs. In times of trouble, as well as praying to the Christian or Muslim God, people may also consult a local oracle or healer. Many shrines to the spirits are still in active use especially in Buganda culture. Common places of worship and also tourist attraction for religious tourism include; the Rubaga Cathedral, Uganda Martyrs shrine, Baha’i temple & Gaddafi mosque all located in the Kampala city. They have become common places for most visitors for their outstanding structures and looks. Thus they have become part of interesting places to visit while on a Kampala city tour.
ANNUAL PUBLIC HOLIDAYS IN UGANDA
- New Year’s Day – 1st January
- NRM Liberation Day – 26th January
- Remembrance of Archbishop Janani Luwum – 16th February
- International Women’s Day – 8th March
- Good Friday – the day varies according to the year
- Easter Monday – the day varies according to the year
- Labour Day – 1st May
- Mothers’ Day – 9th May
- Eid al-Fitr at the end of Ramadan and the exact date varies
- Martyrs’ Day – 3rd June
- National Heroes’ Day – 9th June
- Fathers’ day – 21st June
- Eid al-Adha – Feast of the Sacrifice, exact day varies
- Independence Day – 9th October
- Christmas Day – 25th December
- Boxing Day – 26th December
TOURISM IN UGANDA
Uganda has been titled the “The Pearl of Africa” for its beauty beyond just description. Uganda was ranked the number one destination for tourists for the past years by Lonely Planet which is the largest travel guide and media publisher in the world. Uganda’s tourism industry has been boasted by the presence of the Mountain Gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable forest and Mgahinga national park and the Mountain gorillas are the main selling product for Uganda. Uganda is home to half of the remaining mountain gorillas in the whole wide while Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo share the other half in their national parks of Volcanoes national and Virunga national park respectively. Thus Gorilla trekking has been rated one of the top tourist activities by most travellers coming to Africa, thus 7 Facts about Uganda.
Uganda’s 10 national parks are the most selling products for Uganda including Murchison falls national park, Kidepo national park, Queen Elizabeth national park, Lake Mburo national park, Semuliki national park, Rwenzori national park, Mount Elgon national park, Bwindi impenetrable national park, Mgahinga national park, and Kibale national park. Each of these national parks has unique features that make them worth visiting. Where else can you see the lions stalking across the open savanna as day breaks before white water rafting down the Nile; then the next day set off into the misty mountains in search of the majestic mountain gorillas before settling in to watch a local cultural evening around the camp fire? Other Attractions include; Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, Equator line, Mabira forest, Sezibwa falls, Aruu falls just to mention a few.