Early European explorer and Wartime British Prime Minister SirWinston Churchill named Uganda “The Pearl of Africa” on one of his earliest visits to the East African country. A simple trip around the enormously endowed country could clearly justify why. These quick facts about Uganda will enlighten you more.
Bordered by Kenya in the East, Rwanda in the South West, Tanzania in the South, Congo in the west and Sudan in the north, Uganda is an East African land locked country situated in the heart of Africa.
The country occupies an area of 241,551 km². Juxtaposed, Uganda is slightly smaller than the UK or slightly smaller than the U.S. state of Oregon. However, the country packs a lot in for its size.
Ten national parks protect over half of the world’s mountain gorillas, along with chimpanzees, rare golden monkeys and a classic safari checklist including leopards, lions, elephants and hippos. The country boosts of 1,000 species of birds accounting to more than 10 percent of all the world’s species which inhabit mountains, forests, wetlands and the shores of Lakes. All these provide memorable moments for a visitor.
Home to the world’s longest river, the Nile and the world’s largest tropical fresh water lake, Victoria, Uganda is undoubtedly a natural phenomenon. The country is covered in a unique topography with the great East African rift valley bordering it to the west.
Uganda harbors the endangered remaining mountain gorillas with the remaining specie population surviving in Bwindi forest and trekking to observe these gentle giants is one of the world’s top bucket list travel activities.
The country is crossed by the Equator (latitude 0o) and has a two-seasoned tranquil equatorial climate received all year round. For most of the year, Uganda is sunny with temperatures rarely rising above 29 degrees. The average temperature is about 26 degrees C, with a maximum of 18-31 degrees and minimum of 15-23 degrees depending on the part of the country.
The rain season is March-May. Light rain season is November and December. Wet seasons are March –May and October-November; dry seasons are December to February and June to August.
The country’s highest point is Margherita Peak on Mount Stanley (5,110 m), a mountain located in the Rwenzori range within Rwenzori National Park.
Uganda’s population is currently projected at 45.6 million people, making it the world’s second most populous landlocked country after Ethiopia. With 77% of its population being under 25 years of age, Uganda has the youngest population in the world.
The country’s largest city and capital is Kampala. Prior, it was known as ‘the city that never sleeps’ because to the beehive of activities that traverse all through day and night however most night activities were paused due to the curfew instigated to curb down the Corona pandemic. Otherwise, on a normal day, anytime any day, Kampala would be the same day or night. Other major towns include Jinja, Entebbe, Gulu, Mbarara, Kabale, Arua, Fort Portal among others.
Uganda is a multilingual country. Forty-three of its living languages fall into four main families; Bantu, Nilotic and Central Sudanic with another two languages in the Kuliak family. Of these, 41 are indigenous and 2 are non-indigenous. Furthermore, 5 are institutional, 27 are developing, 7 are vigorous, 2 are in trouble, and 2 are dying out.
English and Swahili are the official languages; the latter was added in 2005. English, inherited from the colonial period, is the widest spoken common language. There is also Sign Language especially among the physically handicapped population. Luganda is the major language spoken in the capital together with other native languages.
Uganda is home to many different ethnic groups which form the population. These include: Baganda 16.9%, Banyakole 9.5%, Basoga 8.4%, Bakiga 6.9%, Iteso 6.4%, Langi 6.1%, Acholi 4.7%, Bagisu 4.6%, Lugbara 4.2%, Banyoro 2.7%, other 29.6%. This makes Uganda the highest ethnically diverse country by ranking.
General Facts
Demonym: Ugandan
President: Yoweri Kaguta Museveni
Capital and largest city: Kampala
Time Zone: GTM+3
Currency Uganda Shilling: Ugandan shilling (UGX)
Official Languages: English & Swahili
Vernacular languages: Ateso/Akaramojong Kakwa/Kuku Kinyarwanda, Kumam Luganda Lugbara (which also includes Madi) Lugwere/Lumasaba/Lugisu Lunyoli Luo (covering Lango, Acholi and Alur) Lusamia Lusoga Rukonjo Runyankole/Rukiga Runyoro/Rutooro Sebei
Religion: Predominantly Christian
Mobile Operators: MTN, Airtel, Uganda Telecom, Africell, Smile, Lyca Mobile, Smart Telecom, Roke, etc
International Dialing Code: +256, followed by 6 digit local number
Fire and Police: 999 and 112
Area: 241,038 km (93,065 sq mi) (79th)
Water (%): 15.39
Time zone: EAT (UTC+3)
Drives on the: Left
ISO 3166 code: UG
Internet TLD: .ug
About Memoir Uganda – Showcasing Uganda
We are a comprehensive tourism and travel media company unleashing information about Uganda. We offer, among others, an all-inclusive guide on everything Uganda such as itineraries, consular information, timely and updated tour and travel news and general information about visiting and living in Uganda.
To us, Uganda is more than a tour destination. It is our homeland. Our knowledge about Uganda is ocean deep and we love showing the country’s splendid beauty to the world. We aim at sharing and showcasing Uganda to the tiniest bit, better than anyone else.
Our Memoir Uganda magazine showcases Uganda’s diverse potential in detail that is often left out and unknown. You ought never to miss a copy. We robustly believe that traveling should make the world a better place for everyone.
