UgandaUganda is a landlocked country in Eastern Africa bordered by Kenya to the east, South Sudan to the north, the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, Rwanda to the southwest, and Tanzania to the south. Gaining independence from Britain colonization in 1962, Uganda is a nation that has constantly struggled to achieve independent stabilization through inter-tribal struggles. Perhaps the most notorious of these conflicts was the civil war against the Lord's Resistance Army which was fought primarily in northern Uganda and caused thousands upon thousands of fatalities. It is one of the poorest countries in the world notorious for a high fertility rates and a corrupt government, yet it is still home to some of the most breathtaking sites and animals and people. Uganda, in its essence, is the Pearl of Africa.
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People• Ethnic Groups: Baganda 16.9%, Banyankole 9.5%, Basoga 8.4%, Bakiga 6.9%, Iteso 6.4%, Langi 6.1%, Acholi 4.7%, Bagisu 4.6%, Lugbara 4.2%, Bunyoro 2.7%, other 29.6% (2002 census)
• National Language: English and Swahili • Religion: Roman Catholic 41.9%, Protestant 42%, Muslim 12.1% • Population Growth Rate: 3.24% |
Geography• Area: 241,038 sq. km.
• Climate: tropical; generally rainy with two dry seasons (December to February, June to August); semiarid in northeast • Agricultural Land: 71.2% • Environmental Issues: draining of wetlands for agricultural use; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; water hyacinth infestation in Lake Victoria; widespread poaching |
Government• Independence: October 9, 1962
• President: Yoweri Kaguta Museveni since seizing power on January 26, 1986 |
Economy• GDP: $76.94 billion (2014 est.)
• GDP Per Capita: $2,000 (2014 est.) • Labor Force: 18 million (2014 est.), 82% agriculture • Exports/Commodities: coffee, fish and fish products, tea, cotton, flowers, horticultural products; gold[1] |