Overview
Uganda is one of the most beautiful countries in Africa, with fantastic natural scenery, Half of the world′s remaining mountain gorilla population is in uganda. It also offers world-class white water rafting at the source of nile and some of the region′s more peaceful national parks, where wildlife viewing doesn′t involve long waits in line behind a dozen or more vehicles. The natural attraction are among the best in the region, and as tourism is still being re-established, there simply aren′t the crowds found elsewhere. Take your pick from the highest mountain range in Africa, the Rwenzori Mountains;one of the most powerful waterfalls in the world, Murchison Falls; or perhaps the highest primate density in the world, in kabale forest National park - Uganda has all this and more. It′s a beautiful country with a great deal to offer, and sooner or later the tourist hordes will ′discover′ its delights.
Ecologically, Uganda is where the East African savannah meets the West African jungle. Where else but in this impossibly lush country can one observe lions prowling the open plains in the morning and track chimpanzees through the rainforest undergrowth the same afternoon, then the next day navigate tropical channels teeming with hippos and crocodiles before setting off into the misty mountains to stare deep into the eyes of a mountain gorilla? Certainly, Uganda is the only safari destination whose range of forest primates is as impressive as its selection of plains antelopes. And this verdant biodiversity is further attested to by Uganda’s status as by far the smallest of the four African countries whose bird checklist tops the 1,000 mark.
Location
Uganda is a landlocked country astride the equator, about 800 kilometers inland from the Indian Ocean. It lies on the northwestern shores of Lake Victoria, extending from 1 south to 4 north latitude and 30 to 35 east longitude.
Uganda is bordered by Tanzania and Rwanda to the south, Zaire to the west, Sudan to the north, and Kenya to the east. With a land surface of 241,139 square kilometers (roughly twice the size of the state of Pennsylvania), Uganda occupies most of the Lake Victoria Basin, which was formed by the geological shifts that created the Rift Valley during the Pleistocene era. The Sese Islands and other small islands in Lake Victoria also lie within Uganda′s borders
The greater part of Uganda consists of a plateau about 4,000 ft in height. Along the western border of the Ruwenzori Mountains reaching heights of over 16,000 ft, while on the eastern frontier Mount Elgon rises to 14,178 ft. By contrast, the Western Rift Valley, which runs from north to south through the western half of the country, is as low as 3,000 ft on the floor of Lake Edward and Lake George and 2,000 ft on the flow of Lake Albert. The White Nile River has its source in Lake Victoria.
People and Culture
Situated at the geographical heart of the African continent, Uganda has long been a cultural melting pot, as evidenced by the existence of 30-plus different indigenous languages belonging to five distinct linguistic groups, and an equally diverse cultural mosaic of music, art and handicrafts. The country’s most ancient inhabitants, confined to the hilly southwest, are the Batwa and Bambuti Pygmies, relics of the hunter-gatherer cultures that once occupied much of East Africa to leave behind a rich legacy of rock paintings, such as at the Nyero Rock Shelter near Kumi.
At the cultural core of modern-day Uganda lie the Bantu-speaking kingdoms of Buganda, Bunyoro, Ankole and Toro, whose traditional monarchs – reinstated in the 1990s after having been abolished by President Milton Obote in 1967 – still serve as important cultural figureheads. According to oral tradition, these centuries-old kingdoms are offshoots of the mediaeval kingdoms of Batembuzi and Bachwezi, which lay in the vicinity of present-day Mubende and Ntusi, where archaeological evidence suggests that a strongly centralised polity had emerged by the 11th century. Three former kings of Buganda are buried in an impressive traditional thatched building at the Kasubi Tombs in Kampala.
Climate
Uganda boasts of temperate climate even though a bulky of its area is in the tropics with varying temperatures of 16 - 26°C (April - November), and over 30°C during warm seasons (December - March) . It also harbours the world′s second largest lake the victoria, the source of the world′s second longest river, the Nile.
Major holidays
• New Year′s Day - 1 January
• NRM Liberation Day - 26 January
• Christmas Day - 25 December
• Boxing Day - 28 December
Governance
Officially named The Republic of Uganda, headed by the President guided by the republican constitution. Voting qualifications are universal but for those above 18 years of age.
Economic profile and Currency
Consistently ranked among Africa’s fastest growing economies since 1986, Uganda has experienced a steady expansion infrastructures, and a corresponding increase in international tourist arrivals and upmarket facilities.
Currency is Ugandan Shilling (UGX) denominated with /= sign.
