Quick facts about Uganda

President: Yoweri Museveni
Land Area: 241000 sqkm
Population: 26 million (2002)
Life Expectancy: 46 years
Population growth 2.5% (1980-91)
Adult Literacy: 52% (1990)
Time: GMT/UTC plus three hours
Electricity: 220V, 50Hz
Weights & measures: Metric
Currency: Uganda shilling (USh)
National Bird: Crested Crane
Language: Over 56 dialects spoken
Value Added Tax- 20%

Geography

Area: 241,040 sq. km. (93,070 sq. mi.); about the size of Oregon.

Cities: Capital--Kampala (2002 pop. 1.2 million). Other cities--Jinja, Gulu, Mbale, Mbarara.

Terrain: 18% inland water and swamp; 12% national parks, forest, and game reserves; 70% forest, woodland, grassland.

Climate: In the northeast, semi-arid--rainfall less than 50 cm. (20 in.); in southwest, rainfall 130 cm. (50 in.) or more. Two dry seasons: Dec.-Feb. and June-July.

People

Population (2003): 26.4 million.

Annual growth rate (2004 est.): 4.0%.

Ethnic groups: African 99%, European, Asian, Arab 1%.

Religions: Christian 66%, Muslim 16%, traditional and other 18%.

Languages: English (official); Luganda and Swahili widely used; other Bantu and Nilotic languages.

Education: Attendance (2000; primary school enrollment, public and private)--89%. Literacy (2003)--70%.

Health: Infant mortality rate--86/1,000. Life expectancy--45.3 yrs.

Government

Type: "Movement" system, with limited operation of political parties.

Constitution: The current constitution was ratified on July 12, 1995, and promulgated on October 8, 1995. The constitution provides for an executive president, to be elected every 5 years. Parliament and the judiciary have significant amounts of independence and wield significant power. President Yoweri Museveni, in power since 1986, was elected under the new constitution in 1996 and re-elected in 2005. Formerly, the constitution limited the president to two terms. However, in August 2005, the constitution was revised to allow an incumbent to hold office for more than two terms.

Independence: October 9, 1962.

National holiday: Independence Day, October 9.

Economy

GDP (purchasing power parity, 2003): $34.7 billion; (current prices, 2003) $7 billion.

Inflation rate (2003): 5.1%.

Natural resources: Copper, cobalt, limestone, phosphate.

Agriculture: Cash crops--coffee, tea, cotton, tobacco, sugar cane, cut flowers, vanilla. Food crops--bananas, corn, cassava, potatoes, millet, pulses. Livestock and fisheries--beef, goat meat, milk, nile perch, tilapia.

Industry: Types--processing of agricultural products (cotton ginning, coffee curing), cement production, light consumer goods, textiles.

Trade (2003): Exports--$628 million: coffee, fish and fish products, tea, electricity, horticultural products, vanilla. Major markets--EU, Kenya, South Africa, U.K., U.S. Imports (2003)--$1.34 billion: vehicles, petroleum, chemical, machinery. Major suppliers--OPEC countries, Kenya, EU, India, South Africa, U.S.