Introduction

Background: Uganda achieved independence from the UK in 1962. The dictatorial regime of Idi AMIN (1971-79) was responsible for the deaths of some 300,000 opponents; guerrilla war and human rights abuses under Milton OBOTE (1980-85) claimed at least another 100,000 lives. During the 1990s, the government promulgated non-party presidential and legislative elections.

Geography

 

Location: Eastern Africa, west of Kenya

 

Geographic coordinates: 1 00 N, 32 00 E

 

Map references: Africa

 

Area: total: 236,040 sq kmмland: 199,710 sq kmмwater: 36,330 sq km

 

Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Oregon

 

Land boundaries: total: 2,698 kmм;border countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo 765 km, Kenya 933 km, Rwanda 169 km, Sudan 435 km, Tanzania 396 km

 

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

 

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

 

Climate: tropical; generally rainy with two dry seasons (December to February, June to August); semiarid in northeast

 

Terrain: mostly plateau with rim of mountains

 

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Lake Albert 621 m;highest point: Margherita Peak on Mount Stanley 5,110 m

 

Natural resources: copper, cobalt, hydropower, limestone, salt, arable land

 

Land use: arable land: 25.88%;permanent crops: 10.65%;other: 63.47% (2001)

 

Irrigated land: 90 sq km (1998 est.)

 

Natural hazards: NA

 

Environment - current issues: draining of wetlands for agricultural use; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; water hyacinth infestation in Lake Victoria; poaching is widespread

 

Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands;signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification

 

Geography - note: landlocked; fertile, well-watered country with many lakes and rivers

 

People

 

Population: 27,269,482;note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2005 est.)

 

Age structure: 0-14 years: 50.1% (male 6,875,663/female 6,784,378);15-64 years: 47.7% (male 6,511,867/female 6,494,859);65 years and over: 2.2% (male 263,790/female 338,925) (2005 est.)

 

Median age: total: 14.97 years;male: 14.87 years;female: 15.08 years (2005 est.)

 

Population growth rate: 3.31% (2005 est.)

 

Birth rate: 47.39 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

 

Death rate: 12.8 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

 

Net migration rate: -1.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

 

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female;under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female;15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female;65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female;total population: 1 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

 

Infant mortality rate: total: 67.83 deaths/1,000 live births;male: 71.18 deaths/1,000 live births;female: 64.37 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

 

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 51.59 years;male: 50.74 years;female: 52.46 years (2005 est.)

 

Total fertility rate: 6.74 children born/woman (2005 est.)

 

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 4.1% (2003 est.)

 

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 530,000 (2001 est.)

 

HIV/AIDS - deaths: 78,000 (2003 est.)

 

Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high;food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever;vectorborne diseases: malaria and African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) are high risks in some locations;water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2004)

 

Nationality: noun: Ugandan(s);adjective: Ugandan

Ethnic groups: Baganda 17%, Ankole 8%, Basoga 8%, Iteso 8%, Bakiga 7%, Langi 6%, Rwanda 6%, Bagisu 5%, Acholi 4%, Lugbara 4%, Batoro 3%, Bunyoro 3%, Alur 2%, Bagwere 2%, Bakonjo 2%, Jopodhola 2%, Karamojong 2%, Rundi 2%, non-African (European, Asian, Arab) 1%, other 8%

 

Religions: Roman Catholic 33%, Protestant 33%, Muslim 16%, indigenous beliefs 18%

 

Languages: English (official national language, taught in grade schools, used in courts of law and by most newspapers and some radio broadcasts), Ganda or Luganda (most widely used of the Niger-Congo languages, preferred for native language publications in the capital and may be taught in school), other Niger-Congo languages, Nilo-Saharan languages, Swahili, Arabic

 

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write;total population: 69.9%;male: 79.5%;female: 60.4% (2003 est.)

 

Government

 

Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Uganda;conventional short form: Uganda

 

Government type: republic

 

Capital: Kampala

 

Administrative divisions: 56 districts; Adjumani, Apac, Arua, Bugiri, Bundibugyo, Bushenyi, Busia, Gulu, Hoima, Iganga, Jinja, Kabale, Kabarole, Kaberamaido, Kalangala, Kampala, Kamuli, Kamwenge, Kanungu, Kapchorwa, Kasese, Katakwi, Kayunga, Kibale, Kiboga, Kisoro, Kitgum, Kotido, Kumi, Kyenjojo, Lira, Luwero, Masaka, Masindi, Mayuge, Mbale, Mbarara, Moroto, Moyo, Mpigi, Mubende, Mukono, Nakapiripirit, Nakasongola, Nebbi, Ntungamo, Pader, Pallisa, Rakai, Rukungiri, Sembabule, Sironko, Soroti, Tororo, Wakiso, Yumbe

 

Independence: 9 October 1962 (from UK)

 

National holiday: Independence Day, 9 October (1962)

 

Constitution: 8 October 1995; adopted by the interim, 284-member Constituent Assembly, charged with debating the draft constitution that had been proposed in May 1993; the Constituent Assembly was dissolved upon the promulgation of the constitution in October 1995

 

Legal system: in 1995, the government restored the legal system to one based on English common law and customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

 

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

 

Executive branch: chief of state: President Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI (since seizing power 26 January 1986); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government;head of government: President Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI (since seizing power 29 January 1986); Prime Minister Apollo NSIBAMBI (since 5 April 1999); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government; the prime minister assists the president in the supervision of the cabinet;cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among elected legislators;elections: president reelected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 12 March 2001 (next to be held NA 2006); note - first popular election for president since independence in 1962 was held in 1996; prime minister appointed by the president;election results: Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI elected president; percent of vote - Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI 69.3%, Kizza BESIGYE 27.8%

 

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (303 members - 214 directly elected by popular vote, 81 nominated by legally established special interest groups [women 56, army 10, disabled 5, youth 5, labor 5], 8 ex officio members; members serve five-year terms)

elections: last held 26 June 2001 (next to be held by June 2006);;election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; note - election campaigning by party was not permitted

 

Judicial branch: Court of Appeal (judges are appointed by the president and approved by the legislature); High Court (judges are appointed by the president)

 

Economy

 

Economy - overview: Uganda has substantial natural resources, including fertile soils, regular rainfall, and sizable mineral deposits of copper and cobalt. Agriculture is the most important sector of the economy, employing over 80% of the work force. Coffee accounts for the bulk of export revenues. Since 1986, the government - with the support of foreign countries and international agencies - has acted to rehabilitate and stabilize the economy by undertaking currency reform, raising producer prices on export crops, increasing prices of petroleum products, and improving civil service wages. The policy changes are especially aimed at dampening inflation and boosting production and export earnings. During 1990-2001, the economy turned in a solid performance based on continued investment in the rehabilitation of infrastructure, improved incentives for production and exports, reduced inflation, gradually improved domestic security, and the return of exiled Indian-Ugandan entrepreneurs. Corruption within the government and slippage in the government's determination to press reforms raise doubts about the continuation of strong growth. In 2000, Uganda qualified for enhanced Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) debt relief worth $1.3 billion and Paris Club debt relief worth $145 million. These amounts combined with the original HIPC debt relief added up to about $2 billion. Growth for 2001-02 was solid despite continued decline in the price of coffee, Uganda's principal export. Solid growth in 2003-04 reflected an upturn in Uganda's export markets.

 

GDP: purchasing power parity - $39.39 billion (2004 est.)

 

GDP - real growth rate: 5% (2004 est.)

 

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,500 (2004 est.)

 

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 35.8%;industry: 20.8%;services: 43.6% (2004 est.)

 

Labor force: 12.41 million (2004 est.)

 

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 82%, industry 5%, services 13% (1999 est.)

 

Unemployment rate: NA (2002 est.)

 

Population below poverty line: 35% (2001 est.)

 

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 4%;highest 10%: 21% (2000)

 

Distribution of family income - Gini index: 37.4 (1996)

 

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.5% (2004 est.)

 

Investment (gross fixed): 22.4% of GDP (2004 est.)

 

Budget: revenues: $1.491 billion;expenditures: $1.727 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)

 

Public debt: 73.9% of GDP (2004 est.)

 

Agriculture - products: coffee, tea, cotton, tobacco, cassava (tapioca), potatoes, corn, millet, pulses; beef, goat meat, milk, poultry, cut flowers

 

Industries: sugar, brewing, tobacco, cotton textiles, cement, steel production

 

Industrial production growth rate: 5.6% (2004 est.)

 

Electricity - production: 1.775 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - consumption: 1.401 billion kWh (2002)

 

Electricity - exports: 250 million kWh (2002)

 

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2002)

 

Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

 

Oil - consumption: 8,750 bbl/day (2001 est.)

 

Oil - exports: NA

 

Oil - imports: NA

 

Current account balance: $-590.8 million (2004 est.)

 

Exports: $621.7 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

 

Exports - commodities: coffee, fish and fish products, tea; gold, cotton, flowers, horticultural products

Exports - partners: Kenya 13.6%, Switzerland 11.2%, Netherlands 9.8%, Belgium 8.6%, France 4.2% (2004)

 

Imports: $1.306 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

 

Imports - commodities: capital equipment, vehicles, petroleum, medical supplies; cereals

 

Imports - partners: Kenya 27.9%, India 8%, UAE 7.4%, South Africa 6.9%, UK 5.9%, China 5.6%, Japan 5.1%, US 4.6% (2004)

 

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $1.2 billion (2004 est.)

 

Debt - external: $3.865 billion (2004 est.)

 

Economic aid - recipient: $1.4 billion (2000)

 

Currency (code): Ugandan shilling (UGX)

 

Exchange rates: Ugandan shillings per US dollar - 1,810.3 (2004), 1,963.7 (2003), 1,797.6 (2002), 1,755.7 (2001), 1,644.5 (2000)

 

Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

 

Communications

 

Telephones - main lines in use: 61,000 (2003)

 

Telephones - mobile cellular: 776,200 (2003)

 

Telephone system: general assessment: seriously inadequate; two cellular systems have been introduced, but a sharp increase in the number of main lines is essential; e-mail and Internet services are available;domestic: intercity traffic by wire, microwave radio relay, and radiotelephone communication stations, fixed and mobile cellular systems for short-range traffic;international: country code - 256; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat; analog links to Kenya and Tanzania

 

Radio broadcast stations: AM 7, FM 33, shortwave 2 (2001)

 

Television broadcast stations: 8 (plus one low-power repeater) (2001)

 

Internet country code: .ug

 

Internet hosts: 2,692 (2004)

 

Internet users: 125,000 (2003)

 

Transportation

 

Railways: total: 1,241 km;narrow gauge: 1,241 km 1.000-m gauge (2004)

 

Highways: total: 27,000 km;paved: 1,809 km;unpaved: 25,191 km (1999 est.)

 

Waterways: 300 km (on Lake Victoria, 200 km on Lake Albert, Lake Kyoga, and parts of Albert Nile) (2004 est.)

 

Ports and harbors: Entebbe, Jinja, Port Bell

 

Airports: 29 (2004 est.)

 

Airports - with paved runways: total: 4;over 3,047 m: 3;1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.)

 

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 25;2,438 to 3,047 m: 1;1,524 to 2,437 m: 6;914 to 1,523 m: 11;under 914 m: 7 (2004 est.)

 

Transnational Issues

 

Disputes - international: Uganda is subject to armed fighting among hostile ethnic groups, rebels, armed gangs, militias, and various government forces; Ugandan refugees have fled the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) into the southern Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo; LRA forces have also attacked Kenyan villages across the border