Uganda

republicIndependence 9 October 1962 (from UK)

Uganda as the 1990 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 69 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalKampala

Area236,040 km2

Populationas each edition published it

17.96 million July 1990 · 50.86m in 2025

Population growth% a year

Not in this edition 2.69% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 14.7 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

Not in this edition 38.4 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

7.4 children per woman 1990 · 5.08 in 2025

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

107 deaths per 1,000 live births 1990 · 27.5 in 2025

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

Not in this edition $300 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

Not in this edition 4% in 1993

Geography

11 fields

Land useshare of 236,040 km2

arable land 23%permanent crops 9%meadows and pastures 25%forest and woodland 30%other 13%includes NEGL% irrigated

Total area

236,040km2

land area: 199,710 km2Comparative area: slightly smaller than Oregon

Land boundaries

2,698km total

Kenya 933 km, Rwanda 169 km, Sudan 435 km, Tanzania 396 km, Zaire 765 km

Climate

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

Environment

straddles Equator;
deforestation;
overgrazing;
soil erosion

People

14 fields

Population

17,960,262

(July 1990), growth rate 3.5% (1990)

Per 1,000 population(1990)

Birth

52Death

17Net migration

Ethnic divisions

African 99%European 1%Asian; Arab

Labor force

4,500,000

(est.); 94% subsistence activities, 6% wage earners (est.); 50% of population of working age (1983)

Literacy

57.3%

Religion

33% Roman Catholic, 33% Protestant, 16% Muslim, rest indigenous beliefs

Language

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

Government

Republic

18 fields

National Resistance Council, 210 seats, elected 11-28 February 1989one dot, one seat

(278 total, 210 indirectly elected) NRM 210

Administrative divisions

10 provinces; Busoga, Central, Eastern, Karamoja, Nile, North Buganda, Northern, South Buganda, Southern, Western

Constitution

8 September 1967, suspended following coup of 27 July 1985; in process of constitutional revision

Legal system

government plans to restore system based on English common law and customary law and reinstitute a normal judicial system;
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Executive branch

president, prime minister, three deputy prime ministers, Cabinet

Court of Appeal, High Court Chief of State--President Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI (since 29 January 1986); Head of Government--Prime Minister Samson Babi Mululu KISEKKA (since 30 January 1986); First Deputy Prime Minister Eriya KATEGAYA (since NA)

Political parties and leaders

only party--National Resistance Movement (NRM);
note--the Uganda Patriotic Movement (UPM), Ugandan People's Congress (UPC), Democratic Party (DP), and Conservative Party (CP) are all proscribed from conducting public political activities

Suffrage

universal at age 18 National Resistance Council--last held 11-28 February 1989 (next to be held after January 1995);
results--NRM is the only party;
seats--(278 total, 210 indirectly elected) NRM 210

Other political parties or pressure groups

Uganda People's Democratic Movement (UPDM), Uganda People's Front (UPF), Uganda Freedom Movement (UFM), Holy Spirit Movement (HSM)

Communists

possibly a few sympathizers

Member of

ACP, AfDB, CCC, Commonwealth, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IDB--Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Stephen Kapimpina KATENTA-APULI;
5909 16th Street NW, Washington DC 20011;
telephone (202) 726-7100 through 7102;
US--Ambassador John A. BURROUGHS, Jr.;
Embassy at British High Commission Building, Obote Avenue, Kampala (mailing address is P. O. Box 7007, Kampala);
telephone [256] (41) 259791

Flag

six equal horizonal bands of black (top), yellow, red, black, yellow, and red;
a white disk is superimposed at the center and depicts a red-crested crane (the national symbol) facing the staff side

Economy

Uganda has substantial natural resources, including fertile soils, regular rainfall, and sizable mineral deposits of copper and cobalt.

16 fields

GDP, purchasing power parity

$4.9billion

per capita $300 (1988); real growth rate 6.1% (1989 est.)

Inflation, consumer prices

72%

(FY89)

External debt

$1.4billion

(1989 est.)

Budget

Revenues

$365 millionExpenditures

$545 million

expenditures, including capital expenditures of $165 million (FY89 est.)

Overview

Uganda has substantial natural resources, including fertile soils, regular rainfall, and sizable mineral deposits of copper and cobalt. For most of the past 15 years the economy has been devastated by political instability, mismanagement, and civil war, keeping Uganda poor with a per capita income of about $300.

(GDP remains below the levels of the early 1970s, as does industrial production.) Agriculture is the most important sector of the economy, employing over 80% of the work force. Coffee is the major export crop and accounted for 97% of export revenues in 1988. Since 1986 the government has acted to rehabilitate and stabilize the economy by undertaking currency reform, raising producer prices on export crops, increasing petroleum prices, and improving civil service wages.

The policy changes are especially aimed at dampening inflation, which was running at over 300% in 1987, and boosting production and export earnings.

Unemployment rate

NA%

Exports

$272 million (f.o.b., 1988);
commodities--coffee 97%, cotton, tea;
partners--US 25%, UK 18%, France 11%, Spain 10%

Imports

$626 million (c.i.f., 1988);
commodities--petroleum products, machinery, cotton piece goods, metals, transportation equipment, food;
partners--Kenya 25%, UK 14%, Italy 13%

Industrial production

growth rate 25.1% (1988)

Electricity

173,000 kW capacity; 312 million kWh produced, 18 kWh per capita (1989)

Industries

sugar, brewing, tobacco, cotton textiles, cement

Agriculture

accounts for 57% of GDP and 83% of labor force;
cash crops--coffee, tea, cotton, tobacco;
food crops--cassava, potatoes, corn, millet, pulses;
livestock products--beef, goat meat, milk, poultry;
self-sufficient in food

Aid

US commitments, including Ex-Im (1970-88), $123 million;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $1.0 billion;
OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $60 million;
Communist countries (1970-88), $140 million

Currency

Ugandan shilling (plural--shillings); 1 Ugandan shilling (USh) = 100 cents

Exchange rates

Ugandan shillings (USh) per US$1--370 (December 1989), 223.09 (1989), 106.14 (1988), 42.84 (1987), 14.00 (1986), 6.72 (1985)

Fiscal year

1 July-30 June

Communications

7 fields

Airports, 39 total, 30 usable

permanent-surface runways

5runways over 3,659 m

1runways 2,440-3,659 m

3runways 1,220-2,439 m

Networkskm

Highways

26,200Railroads

1,300

Highways: ; 1,970 km paved; 5,849 km crushed stone, gravel, and laterite; remainder earth roads and tracks · Railroads: , 1.000-meter-gauge single track