Uganda
Republic of Uganda
republicIndependence 9 October 1962 (from UK)
Uganda as the 2000 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 106 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
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 another 100,000 lives. During the 1990s the government has promulgated non-party presidential and legislative elections.
Geography
Eastern Africa, west of Kenya
18 fieldsClimate
- tropical;
- generally rainy with two dry seasons (December to February, June to August);
- semiarid in northeast
Land use
- arable land:
- 25%
- permanent crops:
- 9%
- permanent pastures:
- 9%
- forests and woodland:
- 28%
- other:
- 29% (1993 est.)
Environment - current issues
- draining of wetlands for agricultural use;
- deforestation;
- overgrazing;
- soil erosion;
- poaching is widespread
Environment - international agreements
- party to:
- Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
- signed, but not ratified:
- Environmental Modification
People
15 fieldsNote
Per 1,000 population(2000 est.)
Male · female
Age structure
- 0-14 years:
- 51% (male 5,986,645; female 5,936,754)
- 15-64 years:
- 47% (male 5,443,613; female 5,448,563)
- 65 years and over:
- 2% (male 240,819; female 261,166) (2000 est.)
Net migration rate
-2.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)
note: according to the UNHCR, by the end of 1998, Uganda was host to 205,000 refugees from a number of neighboring countries, including: Sudan 190,000,
Rwanda 7,500, and Democratic Republic of the Congo 5,400; refugees began returning to their countries of origin in 2000
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:
- 0.92 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 1 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
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
Government
Republic; President Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI (since seizing power 29 January 1986); President Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI (since seizing power 29 January 1986)
18 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
Administrative divisions
39 districts; Apac, Arua, Bundibugyo, Bushenyi, Gulu, Hoima, Iganga, Jinja, Kabale, Kabarole, Kalangala, Kampala, Kamuli, Kapchorwa, Kasese, Kibale, Kiboga, Kisoro, Kitgum, Kotido, Kumi, Lira, Luwero, Masaka, Masindi, Mbale, Mbarara, Moroto, Moyo, Mpigi, Mubende, Mukono, Nebbi, Ntungamo, Pallisa, Rakai, Rukungiri, Soroti, Tororo
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
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- President Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI (since seizing power 29 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 elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
- election last held 9 May 1996 (next to be held by 31 May 2001);
- 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 74%, Paul Kawanga SSEMOGERERE 24%, Muhammad MAYANJA 2%
Legislative branch
unicameral National Assembly (276 members - 214 directly elected by popular vote, 62 nominated by legally established special interest groups and approved by the president - women 39, army 10, disabled 5, youth 5, labor 3; members serve five-year terms)
- elections:
- last held 27 June 1996 (next to be held NA 2001);
- election results:
- NA; note - election campaigning by party was not permitted
Judicial branch
Court of Appeal, judges are appointed by the president; High Court, judges are appointed by the president
Political parties and leaders
- only one political organization, the National Resistance Movement or NRM [President MUSEVENI, chairman] is recognized;
- note - the president maintains that the NRM is not a political party, but a movement which claims the loyalty of all Ugandans
note: of the political parties that exist but are prohibited from sponsoring candidates, the most important are the Ugandan People's Congress or UPC [Milton OBOTE];
Democratic Party or DP [Paul SSEMOGERERE]; and Conservative Party or CP [Joshua S. MAYANJA-NKANGI]; the new constitution requires the suspension of political party activity until a referendum is held on the matter in 2000
International organization participation
ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, EADB, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Edith Grace SSEMPALA
- chancery:
- 5911 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011
- telephone:
- [1] (202) 726-7100 through 7102, 0416
- FAX:
- [1] (202) 726-1727
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Martin G. BRENNAN
- embassy:
- Parliament Avenue, Kampala
- mailing address:
- P. O. Box 7007, Kampala
- telephone:
- [256] (41) 259792, 259793, 259795
- FAX:
- [256] (41) 259794
Flag description
- six equal horizontal 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 hoist side
Economy
Uganda has substantial natural resources, including fertile soils, regular rainfall, and sizable mineral deposits of copper and cobalt.
31 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(1997 est.)
Electricity
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 is the major export crop and 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. In 1990-99, 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.
Ongoing Ugandan involvement in the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, growing corruption within the government, and slippage in the government's determination to press reforms raise doubts about the continuation of strong growth.
Agriculture - products
coffee, tea, cotton, tobacco, cassava (tapioca), potatoes, corn, millet, pulses; beef, goat meat, milk, poultry
Exchange rates
Ugandan shillings (USh) per US$1 - 1,525.8 (January 2000), 1,454.8 (1999), 1,240.2 (1998), 1,083.0 (1997), 1,046.1 (1996), 968.9 (1995)
Communications
8 fieldsTelephone system
- 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:
- satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat; analog links to Kenya and Tanzania
Transportation
9 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right
Networkskm
Railways
- total:
- 1,241 km
- narrow gauge:
- 1,241 km 1.000-m gauge
note: a program to rehabilitate the railroad is underway (1995)
Highways
- total:
- 27,000 km
- paved:
- 1,800 km
- unpaved:
- 25,200 km (of which about 4,800 km are all-weather roads) (1990 est.)
Waterways
Lake Victoria, Lake Albert, Lake Kyoga, Lake George, Lake Edward, Victoria Nile, Albert Nile
Merchant marine
- total:
- 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,091 GRT/8,229 DWT
- ships by type:
- roll-on/roll-off 3 (1999 est.)
Military
Army, Navy, Air Wing
5 fieldsTransnational Issues
1 fieldDisputes - international
Ugandan military forces are supporting the rebel forces in the civil war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo [Country Listing] [ The World Factbook Home]
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Uganda.” The World Factbook 2000. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/uganda/2000.