Uganda
Republic of Uganda
republicIndependence 9 October 1962 (from the UK)
Uganda as the 2014 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 165 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
The colonial boundaries created by Britain to delimit Uganda grouped together a wide range of ethnic groups with different political systems and cultures. These differences prevented the establishment of a working political community after independence was achieved 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. The rule of Yoweri MUSEVENI since 1986 has brought relative stability and economic growth to Uganda. A constitutional referendum in 2005 cancelled a 19-year ban on multi-party politics.
Geography
East-Central Africa, west of Kenya, east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
20 fieldsLand useshare of 241,038 sq km
Climate
- tropical;
- generally rainy with two dry seasons (December to February, June to August);
- semiarid in northeast
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)
- total:
- 0.32 cu km/yr (41%/16%/43%)
- per capita:
- 12.31 cu m/yr (2005)
Environment - current issues
- draining of wetlands for agricultural use;
- deforestation;
- overgrazing;
- soil erosion;
- water hyacinth infestation in Lake Victoria;
- widespread poaching
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
People and Society
37 fieldsAge structuremale left, female right · (2014 est.)
Note
Per 1,000 population(2014 est.)
Male · female
Ethnic groups(2002 census)
Religions(2002 census)
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
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.03 male(s)/female
- 0-14 years:
- 0.99 male(s)/female
- 15-24 years:
- 0.99 male(s)/female
- 25-54 years:
- 1 male(s)/female
- 55-64 years:
- 0.99 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 0.8 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 0.99 male(s)/female (2014 est.)
Major infectious diseases
- degree of risk:
- very high
- food or waterborne diseases:
- bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever
- vectorborne diseases:
- malaria, dengue fever, and trypanosomiasis-Gambiense (African sleeping sickness)
- water contact disease:
- schistosomiasis
- animal contact disease:
- rabies (2013)
Child labor - children ages 5-14
- total number:
- 117,266
- percentage:
- 25 %
note: data represents children ages 5-17 working in the (2010 est.)
Government
Republic; President Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI (since seizing power on 26 January 1986); President Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI (since seizing power on 26 January 1986)
21 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
National Assembly, 375 seats, elected 18 February 2011seats by party
Capital
- name:
- Kampala
- geographic coordinates:
- 0 19 N, 32 33 E
- time difference:
- UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions
111 districts and 1 capital city*; Abim, Adjumani, Agago, Alebtong, Amolatar, Amudat, Amuria, Amuru, Apac, Arua, Budaka, Bududa, Bugiri, Buhweju, Buikwe, Bukedea, Bukomansimbi, Bukwa, Bulambuli, Buliisa, Bundibugyo, Bushenyi, Busia, Butaleja, Butambala, Buvuma, Buyende, Dokolo, Gomba, Gulu, Hoima, Ibanda, Iganga, Isingiro, Jinja, Kaabong, Kabale, Kabarole, Kaberamaido, Kalangala, Kaliro, Kalungu, Kampala*, Kamuli, Kamwenge, Kanungu, Kapchorwa, Kasese, Katakwi, Kayunga, Kibaale, Kiboga, Kibuku, Kiruhura, Kiryandongo, Kisoro, Kitgum, Koboko, Kole, Kotido, Kumi, Kween, Kyankwanzi, Kyegegwa, Kyenjojo, Lamwo, Lira, Luuka, Luwero, Lwengo, Lyantonde, Manafwa, Maracha, Masaka, Masindi, Mayuge, Mbale, Mbarara, Mitooma, Mityana, Moroto, Moyo, Mpigi, Mubende, Mukono, Nakapiripirit, Nakaseke, Nakasongola, Namayingo, Namutumba, Napak, Nebbi, Ngora, Ntoroko, Ntungamo, Nwoya, Otuke, Oyam, Pader, Pallisa, Rakai, Rubirizi, Rukungiri, Sembabule, Serere, Sheema, Sironko, Soroti, Tororo, Wakiso, Yumbe, Zombo
Constitution
- several previous;
- latest adopted 27 September 1995, promulgated 8 October 1995;
- amended many times, last in 2005 (2011)
International law organization participation
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- President Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI (since seizing power on 26 January 1986); Vice President Edward SSEKANDI (since 24 May 2011) note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
- head of government:
- President Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI (since seizing power on 26 January 1986); Prime Minister Amama MBABAZI (since 24 May 2011); note - the prime minister assists the president in supervising the cabinet
- cabinet:
- Cabinet appointed by the president from among elected legislators; (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website)
- elections:
- president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held on 18 February 2011 (next to be held in 2016)
- election results:
- Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI re-elected president; percent of vote - Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI 68.4%, Kizza BESIGYE 26.0%, other 5.6%
Legislative branch
unicameral National Assembly (375 seats; 238 members elected by popular vote, 112 women directly elected, 25 nominated by legally established special interest groups [army 10, disabled 5, youth 5, labor 5], additional ex-officio members may be nominated by the president; members serve five-year terms)
- elections:
- last held on 18 February 2011 (next to be held in 2016)
- election results:
- percent of vote by party - NA;
- seats by party - NRM 263, FDC 34, DP 12, UPC 10, UPDF 10, CP 1, JEEMA 1, independents 43, vacant 1;
- note - UPDF is the Uganda People's Defense Force
Judicial branch
- highest court(s):
- Supreme Court of Uganda (consists of the chief justice and 5 justices)
- judge selection and term of office:
- justices appointed by the president in consultation with the Judicial Service Commission (a 9-member independent advisory body) and with approval of the National Assembly;
- justices serve until mandatory retirement at age 70
- subordinate courts:
- Court of Appeal (also sits as the Constitutional Court);
- High Court (includes 10 High Court Circuits and 7 High Court Divisions);
- Chief Magistrate Grade One and Grade Two Courts
Political parties and leaders
- Conservative Party or CP [Ken LUKYAMUZI]
- Democratic Party or DP [Norbert MAO]
- Forum for Democratic Change or FDC [Muntu MUGISHA]
- Inter-Party Co-operation or IPC (a coalition of opposition groups)
- Justice Forum or JEEMA [Asuman BASALIRWA]
- National Resistance Movement or NRM [Yoweri MUSEVENI]
- Peoples Progressive Party or PPP [Bidandi SSALI]
- Ugandan People's Congress or UPC [Olara OTUNNU]
note: a national referendum in July 2005 opened the way for Uganda's transition to a multi-party political system
Political pressure groups and leaders
- Lord's Resistance Army or LRA [Joseph KONY]
- Parliamentary Advocacy Forum or PAFO
- National Association of Women Organizations in Uganda or NAWOU [Florence NEKYON]
- The Ugandan Coalition for Political Accountability to Women or COPAW
International organization participation
ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, EAC, EADB, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Oliver WONEKHA (since 6 June 2013)
- 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 Scott H. DELISI (since 18 July 2012)
- embassy:
- 1577 Ggaba Road, Kampala
- mailing address:
- P. O. Box 7007, Kampala
- telephone:
- [256] (414) 259 791 through 93, 95
- FAX:
- [256] (414) 259-794
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 grey crowned crane (the national symbol) facing the hoist side;
- black symbolizes the African people, yellow sunshine and vitality, red African brotherhood;
- the crane was the military badge of Ugandan soldiers under the UK
National anthem
- name:
- "Oh Uganda, Land of Beauty!"
- lyrics/music:
- George Wilberforce KAKOMOA
note: adopted 1962
Economy
Uganda has substantial natural resources, including fertile soils, regular rainfall, small deposits of copper, gold, and other minerals, and recently discovered oil.
41 fieldsGDP - composition, by sector of origin(2013 est.)
Trading partnersexports left, imports right
By end use% of GDP
Economy - overview
Uganda has substantial natural resources, including fertile soils, regular rainfall, small deposits of copper, gold, and other minerals, and recently discovered oil. Uganda has never conducted a national minerals survey. 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. Since 1990 economic reforms ushered in an era of solid economic growth based on continued investment in infrastructure, improved incentives for production and exports, lower inflation, better domestic security, and the return of exiled Indian-Ugandan entrepreneurs.
The global economic downturn hurt Uganda's exports; however, Uganda's GDP growth has largely recovered due to past reforms and sound management of the downturn. Oil revenues and taxes will become a larger source of government funding as oil comes on line in the next few years. Instability in South Sudan is a risk for the Ugandan economy because Uganda's main export partner is Sudan, and Uganda is a key destination for Sudanese refugees.
Unreliable power, high energy costs, inadequate transportation infrastructure, and corruption inhibit economic development and investor confidence.
Gross national saving
17.4% of GDP (2013 est.) · 14.7% of GDP (2012 est.) · 13.1% of GDP (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 93
Agriculture - products
coffee, tea, cotton, tobacco, cassava (manioc, tapioca), potatoes, corn, millet, pulses, cut flowers; beef, goat meat, milk, poultry
Distribution of family income - Gini index
44.3 (2009) · 45.7 (2002) country comparison to the world: 46
Central bank discount rate
14% (31 December 2010 est.) · 9.65% (31 December 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 29
Commercial bank prime lending rate
23.7% (31 December 2013 est.) · 26.31% (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 10
Stock of narrow money
$2.455 billion (31 December 2013 est.) · $2.015 billion (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 121
Stock of broad money
$4.049 billion (31 December 2013 est.) · $3.293 billion (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 137
Stock of domestic credit
$3.67 billion (31 December 2013 est.) · $3.042 billion (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 120
Current account balance
-$1.908 billion (2013 est.) · -$2.232 billion (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 139
Exports - commodities
coffee, fish and fish products, tea, cotton, flowers, horticultural products; gold
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$3.579 billion (31 December 2013 est.) · $3.167 billion (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 102 note: excludes gold
Debt - external
$5.223 billion (31 December 2013 est.) · $4.461 billion (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 119
Exchange rates
Ugandan shillings (UGX) per US dollar - 2,604.6 (2013 est.) · 2,505.6 (2012 est.) · 2,177.6 (2010 est.) · 2,030 (2009) · 1,658.1 (2008)
Energy
23 fieldsInstalled generating capacity, 539,000 kW(2010 est.)
Crude oil - proved reserves
2.5 billion bbl (1 January 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 34
Natural gas - proved reserves
14.16 billion cu m (1 January 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 79
Communications
7 fieldsTelephone system
- general assessment:
- mobile cellular service is increasing rapidly, but the number of main lines is still deficient;
- work underway on a national backbone information and communications technology infrastructure;
- international phone networks and Internet connectivity provided through satellite and VSAT applications
- domestic:
- intercity traffic by wire, microwave radio relay, and radiotelephone communication stations, fixed and mobile-cellular systems for short-range traffic;
- mobile-cellular teledensity about 50 per 100 persons in 2010
- international:
- country code - 256;
- satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat;
- analog links to Kenya and Tanzania (2011)
Broadcast media
- public broadcaster, Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC), operates radio and TV networks;
- Uganda first began licensing privately owned stations in the 1990s;
- by 2007 there were nearly 150 radio and 35 TV stations, mostly based in and around Kampala;
- transmissions of multiple international broadcasters are available in Kampala (2007)
Transportation
7 fieldsAirports by runway lengthunpaved only
Networkskm
Roadways
- total:
- 20,000 km (does not include local roads)
country comparison to the world: 109
- paved:
- 3,264 km
- unpaved:
- 16,736 km (2011)
Waterways
(there are no long navigable stretches of river in Uganda; parts of the Albert Nile that flow out of Lake Albert in the northwestern part of the country are navigable; several lakes including Lake Victoria and Lake Kyoga have substantial traffic; Lake Albert is navigable along a 200-km stretch from its northern tip to its southern shores) (2011)
Military
Uganda People's Defense Force (UPDF): Land Forces (includes Marine Unit), Uganda Air Force (2013)
6 fieldsMilitary branches
Uganda People's Defense Force (UPDF): Land Forces (includes Marine Unit), Uganda Air Force (2013)
Military service age and obligation
- 18-26 years of age for voluntary military duty;
- 18-30 years of age for professionals;
- no conscription;
- 9-year service obligation;
- the government has stated that while recruitment under 18 years of age could occur with proper consent, "no person under the apparent age of 18 years shall be enrolled in the armed forces";
- Ugandan citizenship and secondary education required (2012)
Manpower available for military service
- males age 16-49:
- 7,249,271
- females age 16-49:
- 7,025,439 (2010 est.)
Transnational Issues
2 fieldsDisputes - international
- Uganda is subject to armed fighting among hostile ethnic groups, rebels, armed gangs, militias, and various government forces that extend across its borders;
- Ugandan refugees as well as members of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) seek shelter in southern Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Garamba National Park;
- LRA forces have also attacked Kenyan villages across the border
Refugees and internally displaced persons
- refugees (country of origin):
- 155,742 (Democratic Republic of Congo);
- 13,376 (Rwanda);
- 10,578 (Burundi) (2013);
- 137,844 (South Sudan);
- 18,534 (Somalia) (2014)
- IDPs:
- up to 29,800 (displacement in northern Uganda because of fighting between government forces and the Lord's Resistance Army; as of 2011, most of the 1.8 million people displaced to IDP camps at the height of the conflict had returned home or resettled, but many had not found durable solutions; intercommunal violence and cattle raids) (2011)
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Uganda.” The World Factbook 2014. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/uganda/2014.