| 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 another 100,000 lives.
During the 1990s the government promulgated non-party
presidential and legislative elections. |
| Location: |
Eastern Africa,
west of Kenya |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
1 00 N, 32 00 E |
| Area: |
total:
236,040 sq km
land: 199,710 sq km
water: 36,330 sq km |
| Area
- comparative: |
slightly smaller
than Oregon |
| Land
boundaries: |
total:
2,698 km
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%
permanent crops: 9%
permanent pastures: 9%
forests and woodland: 28%
other: 29% (1993 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
90 sq km (1993
est.) |
| 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, 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 |
| Geography
- note: |
landlocked |
| Population: |
23,985,712
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 2001
est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
51.08% (male 6,150,038; female 6,100,880)
15-64 years: 46.78% (male 5,613,499; female
5,607,526)
65 years and over: 2.14% (male 244,216; female
269,553) (2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
2.93% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
47.52
births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
17.97
deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
-0.29 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 est.)
note: according to the UNHCR, by the end of
1999, Uganda was host to 218,000 refugees from a number of
neighboring countries, including: Sudan 200,600, Rwanda
8,000, and Democratic Republic of the Congo 8,000 |
| 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: 0.91 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
91.3 deaths/1,000
live births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 43.37 years
male: 42.59 years
female: 44.17 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
6.88 children
born/woman (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
8.3% (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
820,000 (1999
est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- deaths: |
110,000 (1999
est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun:
Ugandan(s)
adjective: Ugandan |
| Ethnic
groups: |
Baganda 17%,
Karamojong 12%, Basogo 8%, Iteso 8%, Langi 6%, Rwanda 6%,
Bagisu 5%, Acholi 4%, Lugbara 4%, Bunyoro 3%, Batoro 3%,
non-African (European, Asian, Arab) 1%, other 23% |
| 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: 61.8%
male: 73.7%
female: 50.2% (1995 est.) |
| Country
name: |
conventional
long form: Republic of Uganda
conventional short form: Uganda |
| Government
type: |
republic |
| Administrative
divisions: |
45 districts;
Adjumani, Apac, Arua, Bugiri, Bundibugyo, Bushenyi, Busia,
Gulu, Hoima, Iganga, Jinja, Kabale, Kabarole, Kalangala,
Kampala, Kamuli, Kapchorwa, Kasese, Katakwi, Kibale, Kiboga,
Kisoro, Kitgum, Kotido, Kumi, Lira, Luwero, Masaka, Masindi,
Mbale, Mbarara, Moroto, Moyo, Mpigi, Mubende, Mukono,
Nakasongola, Nebbi, Ntungamo, Pallisa, Rakai, Rukungiri,
Sembabule, Soroti, Tororo |
| 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 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 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 (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 May or June 2001);
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) |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
only one
political organization, the National Resistance Movement or
NRM [President MUSEVENI, chairman] is allowed to operate
unfettered; note - the president maintains that the NRM is
not a political party, but a movement which claims the
loyalty of all Ugandans
note: the new constitution requires the
suspension of political parties while the Movement system is
in governanace; 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]; Conservative
Party or CP [Joshua S. MAYANJA-NKANGI]; Justice Forum
[Muhammad Kibirige MAYANJA]; and National Democrats Forum [Chapaa
KARUHANGA] |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
NA |
| 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
- 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 1990-2000, 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, 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 HIPC debt relief worth $1.3 billion and Paris Club
debt relief worth $145 million. These amounts combined with
the original Highly Indebted Poor Countries HIPC debt relief
add up to about $2 billion. Growth for 2001 should be
somewhat lower than in 2000, because of a decline in the
price of coffee, Uganda's principal export. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power
parity - $26.2 billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
6% (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $1,100 (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
43%
industry: 17%
services: 40% (1998 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
55% (1993 est.) |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
3%
highest 10%: 33.4% (1992) |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
6.5% (2000) |
| Labor
force: |
8.361 million
(1993 est.) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
agriculture 82%,
industry 5%, services 13% (1999 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$959 million
expenditures: $1.04 billion, including capital
expenditures of $NA (FY98/99 est.) |
| Industries: |
sugar, brewing,
tobacco, cotton textiles, cement |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
7% (1999) |
| Electricity
- production: |
1.326 billion kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
0.98%
hydro: 99.02%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
1.06 billion kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
174 million kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
1 million kWh
(1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
coffee, tea,
cotton, tobacco, cassava (tapioca), potatoes, corn, millet,
pulses; beef, goat meat, milk, poultry |
| Exports: |
$500.1 million
(f.o.b., 1999) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
coffee, fish and
fish products, tea; electrical products, iron and steel |
| Exports
- partners: |
Spain, Germany,
Belgium, Netherlands, Hungary, Kenya (1999) |
| Imports: |
$1.1 billion
(f.o.b., 1999) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
vehicles,
petroleum, medical supplies; cereals |
| Imports
- partners: |
Kenya 27.5%, US
21.2%, France 19.3, UK 5%, India 4% (1999) |
| Debt
- external: |
$3.6 billion
(2000 est.) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$1.4 billion
(2000) |
| Currency: |
Ugandan shilling
(UGX) |
| Exchange
rates: |
Ugandan shillings
per US dollar - 1,700 (February 2001), 1,830.4 (January
2001), 1,644.5 (2000), 1,454.8 (1999), 1,240.2 (1998),
1,083.0 (1997), 1,046.1 (1996) |
| Fiscal
year: |
1 July - 30 June |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
50,074; however,
80,868 main lines were installed (1998) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
9,000 (1998) |
| 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: satellite earth stations - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat; analog links to
Kenya and Tanzania |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 19, FM 4,
shortwave 5 (1998) |
| Radios: |
2.6 million
(1997) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
8 (plus one
low-power repeater) (1999) |
| Televisions: |
315,000 (1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.ug |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
2 (2000) |
| Internet
users: |
25,000 (2000) |
| 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 4200 km are
all-weather roads) (1990) |
| Waterways: |
Lake Victoria,
Lake Albert, Lake Kyoga, Lake George, Lake Edward, Victoria
Nile, Albert Nile |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Entebbe, Jinja,
Port Bell |
| Merchant
marine: |
total:
3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,091 GRT/8,229 DWT
ships by type: roll on/roll off
note: these ships are in cargo and passenger
service on Uganda's inland waterways (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total:
4
over 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total:
24
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 9
under 914 m: 8 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
Army, Air Wing,
Marine Unit |
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age
15-49: 5,118,755 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age
15-49: 2,778,457 (2001 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$95 million
(FY98/99) |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
1.9% (FY98/99) |
| Disputes
- international: |
the Ugandan
military is deployed to the Democratic Republic of Congo in
support of rebel forces in that country's civil war; a
resurvey of the latitudinal boundary with Tanzania in 2000
revealed a 300-meter discrepancy that both sides are
currently adjudicating |
|
