Geography
Area: 241,040 sq. km. (93,070 sq. mi.); about the size of Oregon.
Cities: Capital--Kampala (2002 pop. 1.2 million). Other
cities--Jinja, Gulu, Mbale, Mbarara.
Terrain: 18% inland water and swamp; 12% national parks, forest, and
game reserves; 70% forest, woodland, grassland.
Climate: In the northeast, semi-arid--rainfall less than 50 cm. (20
in.); in southwest, rainfall 130 cm. (50 in.) or more. Two dry
seasons: Dec.-Feb. and June-July.
People
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Ugandan(s).
Population (2003): 26.4 million.
Annual growth rate (2004 est.): 4.0%.
Ethnic groups: African 99%, European, Asian, Arab 1%.
Religions: Christian 66%, Muslim 16%, traditional and other 18%.
Languages: English (official); Luganda and Swahili widely used;
other Bantu and Nilotic languages.
Education: Attendance (2000; primary school enrollment,
public and private)--89%. Literacy (2003)--70%.
Health: Infant mortality rate--86/1,000. Life expectancy--45.3
yrs.
Government
Type: "Movement" system, with limited operation of political
parties.
Constitution: The current constitution was ratified on July 12,
1995, and promulgated on October 8, 1995. The constitution provides
for an executive president, to be elected every 5 years. Parliament
and the judiciary have significant amounts of independence and wield
significant power. President Yoweri Museveni, in power since 1986,
was elected under the new constitution in 1996 and re-elected in
2001. Formerly, the constitution limited the president to two terms.
However, in August 2005, the constitution was revised to allow an
incumbent to hold office for more than two terms.
Independence: October 9, 1962.
Branches: Executive--president, vice president, prime
minister, cabinet. Legislative--parliament. There are 214
directly elected representatives and special indirectly elected
seats for representatives of women 56, youth 5, workers 5, disabled
5, and the army 10. The president may also appoint up to 10
ex-officio members. Judicial--Magistrate's Court, High Court,
Court of Appeals, Supreme Court.
Administrative subdivisions: 56 districts.
Political parties (note: political party activity is highly
restricted): Uganda People's Congress (UPC), Democratic Party (DP),
Conservative Party (CP). There also are political alliances, such as
the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), that are not registered as
parties.
Suffrage: Universal adult.
National holiday: Independence Day, October 9.
Economy
GDP (purchasing power parity, 2003): $34.7 billion; (current prices,
2003) $7 billion.
Inflation rate (2003): 5.1%.
Natural resources: Copper, cobalt, limestone, phosphate.
Agriculture: Cash crops--coffee, tea, cotton, tobacco, sugar
cane, cut flowers, vanilla. Food crops--bananas, corn,
cassava, potatoes, millet, pulses. Livestock and fisheries--beef,
goat meat, milk, nile perch, tilapia.
Industry: Types--processing of agricultural products (cotton
ginning, coffee curing), cement production, light consumer goods,
textiles.
Trade (2003): Exports--$628 million: coffee, fish and fish
products, tea, electricity, horticultural products, vanilla.
Major markets--EU, Kenya, South Africa, U.K., U.S. Imports
(2003)--$1.34 billion: vehicles, petroleum, chemical, machinery.
Major suppliers--OPEC countries, Kenya, EU, India, South Africa,
U.S.
Fiscal year: July 1-June 30.
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