1992 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1992 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
tropical; generally rainy with two dry seasons (December to February, June to August); semiarid in northeast
Coastline
none - landlocked
Comparative area
slightly smaller than Oregon
Disputes
none
Environment
straddles Equator; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion
Land area
199,710 km2
Land boundaries
2,698 km total; Kenya 933 km, Rwanda 169 km, Sudan 435 km, Tanzania 396 km, Zaire 765 km
Land use
arable land 23%; permanent crops 9%; meadows and pastures 25%; forest and woodland 30%; other 13%; includes irrigated NEGL%
Maritime claims
none - landlocked
Natural resources
copper, cobalt, limestone, salt
Note
landlocked
Terrain
mostly plateau with rim of mountains
Total area
236,040 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
51 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate
14 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Ethnic divisions
African 99%, European, Asian, Arab 1%
Infant mortality rate
91 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Labor force
4,500,000 (est.); 50% of population of working age (1983)
Languages
English (official); Luganda and Swahili widely used; other Bantu and Nilotic languages
Life expectancy at birth
50 years male, 52 years female (1992)
Literacy
48% (male 62%, female 35%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Nationality
noun - Ugandan(s); adjective - Ugandan
Net migration rate
0 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Organized labor
125,000 union members
Population
19,386,104 (July 1992), growth rate 3.7% (1992)
Religions
Roman Catholic 33%, Protestant 33%, Muslim 16%, rest indigenous beliefs
Total fertility rate
7.2 children born/woman (1992)
Government
Administrative divisions
10 provinces; Busoga, Central, Eastern, Karamoja, Nile, North Buganda, Northern, South Buganda, Southern, Western
Capital
Kampala
Chief of State
President Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI (since 29 January 1986); Vice President Samson Babi Mululu KISEKKA (since NA January 1991)
Constitution
8 September 1967, in process of constitutional revision
Diplomatic representation
Ambassador Stephen Kapimpina KATENTA-APULI; 5909 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011; telephone (202) 726-7100 through 7102 US: Ambassador Johnnie CARSON; Embassy at Parliament Avenue, Kampala (mailing address is P. O. Box 7007, Kampala); telephone [256] (41) 259792, 259793, 259795
Executive branch
president, vice president, prime minister, three deputy prime ministers, Cabinet
Flag
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 staff side
Head of Government
Prime Minister George Cosmas ADYEBO (since NA January 1991)
Independence
9 October 1962 (from UK)
Judicial branch
Court of Appeal, High Court
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
Legislative branch
unicameral National Resistance Council
Long-form name
Republic of Uganda
Member of
ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, EADB, ECA, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IGADD, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, OIC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
National holiday
Independence Day, 9 October (1962)
National Resistance Council
last held 11-28 February 1989 (next to be held by January 1995); results - NRM was the only party; seats - (278 total, 210 indirectly elected) 210 members elected without party affiliation
Other political or pressure groups
Uganda People's Front (UPF), Uganda People's Christian Democratic Army (UPCDA), Ruwenzori Movement
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
Type
republic
Economy
Agriculture
mainly subsistence; accounts for 57% of GDP and over 80% 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
Budget
revenues $365 million; expenditures $545 million, including capital expenditures of $165 million (FY89 est.)
Currency
Ugandan shilling (plural - shillings); 1 Ugandan shilling (USh) = 100 cents
Economic aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (1970-89), $145 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $1.4 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $60 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $169 million
Electricity
175,000 kW capacity; 315 million kWh produced, 15 kWh per capita (1991)
Exchange rates
Ugandan shillings (USh) per US$1 - 1,031.3 (March 1992), 734.0 (1991), 428.85 (1990), 223.1 (1989), 106.1 (1988), 42.8 (1987)
Exports
$208 million (f.o.b., 1990) commodities: coffee 97%, cotton, tea partners: US 25%, UK 18%, France 11%, Spain 10%
External debt
$1.9 billion (1991 est.)
Fiscal year
1 July - 30 June
GDP
exchange rate conversion - $5.6 billion, per capita $300; real growth rate 4.5% (1991 est.)
Imports
$209 million (c.i.f., 1990) commodities: petroleum products, machinery, cotton piece goods, metals, transportation equipment, food partners: Kenya 25%, UK 14%, Italy 13%
Industrial production
growth rate 7.0% (1990); accounts for 5% of GDP
Industries
sugar, brewing, tobacco, cotton textiles, cement
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
35% (1991 est.)
Overview
Uganda has substantial natural resources, including fertile soils, regular rainfall, and sizable mineral deposits of copper and cobalt. The economy has been devastated by widespread political instability, mismanagement, and civil war since independence in 1962, 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 accounts for the bulk of export revenues. 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. During the period 1990-91, the economy turned in a solid performance based on continued investment in the rehabilitation of infrastructure, improved incentives for production and exports, and gradually improving domestic security.
Unemployment rate
NA%
Communications
Airports
35 total, 27 usable; 5 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m; 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 10 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
6 major transport aircraft
Highways
26,200 km total; 1,970 km paved; 5,849 km crushed stone, gravel, and laterite; remainder earth roads and tracks
Inland waterways
Lake Victoria, Lake Albert, Lake Kyoga, Lake George, Lake Edward; Victoria Nile, Albert Nile; principal inland water ports are at Jinja and Port Bell, both on Lake Victoria
Merchant marine
1 roll-on/roll-off (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,697 GRT
Railroads
1,300 km, 1.000-meter-gauge single track
Telecommunications
fair system with microwave and radio communications stations; broadcast stations - 10 AM, no FM, 9 TV; satellite communications ground stations - 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT
Military and Security
Branches
Army, Navy, Air Force
Defense expenditures
$NA, NA% of GDP
Manpower availability
males 15-49, about 4,132,887; about 2,243,933 for military service