2005 Edition

Administrative divisions

56 districts; Adjumani, Apac, Arua, Bugiri, Bundibugyo, Bushenyi, Busia, Gulu, Hoima, Iganga, Jinja, Kabale, Kabarole, Kaberamaido, Kalangala, Kampala, Kamuli, Kamwenge, Kanungu, Kapchorwa, Kasese, Katakwi, Kayunga, Kibale, Kiboga, Kisoro, Kitgum, Kotido, Kumi, Kyenjojo, Lira, Luwero, Masaka, Masindi, Mayuge, Mbale, Mbarara, Moroto, Moyo, Mpigi, Mubende, Mukono, Nakapiripirit, Nakasongola, Nebbi, Ntungamo, Pader, Pallisa, Rakai, Rukungiri, Sembabule, Sironko, Soroti, Tororo, Wakiso, Yumbe

Age structure

0-14 years: 50.1% (male 6,875,663/female 6,784,378) 15-64 years: 47.7% (male 6,511,867/female 6,494,859) 65 years and over: 2.2% (male 263,790/female 338,925) (2005 est.)

Agriculture - products

coffee, tea, cotton, tobacco, cassava (tapioca), potatoes, corn, millet, pulses; beef, goat meat, milk, poultry, cut flowers

Airports

29 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total

4 over 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

25 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 7 (2004 est.) Military Uganda

Area

land

199,710 sq km

total

236,040 sq km

water

36,330 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Oregon

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 at least another 100,000 lives. During the 1990s, the government promulgated non-party presidential and legislative elections. Geography Uganda

Birth rate

47.39 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Budget

expenditures

$1.727 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)

revenues

$1.491 billion

Capital

Kampala

Climate

tropical; generally rainy with two dry seasons (December to February, June to August); semiarid in northeast

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Constitution

8 October 1995

Country name

conventional long form

Republic of Uganda

conventional short form

Uganda

Currency (code)

Ugandan shilling (UGX)

Currency code

UGX

Current account balance

$-590.8 million (2004 est.)

Death rate

12.8 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Debt - external

$3.865 billion (2004 est.)

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Jimmy KOLKER

embassy

1577 Ggaba Rd., Kampala

FAX

[256] (41) 258-451

mailing address

P. O. Box 7007, Kampala

telephone

[256] (41) 234-142

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

5911 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011

chief of mission

Ambassador Edith Grace SSEMPALA

FAX

[1] (202) 726-1727

telephone

[1] (202) 726-7100 through 7102, 0416

Disputes - international

Uganda is subject to armed fighting among hostile ethnic groups, rebels, armed gangs, militias, and various government forces; Ugandan refugees have fled the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) into the southern Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo; LRA forces have also attacked Kenyan villages across the border

Distribution of family income - Gini index

37.4 (1996)

Economic aid - recipient

$1.4 billion (2000)

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 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. During 1990-2001, 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. 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 Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) debt relief worth $1.3 billion and Paris Club debt relief worth $145 million. These amounts combined with the original HIPC debt relief added up to about $2 billion. Growth for 2001-02 was solid despite continued decline in the price of coffee, Uganda's principal export. Solid growth in 2003-04 reflected an upturn in Uganda's export markets.

Electricity - consumption

1.401 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports

250 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - production

1.775 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

0.9%

hydro

99.1%

nuclear

0%

other

0% (2001)

Elevation extremes

highest point

Margherita Peak on Mount Stanley 5,110 m

lowest point

Lake Albert 621 m

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, 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

Ethnic groups

Baganda 17%, Ankole 8%, Basoga 8%, Iteso 8%, Bakiga 7%, Langi 6%, Rwanda 6%, Bagisu 5%, Acholi 4%, Lugbara 4%, Batoro 3%, Bunyoro 3%, Alur 2%, Bagwere 2%, Bakonjo 2%, Jopodhola 2%, Karamojong 2%, Rundi 2%, non-African (European, Asian, Arab) 1%, other 8%

Exchange rates

Ugandan shillings per US dollar - 1,810.3 (2004), 1,963.7 (2003), 1,797.6 (2002), 1,755.7 (2001), 1,644.5 (2000)

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet appointed by the president from among elected legislators

chief of state

President Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI (since seizing power 26 January 1986); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government

election results

Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI elected president; percent of vote - Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI 69.3%, Kizza BESIGYE 27.8%

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

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

Exports

$621.7 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities

coffee, fish and fish products, tea; gold, cotton, flowers, horticultural products

Exports - partners

Kenya 15%, Netherlands 10.7%, Belgium 9%, France 4.4%, Germany 4.4% (2004)

Fiscal year

1 July - 30 June Communications Uganda

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

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

35.8%

industry

20.8%

services

43.6% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $1,500 (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

5% (2004 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$39.39 billion (2004 est.)

Geographic coordinates

1 00 N, 32 00 E

Geography - note

landlocked; fertile, well-watered country with many lakes and rivers People Uganda

Government type

republic

Highways

paved

1,809 km

total

27,000 km

unpaved

25,191 km (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

4.1% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

78,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

530,000 (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 4% highest 10%: 21% (2000)

Imports

$1.306 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities

capital equipment, vehicles, petroleum, medical supplies; cereals

Imports - partners

Kenya 32.3%, UAE 7.3%, South Africa 6.5%, India 5.8%, China 5.6%, UK 5.1%, US 4.8%, Japan 4.8% (2004)

Independence

9 October 1962 (from UK)

Industrial production growth rate

5.6% (2004 est.)

Industries

sugar, brewing, tobacco, cotton textiles, cement, steel production

Infant mortality rate

female

64.37 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

male

71.18 deaths/1,000 live births

total

67.83 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

3.5% (2004 est.)

International organization participation

ACP, AfDB, AU, C, EADB, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Internet country code

.ug

Internet hosts

2,692 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

2 (2000)

Internet users

125,000 (2003) Transportation Uganda

Investment (gross fixed)

22.4% of GDP (2004 est.)

Irrigated land

90 sq km (1998 est.)

Judicial branch

Court of Appeal (judges are appointed by the president and approved by the legislature); High Court (judges are appointed by the president)

Labor force

12.41 million (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 82%, industry 5%, services 13% (1999 est.)

Land boundaries

border countries

Democratic Republic of the Congo 765 km, Kenya 933 km, Rwanda 169 km, Sudan 435 km, Tanzania 396 km

total

2,698 km

Land use

arable land

25.88%

other

63.47% (2001)

permanent crops

10.65%

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

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

Legislative branch

unicameral National Assembly (303 members - 214 directly elected by popular vote, 81 nominated by legally established special interest groups [women 56, army 10, disabled 5, youth 5, labor 5], 8 ex officio members; members serve five-year terms)

election results

percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; note - election campaigning by party was not permitted

elections

last held 26 June 2001 (next to be held by June 2006);

Life expectancy at birth

female

52.46 years (2005 est.)

male

50.74 years

total population

51.59 years

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

female

60.4% (2003 est.) Government Uganda

male

79.5%

total population

69.9%

Location

Eastern Africa, west of Kenya

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk

very high

food or waterborne diseases

bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases

malaria and African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) are high risks in some locations

water contact disease

schistosomiasis (2004)

Manpower available for military service

males age 18-49: 5,012,620 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 18-49: 2,889,808 (2005 est.)

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Median age

female

15.08 years (2005 est.)

male

14.87 years

total

14.97 years

Military branches

Ugandan Peoples' Defense Force (UPDF): Army, Marine Unit, Air Wing

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$170.3 million (2004)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

2.2% (2004) Transnational Issues Uganda

Military service age and obligation

18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military duty; the government has stated that recruitment below that age could occur with proper consent and that "no person under the apparent age of 13 years shall be enrolled in the armed forces"

National holiday

Independence Day, 9 October (1962)

Nationality

adjective

Ugandan

noun

Ugandan(s)

Natural hazards

NA

Natural resources

copper, cobalt, hydropower, limestone, salt, arable land

Net migration rate

-1.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption

8,750 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

NA

Oil - imports

NA

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Political parties and leaders

only one political organization, the Movement (formerly the NRM) [President MUSEVENI, chairman] is allowed to operate unfettered; note - the president maintains that the Movement is not a political party, but a mass organization, which claims the loyalty of all Ugandans note: the constitution requires the suspension of political parties while the Movement organization is in governance; 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 [Ken LUKYAMUZI]; Justice Forum [Muhammad Kibirige MAYANJA]; and National Democrats Forum [Chapaa KARUHANGA]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Popular Resistance Against a Life President or PRALP

Population

27,269,482 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 2005 est.)

Population below poverty line

35% (2001 est.)

Population growth rate

3.31% (2005 est.)

Ports and harbors

Entebbe, Jinja, Port Bell

Public debt

73.9% of GDP (2004 est.)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 7, FM 33, shortwave 2 (2001)

Radios

5 million (2001)

Railways

narrow gauge

1,241 km 1.000-m gauge (2004)

total

1,241 km

Refugees and internally displaced persons

IDPs

1.4 million note - ongoing Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebellion, mainly in the north; LRA frequently attacks IDP camps (2004) This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005 ======================================================================

refugees (country of origin)

184,731 (Sudan) 18,000 (Rwanda)

Religions

Roman Catholic 33%, Protestant 33%, Muslim 16%, indigenous beliefs 18%

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$1.2 billion (2004 est.)

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: 0.78 male(s)/female

total population

1 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Telephone system

domestic

intercity traffic by wire, microwave radio relay, and radiotelephone communication stations, fixed and mobile cellular systems for short-range traffic

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

international

country code - 256; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat; analog links to Kenya and Tanzania

Telephones - main lines in use

61,000 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular

776,200 (2003)

Television broadcast stations

8 (plus one low-power repeater) (2001)

Televisions

500,000 (2001)

Terrain

mostly plateau with rim of mountains

Total fertility rate

6.74 children born/woman (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate

NA (2002 est.)

Waterways

300 km (on Lake Victoria, 200 km on Lake Albert, Lake Kyoga, and parts of Albert Nile) (2004 est.)