56 Important Facts About Uganda

Last updated on January 12th, 2022

28. Unemployment is a huge concern in Uganda and many locals find work with local cottage industries and many are still unemployed.

29. The supreme court of Uganda has a chief justice and at least 10 other justices.

30. Uganda is also famous for its coffee.

Uganda on the map

31. Coffee and cotton are the cash crops that bring in a significant amount of revenue to the country.

32. In fact, Uganda is among the top ten coffee producing countries in the world with Brazil topping the list and Vietnam at the second spot.

33. There are three UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Uganda. One is cultural – Tombs of Buganda Kings at Kasubi (2001) and two are natural – Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (1994) and Rwenzori Mountains National Park (1994). Learn more…

34. The bicycle is a hot favorite among the local population. People use it on a daily basis.

35. The first post-independence election in Uganda was held in 1962.

36. Uganda receives regular rainfall and there is ample fertile land in the country, which is the reason why the majority of its population is engaged in agriculture and related work.

37. The Government and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) are having a conflict in the north of the country because of which the country is suffering.

38. Uganda is believed to have the potential to feed all of the Africa if it was commercially and sensibly farmed. But due to political instability and erratic political management, the country itself is susceptible to starvation in the future.

39. Strong emphasis is paid on primary school education; however, secondary school education is not available to almost 85% of the children.

40. The world famous River Nile originates in Uganda. It is also known as the father of African rivers. The river passes through 11 countries including Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, South Sudan, Sudan and Egypt. The river is approximately 6,853 kilometers long.

Read: facts about Zimbabwe

41. Out of the four regions: Northern (85,391.7 km2), Eastern (39,478.8 km2), Western (55,276.6 km2) and Central (61,403.2 km2), that Uganda is divided into, the central region is the most urbanized and is also home to the nation’s capital – Kampala.

42. According to World Bank, in 2015, Uganda had 84% of its population living in the rural areas.

43. Uganda shares Lake Victoria with Tanzania and Kenya. Lake Victoria is also Africa’s largest fresh water lake.

44. Uganda was under military rule for more than 20 years after its independence from Britain and before the appointment of Yoweri Museveni as the president of the country in 1986.

45. Poverty in Uganda: In 2013, Uganda had 19.7% of its population living below the poverty line.

46. Bantu speakers constitute the largest portion of the population of Uganda.

47. Uganda has been ranked at the number one tourist spot for the year 2012 by Lonely Planet, a travel website and a premium travel media publisher in the world.

48. CNN listed Uganda among the top 16 holiday destinations for 2016.

49. Uganda is the world’s second most populous landlocked country after Ethiopia.

50. A UN secretary for humanitarian affairs declared the war in the northern Uganda as the “largest neglected humanitarian emergency in the world”.

51. Uganda is a cash-based economy as the infrastructure in the country is not developed to support cashless transactions as in the other developing and developed countries.

52. In 2014, the country’s first female-only gym was inaugurated in Uganda by 25-year-old Mildred Apenyo.

53. Did you know that Uganda hosts more refugees than any other country in Africa? There are more than 21 million refugees in the world and 86% of them have found shelter in developing nations (nations that are themselves struggling to provide basic necessities to their people).

Read: facts about Madagascar

54. Margherita Peak on Mount Stanley is the highest peak of Uganda. Mount Stanley (5,109m) is also the third highest mountain is Africa after Kilimanjaro (5,895m).

55. Lake Albert is the lowest point in Uganda at 621m.

56. It is estimated that Ugandans drink 11.93 liters of alcohol per person per year, making it the second top country in Africa for that matter. Nigeria is at the number one spot on this list with an average alcohol consumption of 12.28 liters per person per year.

This is how Ugandans are helping refugees. A good lesson for rest of the world.

Uganda – country at a glance

Independence9 October 1962 (from the UK)
Capital CityKampala
(0.3476° N, 32.5825° E)
Largest CityKampala
(0.3476° N, 32.5825° E)
Areatotal: 241,038 sq km
land: 197,100 sq km
water: 43,938 sq km
Population46,205,893 (2022 est.)
Literacy76.5%
Suffrage18 years of age; universal
Official LanguageEnglish, Swahili
DemonymUgandan
ContinentAfrica
BordersKenya, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and Tanzania
CurrencyUgandan shilling (UGX)
ReligionProtestant 45.1% (Anglican 32.0%, Pentecostal/Born Again/Evangelical 11.1%, Seventh Day Adventist 1.7%, Baptist .3%), Roman Catholic 39.3%, Muslim 13.7%, other 1.6%, none 0.2% (2014 est.)
Life expectancy68.96 years (2022)
Life expectancy at birth indicates the number of years a newborn infant would live if prevailing patterns of mortality at the time of its birth were to stay the same throughout its life.
Government typepresidential republic
PresidentYoweri Museveni
Vice PresidentJessica Alupo
National symbolgrey crowned crane
National colorsblack, yellow, red
National anthem"Oh Uganda, Land of Beauty!"
Natural resourcescopper, cobalt, hydropower, limestone, salt, arable land, gold
Climatetropical; generally rainy with two dry seasons (December to February, June to August); semiarid in northeast
Terrainmostly plateau with rim of mountains
Lowest pointAlbert Nile 614 m
Highest pointMargherita Peak on Mount Stanley 5,110 m
Agricultural land71.2%
Birth rate40.94 births/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Death rate5.02 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Sex ratio0.95 male(s)/female (2022 est.)
Industriessugar, brewing, tobacco, cotton textiles; cement, steel production
Exports$6.12 billion (2019 est.)
gold, coffee, milk, fish and fish products, tobacco (2019)
Imports$9.54 billion (2019 est.)
packaged medicines, aircraft, delivery trucks, cars, wheat (2019)
GDP - per capita (PPP)$2,200 (2020 est.)
Time ZoneEAT (UTC+3)
Internet country code.ug
Calling Code+256
Drives on theLeft
Table last updatedAugust 12, 2022