uganda country facts
information on uganda
travel, people and visa requirements

Facts about Uganda

Uganda is an East African country that lies along the equator. The pearl of Africa Uganda is located on the northern shores of Lake Victoria. It is bordered by Sudan to the north, Democratic republic of Congo to the west, Kenya in the east, Tanzania and Rwanda to the south. It should be noted however that Uganda is a land locked country and lies at the centre of Africa.  With its beautiful National parks and wildlife reserves, the country has a got an attractive country side with tremendous mountain ranges, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, and rich cultures among the people of Uganda that have made it a home away from home.

Area: 236,580 sq km approximately the size of the United Kingdom, the state of Oregon in the United States of America. And 20% of the country’s surface is covered by water, part of the grate lakes.
Population: Uganda has a population of 26 million people (2005
Languages: English is the official language, Luganda; Bantu languages are widely, Nilotics, and Swahili.
Religion: Protestants 33%, Roman Catholics 33%, Moslems 16%, others 17% including Pentecostal which has gained a lot of followers.
Average family income: about US $ 200 per annum
Government: Republic with direct presidential elections the country moved to multiparty system.
Independence date: Attained on the 9th October 1962 from Britain
Main towns: Kampala (capital city), Entebbe, Jinja, Mbarara, Mbale, Fort portal among others.
Life expectancy: 42 (males), 45(women)
Agriculture: coffee, cotton, vanilla, tea, millet, milk, poultry, meat, and fruits among others.
Industry: sugar factories, cotton and textile, fish, brewery, pharmaceuticals (medicine), oil among others.
Minerals: oil, salt
Climate: tropical.

VISA REQUIREMENTS

A single entry visa fee of US $ 50 is payable at your entry point valid for three months from the date of issue, Citizens from common wealth countries and those with reciprocal agreement to Uganda are however exempted. You should check with travel bureau or the nearest Uganda mission in your country.
A number of international airlines fly directly into Entebbe. They include British airways, SN Brussels, Emirates, Ethiopian airways, South African airways, air Tanzania. There also connecting flights available from Nairobi, Kenya.
Inter state buses, namely gateway, Akamba, Scandinavia, regional coach, Kampala coach, Bascar and Falcon; these busses operate Kampala, Nairobi, and Dar es Salaam.

Kampala and beyond

Whether your first visit or you are a regular visitor to Uganda, am sure the first half of your stay will definitely be fun for you. The weather mellower as the June- July heat gives way to the second rainy season starting in august and having its peak in the second half of September. This implies that you will have to keep your umbrellas handy and if you hope to heat the country side jungle boots and raincoats must kept at hand. It should be noted however that on the social scene, this is the most interesting period where the royal ascot goat race is held at Munyonyo, the pearl Africa music awards among others.
So well come and enjoy your stay.  

 Climate

Uganda is known for its good climate for most of the year, the country enjoys sunny conditions with temperature rarely rising above 29 degrees. There are two rainy seasons that stretch from March to May and September to November. It should be noted however that rain can come at any time therefore umbrellas and rain coats should be kept at hand. At most Uganda is at a fairly constant altitude with mountains only Elgon in the east, the Rwenzori Mountains in the west, the rest of the county is tropical with temperatures averaging about 26c during the day and 16c at night. The hottest months in Uganda are December to February with temperatures up to 30c. The highlands are however pretty cool at night.

Travel and communication

The most convenient and interesting means of travel around town is boda-boda cycles (motorcycle taxis) as these easily get around the city’s notorious traffic. Therefore travel with in Uganda is by public commuter mini-buses, special hires taxi (cabs)
Uganda is such a small country as one can get to any part of the country from Kampala in a half a day. Hence all the major roads are in good condition. In all the former British colony governments driving is done on the left Uganda is not an exception. From Entebbe to Kampala special hire taxis are available and can take you to your destination at an agreeable fee the recently introduced yellow taxi that are metered cabs, are good option. There also regular internal flights to distant areas such as eagle air united airlines thus charter planes are also available to all the major national parks in Uganda.
Telecommunication should not be your worry as different mobile services are available country wide for example, MTN Uganda, Uganda telecom, WARID telecom, Celtel Uganda among others; these offer reliable services for mobile phones country wide. Internet facilities are widely available in Kampala. And up country towns have though they are limited options, but all hotels in the country have internet services.

Accommodation

There is a wide range of excellent accommodation in Kampala thus from hotels to apartments, on the more up market side, there is imperial royal hotel, Sheraton hotel, Kampala Serena hotel (formally Nile hotel), The Commonwealth village Munyonyo among others. The more affordable are Hotel Africana, Hotel Equatorial, and Hotel Diplomat among others. It should be noted that there several budget hotel and campsite that exist in different parts of the city and its suburbs. Among them are, Tourist Hotel, Holiday Express Hotel, and Namirembe guest house among others bookings for accommodation should be made in advance.

Currency

The Uganda shilling is the legal tender and it is based on the decimal system. Hence the shilling is divided into dominations of 50, 100, 200, 500 coins. The paper notes are also in the denominations of 1,000, 5,000, 10,000, 20,000, and 50,000. It should be noted however that there no restrictions on money transfer in and out of Uganda.

History

Uganda‘s recent history is comprised of political chaos and anarchy that took place in the early 1970s until 1986. People died the skilled people of both African and Asian community fled out of the country; the residents sought refuge in the country side. Institutions of Excellency collapsed from buildings, roads, factories and farms were destroyed and abandoned. Uganda has extremely made tremendous improvement under His Excellency Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. Law and order has been restored, security for both the travelers and residents is one of the top priorities, the economy is booming, tourism is doing well because facilities for various tourists are mostly restored making Uganda one of the finest place to be.

Safety

The country enjoys peaceful and maximum security but like any other developing country, petty thugery, commonly reported in the city centers especially Kampala. Therefore, one is advised not to display his or her valuable jewellery, money, mobile phones, laptops, cameras, electrons among others as these can easily be snatched. While in Kampala visitors are advised not to go to some downtown streets at night as they are generally not safe. If need arises mention it to your hotel guide where you would like to go and he or she will advise you if that area is safe. If you don’t understand somebody or feel intimidated please walk away. In case of trouble, the police emergency number is 999 for landlines and112 for mobile phones. contact us....