Republic of Uganda

Area: 197,058, 000 sq km (93,104 sq miles)
Population: 25.5 million (2003 Census)
Life Expectancy: 51.68 years (male); 53.69 years (female)
Capital City: Kampala (population 1.2 million)
People: Over 20 tribes. Baganda (17%), Banyankole (8%), Basoga (8%), Iteso (8%), Acholi and Langi. Small Asian and European communities.
Language(s): English is the official language. Swahili and Luganda widely spoken.
Religion(s): Christianity, with a sizeable Muslim minority.

Basic Economic Facts:
Currency: Uganda shilling (Ush)
GDP: US$ 6 billion (2003)
GNI per capital: US$ 270 (2003)
Annual Growth: 4.7% (2003)
Inflation: 5.7% (2003)
Exchange rate: 1800 Ush = $1
Major Industries: agriculture (coffee, tea, fish, fresh flowers, tobacco), mining, some oil production, construction, manufacturing, textiles.
Major trading partners: Kenya, UK, South Africa, India.
Head of State: President Yoweri Museveni (elected March 2001, reelected in February 2006)
Prime Minister/Premier: Professor Apolo Nsibambi
Foreign Minister: Sam Kutesa
Membership of international groupings/organisations: East African Community (EAC), Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), African Union (AU), Commonwealth, United Nations (UN), Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) – Uganda held the chair 2003/5.

Did you know…

• In Uganda, the surname is written first?

• Each night, children between the ages of 3 and 17, referred to as "Night Commuters," walk up to 20 km (12.45 miles) from Internally Displaced Person camps to larger towns, especially Gulu, in search of safety from the Lord’s Resistance Army?

Major Media Outlets:

• New Vision: http://www.newvision.co.ug

• Daily Monitor: http://www.monitor.co.ug

• Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC) TV: http://www.ubc.ug

• UBC Radio: http://www.ubc.ug

• Radio Simba: http://www.simba.fm/

• BBC Uganda:
  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/country_profiles/1069166.stm
   

Information courtesy of:

The Foreign & Commonwealth Office Country Profiles webpage found at: http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029394365

Central Intelligence Agency’s World Factbook webpage found at: http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html

Wikipedia Encyclopedia webpage found at:

http://www.wikipedia.org/