UGANDA - The Pearl of Africa - country overview

Uganda has an area of 236,040 square kilometers (146,675 square miles) and a total land boundary of 2,698 kilometers (1,676 miles).

Uganda straddles the equator and is almost in the center of the African continent. It is a relatively small landlocked country located in the heart of the great African plateau that rolls from the Ethiopian highlands.

Uganda has a diversity of physical and relief features, vegetation and animal life. 17% of Uganda's area is open fresh water, 4% is swamp and rivers. The Nile River, the lifeline of Egypt begins its 6,160km course to the Mediterranean from Lake Victoria a bigger part of which is in Uganda.

Uganda is a beautiful country with an impressive array of people. Winston Churchill was so besotted by the country that he gave it the name that has endured: the "Pearl of Africa". His observations about Uganda remain true today: "The scenery is different, the vegetation is different, the climate is different, and, most of all, the people are different from anything elsewhere ...in the whole range of Africa."

Mountains to the east and west flank the main plateau. The highest peak, Mt Margarita (5,1119m) in the Rwenzori range has perennial glaciers and snow at the top. To the east is Mt. Elgon (4,321m) The country in between is characterized by rolling hills, original rain forests and rich fertile valleys becoming savannah as you move northwards. Large areas of land in the southern and central parts of the country are agriculturally rich, sustaining intensive farming and ranching, while in the north and east, the land favors pastoralism. In some areas there are wild animals - elephants , crocodiles, gazelles, monkeys, gorillas, hippos, lions and buffalos.

Despite its location on the Equator, the altitude gives Uganda an unexpectedly pleasant climate varying little throughout the year. In the west, temperatures range between 5o C In the Kigezi Hills are at a high of 35o in the Lake George flats. In Karamoja (North east) it is usually between 17 - 32 degrees (C). Lake Victoria generates its own weather pattern resulting in an average rainfall of 760.2mm around Kampala but in the northern regions of Acholi and West Nile, rainfall is less plentiful. In Karamoja, rainfall is very scarce and people live with recurrent drought.

The population is roughly divided into Nilotics in the north and Bantu in the south. Within this crude division are large ethnic diversities ranging from the pastoralists of Karamoja to the forest dwelling hunter-gatherers of the southwest. Traditional systems of government range from the councils of elders typical of the north, to the absolute monarchy in the southern Bantu kingdoms.

Uganda - random facts

• John Akii-Bua who won the gold medal for Uganda at the 1972 Munich Olympics in the 400m event was the first athlete to do a victory lap with his country's flag starting an athletics tradition that is now widespread. After winning the gold he was so overwhelmed with joy that when a spectator handed him a Ugandan flag, he ran around the track waving the flag, the first ever victory lap
• Uganda has the lowest average age of any nation in the world, with the average age being 15 years, with only 2.4% of the population above 65.
• The Capital of Uganda is Kampala. The name derives from an amalgam of English and Luganda, the indigenous language which is spoken in South Eastern Uganda including Kampala. Kampala translates to the Hills of the Impala where "Kasozi Ka" translate from Luganda as "the Hills of" and "Kasozi Ka Impala" was shortened to Kampala.
• Entebbe International Airport on the outskirts of the capital Kampala is most famous for the sensational hostage rescue attempt by Israeli forces. In 1976 Israeli commandos with the assistance of the Kenyan government stormed the airport to rescue 100 hostages held by Palestinian militants.
• Makarere University in Uganda is one of Africa's foremost Universities and the oldest University in Uganda. Makarere has produced some of Eastern African's most illustrious sons and daughters from its students and staff. Prominent amongst these include the Kenyan writer Ngugi Wa Thiongo, the Uganda poet Okot p'Bitek and the former president of Tanzania Julius Nyerere.

• Uganda is home to some of the rarest primates still in existence. Probably most significant of these are the Mountain Gorillas which can found in the Bwindi National Park and the Virunga mountains in the South West of Uganda by the Rwandan border. The plight of the Mountain Gorillas was made famous in the film "Gorillas in the Midst" starring Sigourney Weaver, which followed the true life work of the conservationist Diane Fossey with these Gorillas.
• The Victoria Nile river which originates from Lake Victoria close to the city of Jinja, Uganda's second commercial city, is generally considered to be the source of the River Nile, the world's longest river. The Victoria Nile feeds into the White Nile which merges with the Blue Nile in Sudan to form the main River Nile.
• Uganda's greatest footballer is considered to be Magid "Magic" Musisi. The first ever Ugandan to play professional football in Europe when he joined Rennes FC of France in 1992. Musisi was a prolific striker who enjoyed success in Uganda and abroad. He led Villa SC of Kampala to six league championships between 1984 and 1990 and was the top scorer in 1987, 89, 90 and 92. Musisi died after a long illness in 1995 aged 38.
• Another great Ugandan sportsman is the boxer John "The Beast" Mugabi. Mugabi won a silver medal in the 1980 Moscow Olympics as a welterweight. He turned professional that year. He won the WBC's Junior Middleweight championship in 1989. He now has retired to Australia.
• Prior to British colonial rule, the most prominent kingdom in what became Uganda was the Buganda Kingdom. The Buganda kingdom still exists today (but only in a cultural sense.) The titular head of the Buganda is the Kabaka - the King of Buganda. The current dynasty was established in the early 14th century and runs through to the current Kabaka, Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II.
• This one is just for fun - The first Ugandan online radio was..... you guessed it!

Ugandan English - the English spoken in Uganda.

English has been absorbing foreign words for centuries, in Uganda it is still at it. Usually words are inserted into English because the English equivalent just doesn’t convey the sense the Ugandan speaker wishes to convey.

To a man the term “brother in law” applies to both a wife’s brother and a wife’s sister’s husband. A man’s relationship with these two entails two quite different sets of obligations and norms in Ugandan society. Thus Ugandan speakers will often use the Luganda muko (wife’s brother) and musangi (literally "one you met" meaning you met at the girls’ home while wooing them) to make the distinction.

Sometimes only a prefix is borrowed. In Luganda the prefix ka- before a noun denotes smallness. A Member of Parliament, referring to a five-foot tall Finance Minister, said in a debate "the ka-man is innocent."

"ka-child" and "ka-thing" are also common. "ka-timba", however (in construction of buildings) refers to a thin piece of steel (re-bar), rather than the wood which one might expect.

'Banking institutions when presented with a dishounured check are said to bounce it, Ugandans have adopted this phrase to refer to the inability to meet with intended person goal or appointment, "I came to your place and bounced." ' Ugandans will frequently combine two sentences into one using the word and, for example a barber will say sit down and I cut your hair or a messenger they told me to come and you give me the package”. The usage makes sense in most Ugandan languages but, interestingly, in these languages the word and is implied, not stated.

The Luganda conjunction nti is often slipped into English sentences instead of that. Thus one will hear a quotation like the Minister said nti corruption will not be tolerated. If the speaker is skeptical he will use mbu instead of nti. The Minister said mbu corruption will not be tolerated implies that it’s just talk; business will go on as usual.

In some Ugandan languages the same verb can be used express thanks, congratulations and appreciation of a job well done. It is normal for an African working in his own garden to be thanked for his work by a passing stranger. So if you buy a new car in Uganda, or win a race, do not be surprised to find yourself being thanked. The expression well done' is extrapolated to specific actions. Examples include well fought to soldiers on the winning side after a war; well bought to someone with a new car or house and even well put on to a well-dressed person. See above for the interchangeability of to 'dress, to wear and to put on.

The personal pronoun is usually added to imperative sentences. thus "Go to Entebbe" or "Please go to Entebbe" will become you go to Entebbe; please come here becomes You come.

Ugandans often use the alternative of half luganda and half English words. for example...am going to change into a dress..." becomes i'm going to ku-changi-nga in other cases, they add 'ing' at the end of a luganda word thus a young girl can say "that gentleman was kwaana-ring me...to mean "the gentleman was chatting me up.

Some English words have a peculiar meaning widely understood within Uganda but mystifying to foreigners. The origin of these usages may be obscure. The best known example is probably to extend which in Uganda means move over on a seat to make room for someone else. Other words used include "pop" and is used to replace words like bring and come, for example danny pop that bottle here or heno pop to my house.

Sometimes the usage has a traceable origin. A basement is called a godown, though the usual meaning (a warehouse) is also known in Uganda, and a tow truck is a breakdown.

Farming is often referred to as digging, and fields under cultivation, even large ones, are usually referred to as gardens.

When giving directions, the following expressions are common: to slope stands for driving in a particular direction (not necessarily downhill); to branch stands for turning left or right.

When money is spent extravagantly on outings, shopping, recreations and the like, Ugandans are said to be "eating money"." This is also a common phrase in reference to embezzlement, corruption, or misappropriation of funds, for example: The Minister ate the money or He was fired from his job because he ate money. This also applies to living a lavish or abundant lifestyle hence the phrase "you are eating money" which commonly means one is successful and doing well.

The word vernacular, rarely used in ordinary conversation in most of the English speaking world, is common in Uganda, used to mean any local language other than English. In some schools, children get punished for "speaking vernacular"

A taxi is a car or van used like a bus, carrying many persons along a fixed route. A taxi taking one passenger at a time on a negotiable route is referred to as a special hire.

A motorbike or bicycle used for the same purpose is a bodaboda. The term originated at the Uganda–Kenya border crossing at Busia, where a kilometer separates the downtown area and the border post on the Ugandan side. Travellers dropped off at the bus/taxi station by buses or taxis or those coming to Uganda from the Kenya side were ferried over this distance by enterprising cyclists, who would attract business by calling border, border.

A building labeled hotel in a small town is likely to be a restaurant.

A practitioner of witchcraft in Uganda is referred to as a Witch-doctor, though this term is often also used to refer to practitioners of local medicines (e.g. herbal medicines.) "Nightdancer", however, refers to a person who has been possessed by a spirit causing him to dance naked in the wee hours of the night. This can be found country-wide regardless of tribal origin. It eventually became synonymous with witch-doctors as they were usually possessed by these spirits.

Foreign currency is forex, and bureaux de change are forex bureaux.

Children whose fathers are brothers are considered brothers and sisters in most African societies. The English word cousin conflates them with the children of a maternal uncle or those of aunts, who in a patrilineal society belong to a different clan. Thus the terms cousin brother or cousin sister, used to identify the close cousins.

Pilot is often used to refer to the driver of a bus, (minivan) taxi or "special hire".

Mobile phone services are prepaid. A person finding himself with inadequate prepaid time to make a call will ring up the intended recipient of the call and hang up immediately. The receiver of the call, hearing the phone ring once and seeing the number, understands himself to have been beeped. The understood message is I wish to talk to you at your expense.

The verb to put on is often substituted for to dress, to be dressed or to wear. One may hear remarks such as that lady is rich, don't you see how she is putting on and the police are looking for a man putting on a red shirt.

The adjective whole is used to emphasize disapproval of conduct unbecoming a person's rank or station. Examples: "How can a whole Minister go to that cheap nightclub" or "How can a whole headmaster dress so badly". The usage is a direct translation from several Ugandan languages.

The word lost is used to mean that you haven't seen the person in a long time. One would say eeeh but you are lost".

The word fake can be used to chastise a person about something. So for example if one's friend went on an exciting evening out without inviting the other friend, you might hear the latter complain saying eeh you man/woman/girl/boy you are fake!

In the English used in Karamoja, we could call it Karimojong English, to enjoy can be used as "to be married to", as in the sentence, "I used to enjoy Narot but now [since the divorce] I am enjoying Nakoto"

Uganda - a brief history

Uganda takes its name from the kingdom of Buganda, which encompasses a portion of the south of the country including the capital Kampala.

Uganda - population.

The population of Uganda in 2003 was estimated by the United Nations at 25,827,000, which placed it as number 40 in population among the 193 nations of the world. In that year approximately 2% of the population was over 65 years of age, with another 51% of the population under 15 years of age. There were 99 males for every 100 females in the country in 2003.

According to the UN, the annual population growth rate for 2000–2005 is 3.24%, with the projected population for the year 2015 at 39,335,000. The population density in 2002 averaged 102 per sq km (265 per sq mi). However, density varied from 260 per sq km (673 per sq mi) in Kabale to 14 per sq km (36 per sq mi) in the dry Karamoja plains. The northern, eastern, and western regions are less densely populated than the region along the north shore of Lake Victoria.

The Ugandan population is primarily of African descent, consisting of thirteen principal ethnic groups, although there are actually 49 such groups in total. The rest of the population is made up of Asians and Europeans (around 1 percent) and a fluctuation of refugees escaping from crises in neighboring countries—most recently from Sudan, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is important to note that Uganda had a large number of Asian citizens at independence in 1962; however, the majority of them were forcibly expelled under the regime of General Idi Amin (1971-78).

Uganda - ethnic groups

Ugandans can be classified into several broad linguistic groups: the Bantu-speaking majority, who live in the central, southern and western parts of the country; and non-Bantu speakers who occupy the eastern, northern and northwestern portions of the country (who may in turn be sub-divided into Nilotic and Central Sudanic peoples). The first category includes the large and historically highly centralized kingdom of Buganda, the smaller western Ugandan kingdoms of Bunyoro, Nkore and Toro, and the Busoga states to the east of Buganda. The peoples in the second category include the Iteso, Langi, Acholi, Alur, Karamojong, Jie, Madi, and Lugbara in the north and a number of other smaller societies in the eastern part of the country.

Bantu-speakers entered southern Uganda probably by the end of the first millennium A.D. and developed centralized kingdoms by the fifteenth or the sixteenth century. At independence, Bantu-language speakers made up approximately two thirds of the population. Their languages are classified as Eastern Lacustrine and Western Lacustrine Bantu in reference to the populous region surrounding East Africa's Great Lakes (Victoria, Kyoga, Edward, and Albert in Uganda; Kivu and Tanganyika to the south). Eastern Lacustrine peoples include the Baganda (whose language is Luganda), the Basoga, the Bagisu, and many smaller societies in Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya.

The Buganda make up the largest ethnic group in Uganda, though they represent only 16.7% of the population. (The name Uganda, the Swahili term for Buganda, was adopted by British officials in 1884 when they established the Uganda Protectorate, centered in Buganda). Buganda's boundaries are marked by Lake Victoria on the south, the Victoria Nile River on the east, and Lake Kyoga on the north. This region was never conquered in the colonial era; rather, the powerful king (or kabaka), Mutesa, agreed to a British policy of giving Buganda protectorate status.

The Basoga make up about 8% of the population. Before the arrival of the Europeans, they were subsistence farmers who also kept cattle, sheep, and goats. They commonly maintained gardens for domestic use close to the homestead. The Bagisu constitute 5% of the population. They occupy the well-watered western slopes of Mount Elgon, where they grow millet, bananas, and corn for subsistence, and coffee and cotton as cash crops. This area has the highest population density in the nation, as dense as 250 per sq km. As a result, nearly all land is cultivated and land pressure has led to population migration and social conflicts.

The Western Lacustrine Bantu includes the Bunyoro, Batoro, and Banyankole of western Uganda. Their complex kingdoms are believed to be the product of acculturation between two different ethnic groups, the Hima and the Iru. In each of these three societies, two distinct are identified, the Hima and the Iru. The Hima are said to be the descendants of pastoralists who migrated into the region from the northeast. The Iru are are said to be descendants of agricultural populations that preceded the Hima as cultivators in the region. Bunyoro lies in the plateau of western Uganda, constituting about 3% of the population. The Batoro evolved out of a breakaway segment of Bunyoro that split off at an unspecified time before the nineteenth century. The Batoro and Bunyoro speak closely related languages, Lutoro and Lunyoro, and share many other cultural traits. The Batoro live on Uganda's western border, south of Lake Albert and constitute about 3.2% of the population. In pre-colonial times, they lived in a highly centralized kingdom like Buganda, which was stratified like the society of Bunyoro.

Nilotic-language speakers entered the area from the north probably beginning about A.D. 100. They were the first cattle-herding people in the area, but they relied on crop cultivation to supplement livestock herding for subsistence. The largest Nilotic populations in present-day Uganda are the Iteso and Karamojong cluster of ethnic groups, speaking Eastern Nilotic languages, and the Acholi, Langi, and Alur, speaking Western Nilotic languages. Descendants of Eastern Nilotic peoples also live in Kenya, Sudan, and Uganda, where the largest groups are the Karamojong. These include the Karamojong proper, as well as the Jie, Dodoth, and several small related groups, constituting about 12% of the population.

The Iteso people are an acculturated branch of the Eastern Nilotic peoples. Constituting about 8.1% of population of Uganda, they are the nation's second largest ethnic group. The Teso territory stretches south from Karamoja into the well-watered region of Lake Kyoga. Their traditional economy emphasizes crop growing. Many Iteso joined the cash economy when coffee and cotton were introduced in 1912, and the region has prospered through agriculture and commerce. The Kakwa occupy a region of extreme northwestern Uganda that borders southern Sudan and northeastern Zaire. Those who live in Uganda constitute less than 1% of the population.

Western Nilotic language groups include the Acholi, Langi, Alur, and several smaller ethnic groups. Together they comprise about 15% of the population. Most of western Nilotic languages in Uganda are classified as Low Nilotic, and are closely related to the language of the Luo in Kenya. The two largest ethnic groups, the Acholi and Langi, speak almost identical languages. The Alur, who live west of the Acholi and Langi, are culturally similar to neighboring societies of the West Nile region, where most people speak Central Sudanic languages.

Central Sudanic languages, whose speakers also arrived in Uganda from the north over a period of centuries, are spoken by the Lugbara, Madi, and a few small groups in the northwestern corner of the country. Central Sudanic languages are spoken by about 6% of Ugandans, most of whom live in the northwest. The Lugbara live in the highlands on an almost treeless plateau that forms the watershed between the Congo River and the Nile. The Madi live in the lowlands to the east. The two groups both speak nearly identical languages and have strong cultural similarities. Both groups raise millet, cassava, sorghum, legumes, and a variety of root crops. Chicken, goats, and, at higher elevations, cattle are also important. Corn is grown for brewing beer, and tobacco is an important cash crop.

Roughly 10,000 Ugandans of Sudanese descent are classified as Nubians in reference to their origin near the Nuba Mountains in Sudan. They are descendants of Sudanese military recruits who entered Uganda in the late nineteenth century as part of the colonial army employed to quell popular revolts. Their ethnic identities are various, but many spoke Western Nilotic languages similar to that spoken by the Acholi people, their closest relatives in Uganda. Many Nubians also speak a variant of Arabic, and are Muslims. The 1969 census numbered the Asian population in Uganda at about 70,000. Asians were officially considered foreigners despite the fact that more than 50% of them had been born in Uganda. By the 1970s South Asians had gained control of the retail and wholesale trade, cotton ginning, coffee and sugar processing, and other segments of commerce. President Amin deported about 70,000 Asians in 1972, and only a few returned to Uganda in the 1980s to claim compensation for their expropriated land, buildings, factories, and estates. In 1989 the Asian population in Uganda was estimated at only about 10,000.