About Uganda

Uganda, the Pearl of Africa. Learn about Uganda. Uganda, a beautiful country that famed to the world for silverback gorillas and a crowd is attracted to the country to see the unique primate species in Mgahinga National Park and Bwindi Forest National Park. Truly Uganda has much more to offer beyond gorilla trekking. Imagine various nights in different lodges in company of local guides showing around, having delicious breakfast, lunch and dinner easy transportation around national parks, forest reserves, tourist attractions etc. As you plan a visit o Uganda think of the memories you will have, the history and culture you will take detail in and the friendly locals you will meet along your safari in Uganda.

Today much of Uganda tourism is connected to its neighbors especially Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo also home to mountain gorillas and low land gorillas. Despite the presence of gorillas in the three countries, each country is Unique a reason for tourists to experience multiple destinations at ago. Most tourists visit Uganda and Congo while others Rwanda and Congo or Uganda and Congo making the three countries connected in the travel world.

Facts about Uganda

The colonial boundaries created by Britain to delimit Uganda grouped together a wide range of ethnic groups with different political systems and cultures. These differences prevented the establishment of a working political community after independence was achieved 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. The rule of Yoweri MUSEVENI since 1986 has brought relative stability and economic growth to Uganda. During the 1990s, the government promulgated non-party presidential and legislative elections.

Geography of Uganda

Location: Eastern Africa, west of Kenya
Coordinates: 1 00 N, 32 00 E
Area: Total: 236,040 sq km
Water: 36,330 sq km
Land: 199,710 sq km
Area comparative: slightly smaller than Oregon
Land boundaries: total: 2,698 km
border countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo 765 km, Kenya 933 km, Rwanda 169 km, Sudan 435 km, Tanzania 396 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: tropical; generally rainy with two dry seasons (December to February, June to August); semiarid in northeast
Terrain: mostly plateau with rim of mountains
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Lake Albert 621 m
highest point: Margherita Peak on Mount Stanley 5,110 m
Natural resources: copper, cobalt, hydropower, limestone, salt, arable land
Environment current issues: draining of wetlands for agricultural use; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; water hyacinth infestation in Lake Victoria; poaching is widespread
Geography – note: landlocked; fertile, well-watered country with many lakes and rivers

Population of Uganda

Population: 31,367,972 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 50% (male 7,091,763/female 6,996,385)
15-64 years: 47.8% (male 6,762,071/female 6,727,230)
65 years and over: 2.2% (male 266,931/female 351,374)
Median age: 15 years
Growth rate: 3.37%
Infant mortality: 66.15 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 52.67 years
male: 51.68 years
female: 53.69 years
Fertility rate: 6.71 children born/woman
Nationality: noun: Ugandan(s)
adjective: Ugandan
Ethnic groups: Buganda 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%
Religions: Roman Catholic 33%, Protestant 33%, Muslim 16%, indigenous beliefs 18%
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
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 69.9%
male: 79.5%
female: 60.4%

Uganda is landlocked and depends on foreign imports for most of its consumer goods and energy requirements. Even before independence, maintaining an open trade route to the Indian Ocean was the primary foreign policy objective of all governments. For this reason, once the railroad from Mombasa to Kampala was completed early in the protectorate period, relations with Kenya became the government’s most significant foreign concern. During much of the period of British rule, the most worrying foreign issue for politically conscious Ugandans was the possibility that Kenyan white settlers would gain control over all of East Africa. During the 1950s, when African nationalism gained the upper hand in the four East African territories, the achievement of closer relations among the four also became an important foreign policy objective. Later, however, economic differences eroded initiatives toward federation and eventually led to hostilities between Uganda and Kenya in the 1980s that would have been unimaginable two decades earlier. After independence, political issues erupting into violence within Uganda or its neighbors also caused serious strains in their bilateral relations, frequently involving rebels, refugees, and even military incursions. Because of its former colonial rule, Britain maintained a close and special relationship with Uganda. But over time, this role slowly diminished as Uganda cultivated new links with other industrialized countries. And, despite its protestations of nonalignment, Uganda remained far more closely linked, both economically and politically, to the capitalist than to the socialist bloc.Ugandan foreign policy objectives changed considerably after Idi Amin’s coup d’état in 1971. For the first decade after independence, policymakers had emphasized cooperation with Uganda’s neighbors and the superpowers, participation in international organizations, and nonalignment in order to protect the state’s sovereignty and support the African bloc as much as possible without losing opportunities for expanding trade or gaining assistance for development. When Amin seized power, he followed a far more aggressive, though unpredictable, foreign policy. Uganda threatened its neighbors both verbally and militarily. The gratuitous verbal attacks that Amin launched on foreign powers served mainly to isolate Uganda.The NRM government introduced new radical foreign policy objectives when it first came to power and consequently brought new complications into Uganda’s foreign relations. At the outset, President Museveni enthusiastically supported international and especially African cooperation but conditioned it on an ideological evaluation of whether or not other regimes were racist, dictatorial, or corrupt, or violated human rights. On this basis, shortly after taking power the government went to great lengths to enter trade agreements with other developing countries based on barter rather than cash, in order to publicize Uganda’s autonomy, even though most of its exports continued to consist of coffee purchased by the United States or by European states, and most of its imports came from Europe. In response, Uganda’s neighbors were suspicious of Museveni’s radical pronouncements and felt that he was attacking their rule through his denunciations of their human rights policies. They also avoided close ties to Uganda because they suspected that the NRM government, having come to power through a guerrilla struggle, might assist dissidents intending to overthrow them.During its first four years in power, the NRM government moderated its foreign policy stance to one that more closely reflected the conventional positions of preceding Ugandan governments than the changes proposed in its Ten-Point Program. Uganda maintained friendly relations with Libya, the Soviet Union, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea), and Cuba, although most of its trade and development assistance came from the West. In addition, though it consistently maintained its stance of geopolitical nonalignment, the fact that the NRM government accepted an IMF structural adjustment plan made it more politically acceptable to Western leaders. During this period, many African leaders overcame their suspicion of Museveni and the NRM and elected him chair of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in July 1990.Postindependence heads of government in Uganda made almost all significant foreign policy-making decisions themselves, leaving their foreign ministers to carry them out or explain them away. In order to shore up their domestic power bases, Obote, Amin, and Museveni often introduced new foreign policies that broke sharply with existing relations. They also used foreign policy symbolically to signal the international posture they wished to cultivate. Amin’s pronouncements were the most puzzling because they frequently incurred enormous costs for Uganda’s relations with other states. Foreign ministry officials never knew when it was safe to ignore his orders or when they had to take them seriously. All three presidents often used foreign policy as a public gesture in an effort to give the government more autonomy in international affairs, improve its public standing with radical states, or satisfy vocal militants in the government. In such cases, the government usually gave public support to radical states and causes, while continuing privately to maintain its more conservative foreign relationships. Foreign relations with radical countries, however much they irritated United States and British officials, did not play a significant role in shaping Ugandan foreign policy.

Exceptional Safari Experience

Looking at wonderful travel destinations in the world Uganda is one of the few offering exceptional safari experiences to all visitor interests. Uganda demonstrates the real beauty that Africa has from its landscape, weather, attractions, culture and the standard hotel services that meet each and every need of visitors. Travelers to Uganda main come for gorilla trekking tours but still get a chance to experience other beautiful attractions in the country. If you have more than three days in the country make it appoint to visit the top tourists’ attractions of the country.

Year Round Attractions

Tourist attractions in Uganda have no seasons and times like some in Africa so visitors are free to explore the country any time of the year provided they have time for the holiday. However, if you seeking for a year round tourist destination search no more because Uganda has it all and it caters for all interests and demands. You will definitely find something to match your interest no matter how complicated it could be. Feel free to visit Uganda any time and explore the amazing wonders of the Pearl of Africa.

Gorilla Trekking Tours

It’s therefore clear that Uganda own a big population of mountain gorillas living in Mgahinga and Bwindi forest National Park a thing that makes the country gorilla trekking experience magical and memorable. No gorilla trekking tour in Uganda that has ever been disappointing any way provided you use right tour experts and book your trip essentials in time. Gorilla trekking has raised Uganda’s tourism profile and has also increased the number of visitors to the country each day hence stimulating the growth of international arrivals. The number of foreign tourists keeps going high daily ever since Rwanda increased its gorilla permits giving way to Uganda as an alternative gorilla trekking destination in Africa. Are you looking for Budget gorilla safaris, Uganda is the answer.