Uganda

Internet country code

.ug

Internet hosts

2,692 (2004)

Internet users

125,000 (2003)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 7, FM 33, shortwave 2 (2001)

Telephone system

general assessment: seriously inadequate; two cellular systems have been introduced, but a sharp increase in the number of main lines is essential; e-mail and Internet services are available domestic: intercity traffic by wire, microwave radio relay, and radiotelephone communication stations, fixed and mobile cellular systems for short-range traffic international: country code - 256; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat; analog links to Kenya and Tanzania

Telephones - main lines in use

61,000 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular

776,200 (2003)

Television broadcast stations

8 (plus one low-power repeater) (2001)

Agriculture - products

coffee, tea, cotton, tobacco, cassava (tapioca), potatoes, corn, millet, pulses; beef, goat meat, milk, poultry, cut flowers

Budget

revenues: $1.491 billion expenditures: $1.727 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)

Currency (code)

Ugandan shilling (UGX)

Current account balance

$-590.8 million (2004 est.)

Debt - external

$3.865 billion (2004 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

37.4 (1996)

Economic aid - recipient

$1.4 billion (2000)

Economy - overview

Uganda has substantial natural resources, including fertile soils, regular rainfall, and sizable mineral deposits of copper and cobalt. Agriculture is the most important sector of the economy, employing over 80% of the work force. Coffee accounts for the bulk of export revenues. Since 1986, the government - with the support of foreign countries and international agencies - has acted to rehabilitate and stabilize the economy by undertaking currency reform, raising producer prices on export crops, increasing prices of petroleum products, and improving civil service wages. The policy changes are especially aimed at dampening inflation and boosting production and export earnings. During 1990-2001, the economy turned in a solid performance based on continued investment in the rehabilitation of infrastructure, improved incentives for production and exports, reduced inflation, gradually improved domestic security, and the return of exiled Indian-Ugandan entrepreneurs. Corruption within the government and slippage in the government's determination to press reforms raise doubts about the continuation of strong growth. In 2000, Uganda qualified for enhanced Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) debt relief worth $1.3 billion and Paris Club debt relief worth $145 million. These amounts combined with the original HIPC debt relief added up to about $2 billion. Growth for 2001-02 was solid despite continued decline in the price of coffee, Uganda's principal export. Solid growth in 2003-04 reflected an upturn in Uganda's export markets.

Electricity - consumption

1.401 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports

250 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - production

1.775 billion kWh (2002)

Exchange rates

Ugandan shillings per US dollar - 1,810.3 (2004), 1,963.7 (2003), 1,797.6 (2002), 1,755.7 (2001), 1,644.5 (2000)

Exports

$621.7 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities

coffee, fish and fish products, tea; gold, cotton, flowers, horticultural products

Exports - partners

Kenya 15%, Netherlands 10.7%, Belgium 9%, France 4.4%, Germany 4.4% (2004)

Fiscal year

1 July - 30 June

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$39.39 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 35.8% industry: 20.8% services: 43.6% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $1,500 (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

5% (2004 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 4% highest 10%: 21% (2000)

Imports

$1.306 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities

capital equipment, vehicles, petroleum, medical supplies; cereals

Imports - partners

Kenya 32.3%, UAE 7.3%, South Africa 6.5%, India 5.8%, China 5.6%, UK 5.1%, US 4.8%, Japan 4.8% (2004)

Industrial production growth rate

5.6% (2004 est.)

Industries

sugar, brewing, tobacco, cotton textiles, cement, steel production

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

3.5% (2004 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

22.4% of GDP (2004 est.)

Labor force

12.41 million (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 82%, industry 5%, services 13% (1999 est.)

Oil - consumption

8,750 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

NA

Oil - imports

NA

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line

35% (2001 est.)

Public debt

73.9% of GDP (2004 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$1.2 billion (2004 est.)

Unemployment rate

NA (2002 est.)

Area

total: 236,040 sq km land: 199,710 sq km water: 36,330 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Oregon

Climate

tropical; generally rainy with two dry seasons (December to February, June to August); semiarid in northeast

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Lake Albert 621 m highest point: Margherita Peak on Mount Stanley 5,110 m

Environment - current issues

draining of wetlands for agricultural use; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; water hyacinth infestation in Lake Victoria; poaching is widespread

Environment - international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification

Geographic coordinates

1 00 N, 32 00 E

Geography - note

landlocked; fertile, well-watered country with many lakes and rivers

Irrigated land

90 sq km (1998 est.)

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

Land use

arable land: 25.88% permanent crops: 10.65% other: 63.47% (2001)

Location

Eastern Africa, west of Kenya

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Natural hazards

NA

Natural resources

copper, cobalt, hydropower, limestone, salt, arable land

Terrain

mostly plateau with rim of mountains

Administrative divisions

56 districts; Adjumani, Apac, Arua, Bugiri, Bundibugyo, Bushenyi, Busia, Gulu, Hoima, Iganga, Jinja, Kabale, Kabarole, Kaberamaido, Kalangala, Kampala, Kamuli, Kamwenge, Kanungu, Kapchorwa, Kasese, Katakwi, Kayunga, Kibale, Kiboga, Kisoro, Kitgum, Kotido, Kumi, Kyenjojo, Lira, Luwero, Masaka, Masindi, Mayuge, Mbale, Mbarara, Moroto, Moyo, Mpigi, Mubende, Mukono, Nakapiripirit, Nakasongola, Nebbi, Ntungamo, Pader, Pallisa, Rakai, Rukungiri, Sembabule, Sironko, Soroti, Tororo, Wakiso, Yumbe

Capital

Kampala

Constitution

8 October 1995

Country name

conventional long form: Republic of Uganda conventional short form: Uganda

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Jimmy KOLKER embassy: 1577 Ggaba Rd., Kampala mailing address: P. O. Box 7007, Kampala telephone: [256] (41) 234-142 FAX: [256] (41) 258-451

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Edith Grace SSEMPALA chancery: 5911 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011 telephone: [1] (202) 726-7100 through 7102, 0416 FAX: [1] (202) 726-1727

Executive branch

chief of state: President Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI (since seizing power 26 January 1986); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government head of government: President Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI (since seizing power 29 January 1986); Prime Minister Apollo NSIBAMBI (since 5 April 1999); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government; the prime minister assists the president in the supervision of the cabinet cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among elected legislators elections: president reelected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 12 March 2001 (next to be held NA 2006); note - first popular election for president since independence in 1962 was held in 1996; prime minister appointed by the president election results: Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI elected president; percent of vote - Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI 69.3%, Kizza BESIGYE 27.8%

Flag description

six equal horizontal bands of black (top), yellow, red, black, yellow, and red; a white disk is superimposed at the center and depicts a red-crested crane (the national symbol) facing the hoist side

Government type

republic

Independence

9 October 1962 (from UK)

International organization participation

ACP, AfDB, AU, C, EADB, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Judicial branch

Court of Appeal (judges are appointed by the president and approved by the legislature); High Court (judges are appointed by the president)

Legal system

in 1995, the government restored the legal system to one based on English common law and customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Legislative branch

unicameral National Assembly (303 members - 214 directly elected by popular vote, 81 nominated by legally established special interest groups [women 56, army 10, disabled 5, youth 5, labor 5], 8 ex officio members; members serve five-year terms) elections: last held 26 June 2001 (next to be held by June 2006); election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; note - election campaigning by party was not permitted

National holiday

Independence Day, 9 October (1962)

Political parties and leaders

only one political organization, the Movement (formerly the NRM) [President MUSEVENI, chairman] is allowed to operate unfettered; note - the president maintains that the Movement is not a political party, but a mass organization, which claims the loyalty of all Ugandans note: the constitution requires the suspension of political parties while the Movement organization is in governance; of the political parties that exist but are prohibited from sponsoring candidates, the most important are the Ugandan People's Congress or UPC [Milton OBOTE]; Democratic Party or DP [Paul SSEMOGERERE]; Conservative Party or CP [Ken LUKYAMUZI]; Justice Forum [Muhammad Kibirige MAYANJA]; and National Democrats Forum [Chapaa KARUHANGA]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Popular Resistance Against a Life President or PRALP

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Background

Uganda achieved independence from the UK 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. During the 1990s, the government promulgated non-party presidential and legislative elections.

Manpower available for military service

males age 18-49: 5,012,620 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 18-49: 2,889,808 (2005 est.)

Military branches

Ugandan Peoples' Defense Force (UPDF): Army, Marine Unit, Air Wing

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$170.3 million (2004)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

2.2% (2004)

Military service age and obligation

18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military duty; the government has stated that recruitment below that age could occur with proper consent and that "no person under the apparent age of 13 years shall be enrolled in the armed forces"

Age structure

0-14 years: 50.1% (male 6,875,663/female 6,784,378) 15-64 years: 47.7% (male 6,511,867/female 6,494,859) 65 years and over: 2.2% (male 263,790/female 338,925) (2005 est.)

Birth rate

47.39 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Death rate

12.8 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Ethnic groups

Baganda 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%

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

4.1% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

78,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

530,000 (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 67.83 deaths/1,000 live births male: 71.18 deaths/1,000 live births female: 64.37 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

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

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 51.59 years male: 50.74 years female: 52.46 years (2005 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 69.9% male: 79.5% female: 60.4% (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2004)

Median age

total: 14.97 years male: 14.87 years female: 15.08 years (2005 est.)

Nationality

noun: Ugandan(s) adjective: Ugandan

Net migration rate

-1.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Population

27,269,482 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2005 est.)

Population growth rate

3.31% (2005 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 33%, Protestant 33%, Muslim 16%, indigenous beliefs 18%

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate

6.74 children born/woman (2005 est.)

Disputes - international

Uganda is subject to armed fighting among hostile ethnic groups, rebels, armed gangs, militias, and various government forces; Ugandan refugees have fled the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) into the southern Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo; LRA forces have also attacked Kenyan villages across the border

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin): 184,731 (Sudan) 18,000 (Rwanda) IDPs: 1.4 million note - ongoing Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebellion, mainly in the north; LRA frequently attacks IDP camps (2004)

Airports

29 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 4 over 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 25 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 7 (2004 est.)

Highways

total: 27,000 km paved: 1,809 km unpaved: 25,191 km (1999 est.)

Ports and harbors

Entebbe, Jinja, Port Bell

Railways

total: 1,241 km narrow gauge: 1,241 km 1.000-m gauge (2004)

Waterways

300 km (on Lake Victoria, 200 km on Lake Albert, Lake Kyoga, and parts of Albert Nile) (2004 est.)