Useful information about Uganda/Africa

Uganda is a beautiful country located on the equator in the great continent of Africa.

It's neighboring countries are Sudan to the North, Kenya to the East, Republic of Congo to the West, Tanzania and Rwanda to the South.

Uganda is located on the most fertile plateau of Africa at a height of 1200 meters above sea level. Uganda has been called a land of lakes because there are many lakes covering almost a third of the country. Lake Victoria which is the largest in Africa dominates the southern part of the country.

There are also lakes- Edward and Albert in the west. In the center of Uganda is lake Kyoga and kwania which are fed by water from the river Nile. Other lakes include lake Bunyonyi, lake Bisina near Mt Elgon.

There is a lot of activity on the lakes in Uganda including fishing, sport, and white water rafting on river Nile.

The capital city of Uganda is Kampala but there are many other smaller towns which include Entebbe where the main airport is Located and Jinja which is the industrial town.

The towns mentioned above are very near lake Victoria and Jinja is at the source of the river Nile.

Uganda is a nation which was made when many small kingdoms and chiefdoms were united. There is still a real sense of strong culture and heritage which is noticeable through over 40 languages, various traditional costumes, food, music and dance.

The official language in Uganda is English but Swahili and luganda is also widely spoken. There are 48 different tribes in Uganda. 80 percent of the population live in rural areas where the major activity is

farming.

Uganda has exceptional diversity of vegetation. It is between the Tropical East African Savanna and the West African rainforest zones. Seven of the 18 plant kingdoms of Africa are found in Uganda. Some of the vegetation found in Uganda is endangered species and is jealously protected.

There are many national parks where Uganda's wild life can be seen. Queen Elizabeth national park is one of the major ones and there you can see, Hippopotami, Elephants,

hyena, waterbucks, bushbuck, buffalo, warthogs, kobs, pelican and eagles and a lot more.

Other areas of interest include Murchison falls National park, Bwindi impenetrable forest, Mgahinga Gorilla, Kibale Forest, Kidepo valley national park, Mount Elgon game park, Semiliki valley park, Lake Mburo National park, Rwenzori Mountains, The Ssese Islands, Bujagali falls, Kasubi tombs, Mabira forest, Mpanga forest, Budongo Forest and much more.

Uganda's equatorial climate has got a cool breeze that comes in from mountains, and the lush green vegetation which results into rainfall.

There are 2 rain seasons in Uganda March to May and November to December. The sun rises between 6:30 and 7:00 and sets between 6:30 and 7:00 in the evening which gives 12 hours of day light every day for 12 Months. Uganda is sunny most of the year with temperatures rarely above 29 degrees centigrade.

The symbols of Uganda are the kob and the crested crane. These are seen on most official documents, are also printed on money and on the Ugandan flag.

The Uganda flag is made of 3 strips of colours going across: Black- signifies the African brother hood and the fact that Ugandans are predominantly black people, Yellow shows that Uganda is located on the equator and receives sunshine throughout the year and red represents the international blood brotherhood. It means that regardless of colour or race, all people are the same since we all have red blood.

The crested crane or the bird in the middle of the flag is a national symbol because its feathers have got all the colours of the Uganda flag.

There is fantastic art and craft produced in Uganda. A lot of people are skilled in making colorful crafts, almost in every village.

The craft making skills are passed on from generation to generation and every thing is learnt by imitation. The older people are specially regarded to have knowledge and wisdom and great skills in different areas of life so all the young people

try to learn from them.

Many items made are used in day-to-day living.

The art crafts range from, mats, baskets, bark cloth made from a tree called Omutubba, stools, bags, chairs and tables, shoes and sandals, masks, paintings, musical instruments like drums and much more.

The items are unique and individually crafted by different tribes based in different regions of the country. There are various big markets in Kampala where crafts are sold.

Trips and visits to Uganda for groups and individuals click here:

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