Ok confession time: One of the reasons why I picked this route was a bit based on the fact that Uganda was on the route list, and it just so happens that one of my favorite musicals is called Book of Mormon, and this is where Elder Price & Cunningham get assigned since to for their mission location.
Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. With these 56 facts about Uganda, let us learn more about its: history, culture, people, government, geography, national issues, and more…
#1. Until 1,700 to 2,300 years ago, the people of Uganda were hunter-gatherers.
#2. Buganda kingdom was the most well-known in Uganda. Today, it is the largest of the traditional kingdoms in the country and is bordered on South by Lake Victoria. The name Uganda also comes from the name of this kingdom.
#3. Sir Edward Mutesa, the king of Buganda (Mutesa II), was elected the first president, and Milton Obote the first prime minister of the country after its independence in 1962.
#4. An estimated 300,000 people lost their lives during the regime of Idi Amin (Former President: 1971-79). The majority of these people belonged to the northern part of the country and were perceived as Milton Obote’s (former Prime Minister: 1962-66; also former President: 1966-71 and 1980-85 ) supporters. Amin also forcibly expelled the Indian businessmen from the country during his regime.
#5. Uganda is ethnically and culturally a diverse country. If you pick two people randomly, they would most of the times be of different ethnicity.
#6. Sir Winston Churchill called Uganda “the Pearl of Africa”. He visited the country when it was under the British rule.
#7. Almost half of the country’s population is under the age of 14, which makes it one of the youngest countries in the world.
#8. HIV/AIDS is a major threat to the population of the Ugandans.
#9. In Uganda, motorcycles are used as taxis to ferry people from one place to another. However, these taxis are not recommended for tourists as they can be dangerous. These are locally known as “boda-boda“.
#10. Agriculture is an important part of the country’s economy as it employs the majority of the Ugandans (almost 1/3rd).
#11. Mountain gorillas in Uganda are a major attraction for tourist all over the world. It is estimated that half of their population lives in Uganda (in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park).
#12. Uganda welcomes over 800,000 tourists each year.
#13. Uganda is under the rule of one and the same president— Yoweri Museveni–since 1986.
#14. In 2005, presidential term limits were lifted and a 19-year ban on multi-party politics was also lifted. However, the lifting of the ban on presidential term limit was not welcomed by the Ugandans.
Also, read an inspiring story of a young Ugandan woman – Sylvia.
#15. In the area, the United States of America (9,833,517 sq km) is almost 41 times larger than Uganda (241,038 sq km).
#16. Uganda has plenty of lakes and rivers and hence it is a well-watered country.
#17. Large families are preferred in Uganda.
#18. Uganda also has one of the world’s highest fertility rate at 5.8 children per woman.
#19. In its rural areas, the actual fertility rate is above the nationwide average of 5.8 children per woman. Lack of awareness of contraception and minimal governmental support for family planning is also leading to the growth in population.
#20. Women are married at a young age which also exposes them to issues related to their reproductive health.
#21. The country also experiences high maternal mortality rate because of the early age of childbearing and short birth intervals.
#22. If the country’s population keeps on rising at the same rate, the country might have to face difficulties in supporting its population with respect to food, employment, healthcare, housing, education and more.
#23. Uganda is one of the world’s poorest and least-developed countries.
#24. Uganda is also short on skilled health care workers because of the lack of opportunity for medical professionals to pursue their careers in the country.
#25. Doctors and nurses from the country have immigrated to other countries in search of better job opportunities.
#26. Deforestation, soil erosion, overgrazing and hyacinth infestation in Lake Victoria are some of the environmental issues that Uganda is currently facing.
#27. Uganda is losing a lot of its forest cover due to the increasing demand for charcoal and firewood to sustain life
#28. Unemployment is a huge concern in Uganda and many locals find work with local cottage industries and many are still unemployed.
#29. The supreme court of Uganda has a chief justice and at least 10 other justices.
#30. Uganda is also famous for its coffee.
#31. Coffee and cotton are the cash crops that bring in a significant amount of revenue to the country.
#32. In fact, Uganda is among the top ten coffee producing countries in the world with Brazil topping the list and Vietnam at the second spot.
#33. There are three UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Uganda. One is cultural – Tombs of Buganda Kings at Kasubi (2001) and two are natural – Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (1994) and Rwenzori Mountains National Park (1994).
#34. The bicycle is a hot favorite among the local population. People use it on a daily basis.
#35. The first post-independence election in Uganda was held in 1962.
#36. Uganda receives regular rainfall and there is ample fertile land in the country, which is the reason why the majority of its population is engaged in agriculture and related work.
#37. The Government and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) are having a conflict in the north of the country because of which the country is suffering.
#38. Uganda is believed to have the potential to feed all of the Africa if it was commercially and sensibly farmed. But due to political instability and erratic political management, the country itself is susceptible to starvation in the future.
#39. Strong emphasis is paid on primary school education; however, secondary school education is not available to almost 85% of the children.
#41. Out of the four regions: Northern (85,391.7 km2), Eastern (39,478.8 km2), Western (55,276.6 km2) and Central (61,403.2 km2), that Uganda is divided into, the central region is the most urbanized and is also home to the nation’s capital – Kampala.
#42. According to World Bank, in 2015, Uganda had 84% of its population living in the rural areas.
#43. Uganda shares Lake Victoria with Tanzania and Kenya. Lake Victoria is also Africa’s largest fresh water lake.
#44. Uganda was under military rule for more than 20 years after its independence from Britain and before the appointment of Yoweri Museveni as the president of the country in 1986.
#45. Poverty in Uganda: In 2013, Uganda had 19.7% of its population living below the poverty line.
#46. Bantu speakers constitute the largest portion of the population of Uganda.
#47. Uganda has been ranked at the number one tourist spot for the year 2012by Lonely Planet, a travel website and a premium travel media publisher in the world.
#48. CNN listed Uganda among the top 16 holiday destinations for 2016.
#50. A UN secretary for humanitarian affairs declared the war in the northern Uganda as the “largest neglected humanitarian emergency in the world”.
#51. Uganda is a cash-based economy as the infrastructure in the country is not developed to support cashless transactions as in the other developing and developed countries.
#52. In 2014, the country’s first female-only gym was inaugurated in Uganda by 25-year-old Mildred Apenyo.
#53. Did you know that Uganda hosts more refugees than any other country in Africa? There are more than 21 million refugees in the world and 86% of them have found shelter in developing nations (nations that are themselves struggling to provide basic necessities to their people).
#54. Margherita Peak on Mount Stanley is the highest peak of Uganda. Mount Stanley (5,109m) is also the third highest mountain is Africa after Kilimanjaro (5,895m).
#55. Lake Albert is the lowest point in Uganda at 621m.
#56. It is estimated that Ugandans drink 11.93 liters of alcohol per person per year, making it the second top country in Africa for that matter. Nigeria is at the number one spot on this list with an average alcohol consumption of 12.28 liters per person per year.
