Uganda General Information
Area: 241,139 sq km (93,104 sq miles).

Population: 24,748,977 (2002).

Population Density: 102.6 per sq km.

Capital: Kampala. Population: 1,208,544 (2002).

GEOGRAPHY: Uganda shares borders with Sudan to the north, Kenya to the east, Lake Victoria to the south east, Tanzania and Rwanda to the south and the Democratic Republic of Congo to the west. Kampala is on the shores of Lake Victoria, and the White Nile flowing out of the lake traverses much of the country. The varied scenery includes tropical forest and tea plantations on the slopes of the snow-capped Ruwenzori Mountains, the arid plains of the Karamoja, the lush, heavily populated Buganda, the rolling savannah of Acholi, Bunyoro, Tororo and Ankole, and the fertile cotton area of Teso.

Government: Republic. Gained independence from the UK in 1962. Head of State: President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni since 1986. Head of Government: Prime Minister Apolo Nsibambi since 1999.

Language: English is the official language, with Luganda and Swahili also widely spoken.

Religion: 60 per cent Christian, 32 per cent animist and 5 per cent Muslim.

Time: GMT + 3.

Electricity: 240 volts AC, 50Hz.

Communications: 

Telephone: IDD is available to and from principal towns in Uganda. Country code: 256. Service for local calls is unreliable.

Mobile telephone: GSM 900/1800 network. Main network operators are Cellular Celtel (website: www.celtel.com), MTN-Uganda (website: www.mtn.co.ug) and Uganda Telecom Ltd (website: www.utl.co.ug). Coverage extends to all major towns.

Fax: Service is available at the Postal & Telecommunications Office, 35 Kampala Road, Kampala; in central post offices in Jinja and Mbale between 0800-1600; and in some hotels.

Internet: ISPs include InfoCom (website: www.imul.com) and MTN Uganda (website: www.mtn.co.ug). There are Internet cafes in Kampala.

Telegram: Available in main towns.

Post: Airmail to Europe can take from three days to several weeks. Post office hours: Mon-Fri 0830-1230 and 1400-1730. Some post offices are open Sat 0830-1300.

Press: The English-language papers include The Economy, Financial Times, Guide, The Monitor, New Vision and The Star.

Radio: BBC World Service (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice) and Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov) can be received. From time to time the frequencies change and the most up-to-date can be found online.