Interesting Snippets about Uganda

( Deepti Kataria )

Uganda is located on the African continent. The country is landlocked and situated to the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and shares border with 5 countries: Kenya, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Rwanda and Tanzania. Let us find more about Uganda

1. Uganda is a fertile land with volcanic soil and many lakes and rivers. The country is mostly located on a plateau and there are high mountains in the eastern and western regions of the country.

2. Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Uganda. The lake in southern Uganda is shared with Kenya and Tanzania. Lake Victoria is the largest tropical lake in the world and the second largest freshwater lake in the world!

3. The Murchison Waterfalls on the Victoria Nile are among the largest waterfalls in Africa by water volume. They are up to 43 m/ 141 ft in height.

4. The official languages of Uganda are English and Swahili, while Luganda, also referred to as Ganda, is spoken widely. Until 2005, English was the only official language in Uganda!

5. There are four ethnic groups in Uganda. Ethnic groups in Uganda include the Bantu, the Nilotics, the Nilo Hamites and the Hamites. The largest ethnic group in Uganda is the Bantu with the Baganda taking up a high percentage of the Bantu group.

6. Uganda has ten national parks and is known for its pristine forest landscape. Renowned parks and attractions include the Ruwenzori mountains, the Great Rift Valley as well as Bwindi Impenetrable National Park which is popular for its Mountain Gorilla population.

7. There are 20 primate species in Uganda, consisting of 13 day-walking (diurnal) and seven nocturnal species. They flourish in the country's tropical forest, making Uganda a nation with the highest concentration of primates in the continent.

8. The country is also known as a paradise for bird-watching. More than one thousand bird species were recorded in Uganda. The African jacana and orange weaver bird are among the most common birds.

9. Crude oil, natural gas and gold as well as coffee, tea and flowers are among the main export goods.

10. Uganda is very strong in athletics. In 2019 the Ugandan Halimah Nakaayi won the 800 m race in the World Championships. Joshua Cheptegei is one of the world’s strongest long distance runners. Readers , if you have more info about Uganda , do share with us