Most of Uganda lies on a high plateau, averaging around 1000 metres (3300 feet) above sea level. This plateau is surrounded by the mountains, valleys and freshwater lakes of East Africa’s Great Rift Valley. In the west, the Rwenzori mountain range is the location for Uganda’s highest mountain, the glacier-topped Margherita Peak. In the centre of the country lies swampy Lake Kyoga, while the south borders Lake Victoria, the largest freshwater lake in Africa. Although Uganda is on the equator, its high altitude gives it a milder climate than neighbouring countries. Southern Uganda has a high yearly rainfall, for which the clouds forming over Lake Victoria are responsible.

Uganda is home to at least 40 different ethnic groups. Bantu peoples live chiefly in the south, speaking Bantu languages such as Luganda. The north is home to Nilotic peoples, whose ancestors arrived in Uganda from Sudan and the Nile Valley.

In the 1890s, when Uganda was under British rule, 32,000 people from British India moved to Uganda to build a railway. Many stayed behind after its completion. After independence, there were 80,000 Southern Asians living in Uganda, running many of the nations most profitable businesses. In 1972, the then president of Uganda, Idi Amin, expelled all Indians and Pakistanis from the country. Many moved to the UK.
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In the early 1990s, after decades of war and political upheaval, Uganda was one of the poorest countries in the world, with more than half of people living in poverty. Since then, the country has developed quickly, although still around 25% of people live on less than $1.90 (£1.55) a day, the measure of extreme poverty worldwide. Only around 1 in 20 people in Uganda has access to electricity. Most people in the countryside rely on firewood and charcoal for cooking and heating.

Economy

Uganda’s temperate, wet climate makes for good farming conditions, and crop exports have been vital to the country's economy. Around a fifth of Uganda’s population earns their income from coffee. In the future, Uganda aims to fully exploit its mineral resources, such as gold and tin. The country also has a small manufacturing industry, based around processing farm produce, building materials and goods such as plastics and soap.
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In 2006, large reserves of oil were discovered in western Uganda. This, together with the potential for producing hydro-electric power from its many fast-flowing rivers, will enable Uganda to reduce its dependence on foreign oil, firewood and charcoal for energy supplies. Oil exports could make Uganda one of the wealthiest nations in Africa. With its spectacular landscape, rainforests and game parks, tourism is also a major source of income for Ugandans.

EACOP

The huge East African crude oil pipeline (EACOP) will take oil extracted from Lake Albert in Uganda's Tilenga and Kingfisher oil fields across Tanzania to the port of Tanga on the Indian Ocean coast. Backed by French and Chinese oil companies, construction is scheduled to begin in early 2024 and due to be completed in 2026. The project will result in 379 million tonnes of carbon emissions—more than 25 times the combined annual emissions of Uganda and Tanzania. EACOP is likely to displace tens of thousands of people and will cause irreversible damage to natural habitats and water sources. Peaceful protests in Uganda have been met with repression and arrests.

Facts about Uganda

Population 49,283,041 (2024 estimate)

Area 241,139 sq km (93,104 sq miles)

Highest point Margherita Peak 5110 m (16,762 ft)

Capital Kampala (metro area population 6,709,900)

Other major cities Nansana (pop. 532,800), Kira (462,900), Mbarara (221,300)

Languages English and Swahili (official languages), Luganda, Lusoga, Runyankore-Rukiga

Religions Christian (Catholic) 42%, Christian (Protestant and other) 42%, Muslim 12%, other 4%

Ethnicity Baganda 17%, Banyankole 10%, Basoga 8%, Bakiga 7%, Iteso 6%, Langi 6%, Acholi 5%, Bagisu 5%, Lugbara 4%, other 32%

Currency Ugandan shilling (UGX)

Chief exports Coffee, tea, cotton, flowers, fish, palm oil, gold