About the country:
Uganda is located in East Africa and is a landlocked country. It is bordered by South Sudan to the north, Tanzania to the south, Kenya to the east, Rwanda to the southwest, and the Republic of Congo to the west.
The capital of Uganda is Kampala. The two official languages are Swahili and English. In Uganda, however, about 43 different languages are spoken.
Uganda became a British protectorate in 1894. The country has been independent of the United Kingdom since 1962. From 1966, Milton Obote ruled with two one-party systems. After a military coup in 1971, Idi Amin took power. Influenced by an authoritarian government style prevailed in Uganda dictatorship. There were violent acts against the inhabitants of the country with the most serious human rights violations. During the dictatorship of Idi Amin from 1971 to 1979, more than 300,000 opponents of the government and many other population groups were murdered. In 1980, Milton Obote returned to power and the persecution of political opponents with torture and terror continued.
Even after the change of government in 1986 by Yoweri Museveni, the country was not peaceful. There were always human rights violations. Uganda, once the “Pearl of Africa”, is now even more divided over the 20 years of civil wars.
Leaders of these riots, violence and civil wars with massive violations of human rights include the children in the country. The leader of the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army) Joseph Kony was responsible for the kidnapping and enslavement of at least 25,000 children.
Geography:
The landscape of Uganda is dominated by savannas, primeval forests, rivers (Nile) and lakes, of which the largest is Lake Victoria. The highest elevation of the country is the Ruwenzorigebirge (about 5100m). The equator runs through the south of the country.
8 years ago, large oil and gas deposits were discovered. Furthermore, Uganda has mineral resources such as nickel, copper, cobalt, limestone, etc.
Climate:
The Ugandan climate is warm tropical with an average of 25-30 ° C during the day and at 15-17 ° C at night. Since Uganda is mostly located on a plateau at 1000m above sea level, it is neither extremely hot nor particularly cold. The dry periods are from November to February and from June to August. In the remaining time it can come to monsoon-like rains.
Flora and fauna:
Uganda has a rich diversity of flora and fauna that one tries to preserve in the nine national parks and six game reserves. The Queen Elizabeth National Park with its buffaloes, elephants, lions, etc., and the Murchison Falls National Park with the spectacular Nile waterfall and its crocodiles and hippos, are among the most important nature reserves. In the Bwindi National Park you can observe the still existing populations of the unique mountain gorillas.
Population:
Uganda is home to over 40 different peoples. Over 60% of the population belong to the Bantu ethnic group. The peoples of the Niloten, mainly Langi and Acholi, live more in the northern regions of the country. Approximately 85% of the total population are Christians (42% Catholics and 36% Evangelists), 12% are Muslims, Christians are other denominations and the remaining percentages are distributed among the traditional African religions.
