Detailed Map

Full Name
Republic of Uganda

Area
241 136 sq. km. in extent, of which 44 000 sq. km. is fresh water.

Capital City
Kampala

People
Baganda 16%, Soga 8%, Nkole 8%, Teso 8%, Kiga 7%, Lango 6%, Gisu 5%, Acholi 4% Alur 4%, 34 % other

Languages
English, Ganda, Swahili, various Bantu Languages

Government
Republic

President
Yoweri Museveni

Travelers are flocking to Uganda's beautiful mountains, trekking opportunities and communities of mountain gorillas
Uganda occupies a chunk of East Africa about the size of the United Kingdom.
It's bordered by Sudan to the north, Kenya to the east, Lake Victoria, Tanzania and Rwanda to the south, and Congo (formerly Zaïre) to the west.

With its relatively low population density and scarcity of wildlife, Uganda lacks many of the environmental pressures faced by other countries in East Africa.
The national parks and wilderness areas are generally in good shape, and conditions are ideal for the native animals to re-establish themselves. The highest density of primates in the world live in the Kibale National Park, while Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is one of the last remaining habitats of the mountain gorillas.

The land varies from the lush and fertile shores of Lake Victoria in the southeast, to semi-desert in the northeast. Uganda is fairly flat, with mountains only in the extreme east (Mt. Elgon), far west (Rwenzori Mountains) and the beautiful southwest, close to the Rwandan border. Though flat, the country is high, with an average altitude of over 1000 m (3280 ft).

The Rwenzori Mountains in south-western Uganda offer some of the best trekking in East Africa and are almost as popular with travelers as Kilimanjaro and Mt. Kenya, though definitely harder to climb.
Be prepared for a five-day trek and take warm, waterproof clothing. Within the Bwindi National Park in the south-west, the Waterfall Trail, Muzabijiro Loop Trail and Munyaga River Trail are three beautiful walks of varying degrees of difficulty. The water around the Ssese Islands south of Kampala is clean, cool and perfect for swimming. On the Nile River, white-water rafting is an unforgettable experience; most rafting operators are based near Jinja, a town at the confluence of the Nile and Lake Victoria.