The World Factbook (1982)/Uganda

by the Central Intelligence Agency

UGANDA

(See reference map VII)

LAND

235,690 km²; 21% inland water and swamp, including territorial waters of Lake Victoria; about 21% cultivated, 13% national parks, forest, and game reserves; 45% forest, woodland, and grassland

Land boundaries: 2,680 km

PEOPLE

Population: 13,651,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 3.2%

Nationality: noun—Ugandan(s); adjective—Ugandan

Ethnic divisions: 99% African, 1% European, Asian, Arab

Religion: about 60% nominally Christian, 5%-10% Muslim, rest animist

Language: English official; Luganda and Swahili widely used; other Bantu and Nilotic languages

Literacy: about 20%-40%

Labor force: estimated 4.5 million, of which about 250,000 in paid labor, remaining in subsistence activities

Organized labor: 125,000 union members

GOVERNMENT

Official name: Republic of Uganda

Type: republic, independent since October 1962

Capital: Kampala

Political subdivisions: 10 provinces and 34 districts

Legal system: provisional government plans to restore system based on English common law and customary law to reinstitute a normal judicial system; legal education at Makerere University, Kampala; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

National holiday: Independence Day, 9 October

Branches: government that assumed power in December 1980 consists of three branches—an executive headed by a President, a National Assembly, and a judiciary; in practice President has most power

Government leader: President Milton OBOTE

Suffrage: universal adult

Elections: general election (held December 1980) elected present National Assembly; winning party then named President

Political parties: Ugandan People's Congress (UPC), Democratic Party (DP), Uganda Patriotic Movement (UPM)

Voting strength: (December 1980 election) 126 total elected seats—UPC 74 seats, DP 51 seats, UPM 1 seat

Communists: possibly a few sympathizers

Member of: AFDB, Commonwealth, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD; ICAC, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, ISCON, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

ECONOMY

GDP: $765 million in 1981

Agriculture: main cash crop—coffee (156,000 metric tons exported in 1981); other cash crops—tobacco, tea, sugar, fish, livestock

Major industries: agricultural processing (textiles, sugar, coffee, plywood, beer), cement, copper smelting, corrugated iron sheet, shoes, fertilizer

Electric power: 228,500 kW capacity (1980); 800 million kWh produced (1980), 61 kWh per capita

Exports: $435 million (f.o.b., 1981); coffee, cotton, tea

Imports: $265 million (f.o.b., 1981 est.); petroleum products, machinery, cotton piece goods, metals, transport equipment, food

Major trade partners: UK, US, Kenya

Monetary conversion rate: 78 Uganda shillings=US$1 (1981)

Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June

COMMUNICATIONS

Railroads: 1,216 km, meter gauge (1.00 m), single track

Highways: 6,763 km total; 1,934 km paved; 4,829 km crushed stone, gravel, and laterite; remainder earth roads and tracks (est.)

Inland waterways: Lake Victoria, Lake Albert, Lake Kyoga, Lake George, and Lake Edward; Kagera River and Victoria Nile Civil air: 4 major transport aircraft

Airfields: 40 total, 36 usable; 5 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m, 4 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 12 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Telecommunications: fair system being rebuilt after war; radio-relay, wire radio communications stations in use; 46,400 telephones (0.3 per 100 popl.); 9 AM, no FM, 9 TV stations; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT station

DEFENSE FORCES

Military manpower: males 15-49, about 2,949,000; about 1,586,000 fit for military service