Uganda

Introduction & Quick Facts
Land
- Relief
- Drainage
- Soils
- Climate
- Plant and animal life
  - Flora
  - Fauna
  - Conservation
People
- Ethnic groups
- Languages
- Religion
- Settlement patterns
- Demographic trends
Economy
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing
- Resources and power
- Manufacturing
- Finance and trade
- Services
- Labour and taxation
- Transportation and telecommunications
Government and society
- Constitutional framework
- Local government
- Justice
- Political process
- Security
- Health and welfare
- Housing
- Education
Cultural life
- Daily life and social customs
- The arts
- Cultural institutions
- Sports and recreation
- Media and publishing
History
- Bunyoro and Buganda
- The Uganda Protectorate
  - Growth of a peasant economy
  - Political and administrative development
  - World War II and its aftermath
- The Republic of Uganda
  - Obote’s first presidency
  - Tyranny under Amin
  - Obote’s second presidency
  - Museveni in office
    - Domestic affairs
    - Foreign affairs

References & Edit History Facts & Stats

Images, Videos & Interactives

Political map of Uganda and surrounding countries in East Africa, showing Uganda's borders, major cities including Kampala, Entebbe, Gulu, and Jinja, and the location of Lake Victoria along the southern border. Neighboring countries-South Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo-are also labeled. An inset locator map highlights Uganda's position within the African continent.

Crowded street scene in downtown Kampala, Uganda, with heavy traffic, many pedestrians, street vendors, and shops lining both sides of the busy road.

Map of East Africa highlighting Uganda in orange, with surrounding countries labeled, including Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, Central African Republic, Ethiopia, and Somalia. Kampala, Uganda's capital, is marked near Lake Victoria.

Uganda: botanical gardens

Map of Uganda highlighting major physical features, including Lake Victoria along the southern border, Lake Albert and Lake Edward to the west, and notable mountains such as Mount Elgon in the east and Margherita Peak in the Ruwenzori Range to the west. National parks like Murchison Falls and Ruwenzori are marked, as are major rivers and dams. Surrounding countries-South Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo-are labeled, and a small locator map shows U

Several hikers make their way across rocky terrain toward Margherita Glacier on Mount Stanley, with rugged peaks and clouds in the background in the Rwenzori Mountains, Uganda.

View of Lake Victoria in Uganda showing grassy hills in the foreground, dense green forest on the Ssese Islands, and calm water stretching to the horizon.

Lifesavers on Lake Victoria: Fighting superstition and promoting safety

At a Glance

default image

Uganda: Media

country, Africa

Videos

Lifesavers on Lake Victoria: Fighting superstition and promoting safety

Lifesavers on Lake Victoria: Fighting superstition and promoting safety

Ugandan volunteers passing out life jackets in an effort to decrease the number of...

Video: Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz

Journey of the Nile: The longest river in the world

Journey of the Nile: The longest river in the world

Overview of the Nile River, 2009.

Video: Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz; Thumbnail © Dmitry Pichugin/Dreamstime.com

Images

Uganda

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Political map of Uganda and surrounding countries in East Africa, showing Uganda's borders, major cities including Kampala, Entebbe, Gulu, and Jinja, and the location of Lake Victoria along the southern border. Neighboring countries-South Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo-are also labeled. An inset locator map highlights Uganda's position within the African continent.

Uganda

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Crowded street scene in downtown Kampala, Uganda, with heavy traffic, many pedestrians, street vendors, and shops lining both sides of the busy road.

Kampala, Uganda

Kampala, Uganda.

© Sarine Arslanian/Shutterstock.com

Map of East Africa highlighting Uganda in orange, with surrounding countries labeled, including Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, Central African Republic, Ethiopia, and Somalia. Kampala, Uganda's capital, is marked near Lake Victoria.

Uganda

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Uganda: botanical gardens

Uganda: botanical gardens

Botanical gardens in Entebbe, Uganda.

Agence HOA-QUI

Map of Uganda highlighting major physical features, including Lake Victoria along the southern border, Lake Albert and Lake Edward to the west, and notable mountains such as Mount Elgon in the east and Margherita Peak in the Ruwenzori Range to the west. National parks like Murchison Falls and Ruwenzori are marked, as are major rivers and dams. Surrounding countries-South Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo-are labeled, and a small locator map shows U

Physical features of Uganda

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Muhavura

Muhavura

Mounts Mgahinga (left) and Muhavura, on the Rwanda-Uganda border.

SteveRwanda

Several hikers make their way across rocky terrain toward Margherita Glacier on Mount Stanley, with rugged peaks and clouds in the background in the Rwenzori Mountains, Uganda.

Uganda: Margherita Peak

Margherita Peak in the Ruwenzori Mountains, Uganda

© martin/stock.adobe.com

View of Lake Victoria in Uganda showing grassy hills in the foreground, dense green forest on the Ssese Islands, and calm water stretching to the horizon.

Lake Victoria; Uganda

The shores of Lake Victoria in Uganda.

© Brian Flaigmore/Dreamstime.com

Murchison Falls, Uganda

Murchison Falls, Uganda

Murchison Falls, on the lower Victoria Nile in Uganda.

Gerald Cubitt

Wide view of the Nile River at Jinja, Uganda, with lush green banks and gentle hills in the background, marking the river's source from Lake Victoria.

Victoria Nile

Source of the Victoria Nile, near Jinja, Uganda.

© Sjors737/Dreamstsime.com

Nile River; Uganda

Nile River; Uganda

Nile River in Uganda.

iStockphoto/Thinkstock

Sausage tree

Sausage tree

The long, pendulous fruits of the sausage tree (Kigelia africana) in Murchison...

Jessp

Uganda kobs

Uganda kobs

A pair of Uganda kobs (a type of antelope).

Leonard Lee Rue III

A group of white-winged terns with outstretched wings flies in formation, with one bird in sharp focus and others blurred in the background, Uganda.

terns in flight

White-winged terns in flight, Uganda.

© Stockbyte/Getty Images

Uganda: Rubaga Cathedral

Uganda: Rubaga Cathedral

The Roman Catholic Rubaga Cathedral on a hill overlooking the city of Kampala, the...

© mtcurado/Getty Images

Uganda: houses near Mount Muhavura

Uganda: houses near Mount Muhavura

Houses near Mount Muhavura, western Uganda.

S. Trevor/Bruce Coleman Inc.

Cassava plant (Manihot esculenta) with tall, green, palmate leaves growing in cultivated soil in a Ugandan field.

cassava

Cassava (Manihot esculenta), which is also called manioc, in cultivation...

© Ava Peattie/stock.adobe.com

Two people prepare a wooden boat with a sail near the grassy shore of Lake Victoria in Uganda, with other boats and distant hills visible in the background.

Lake Victoria; Uganda

Fishermen on Lake Victoria in Uganda.

© Zaramira/Dreamstime.com

Four Rothschild giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi) stand together in tall grass in Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda, with savanna and trees in the background.

Rothschild's giraffe

Rothschild's giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis) in Murchison Falls National...

© Hector Conesa/Shutterstock.com

The Muzibu Azaala Mpanga mausoleum at the Tombs of Buganda Kings, a large round structure with a steep thatched roof, stands on red earth with trees in the background near Kampala, Uganda.

Muzibu Azaala Mpanga

The primary structure at the Tombs of Buganda Kings at Kasubi World Heritage site,...

© Attila Jandi/Dreamstime.com

Thematic map of East Africa displaying major cultural and linguistic regions, with areas shaded for Bantu, Cushitic, and Nilotic language groups. Red lines mark cultural region boundaries and rift areas, with numbered labels identifying specific ethnic groups and languages across countries including Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Somalia, Rwanda, Burundi, and parts of neighboring nations.

Cultural and linguistic regions of East Africa

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Historical map of eastern Africa around 1850 showing major states such as Kefa, Buganda, and the Sultanate of Zanzibar, along with minor states, stateless peoples, and the Maasai. Red lines trace major trade routes connecting inland regions to the Red Sea, Arabian Peninsula, and Indian Ocean, while green arrows indicate directions of expansion by groups like the Oromo and Maasai. Major lakes, rivers, and mountain landmarks are labeled throughout the region.

Major states, peoples, and trade routes of eastern Africa, c. 1850

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Historical map of eastern Africa around 1914, showing the region divided among British, German, French, and Italian colonial powers. Different territories are color-coded by colonial ruler, with key locations such as British East Africa (Kenya and Uganda), German East Africa (including present-day Tanzania, Rwanda, and Burundi), Italian Somaliland, and French Somaliland labeled. Major lakes, rivers, and cities are also marked.

Imperial partitions of eastern Africa, 1881–1925

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Antique map from 1902 showing central Africa with colonial territories labeled as Kamerun, French Kongo, Kongo Free State, Portuguese West Africa, British East Africa, German East Africa, East Africa, and Rhodesia. The map details rivers, cities, and borders of the era, with an inset map of Madagascar in the lower right corner.

Central Africa, c. 1902

Map of Central Africa from the 10th edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica,...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Map of Africa showing the territorial divisions and colonial possessions by European powers from the late 19th to early 20th century. Countries and regions are color-coded to indicate British, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, Belgian, and German control, with independent countries and British-Egyptian condominium also marked. The map highlights the extent and timing of colonization, with most of the continent under European rule except for Ethiopia and Liberia.

Colonization of Africa by European countries

Map showing the colonization of Africa by European countries in the 19th and early...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Milton Obote

Milton Obote

Ugandan leader Milton Obote, pictured here in 1969, helped his country achieve independence...

AP Images

Ugandan Pres. Idi Amin, shown here at the United Nations, New York, October 2025.

Ugandan Pres. Idi Amin, shown here at the United Nations, New York, October 2025.

Bernard Gotfryd Photograph Collection, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (reproduction no. LC-DIG-gtfy-05843)

Milton Obote

Milton Obote

Ugandan Pres. Milton Obote, pictured here in 1983, during his second presidency.

Peter Kemp—AP Images/REX/Shutterstock.com

Yoweri Museveni, President of Uganda, speaks at a podium with the United Nations emblem during a meeting at the UN General Assembly.

Yoweri Museveni

Ugandan Pres. Yoweri Museveni, 2005.

Paulo Filgueiras/UN Photo

Major General Muhoozi Kainerugaba in Ugandan military uniform with gold cords and a peaked cap, looking to the side during a promotion ceremony.

Muhoozi Kainerugaba

Ugandan military general Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the son of Pres. Yoweri...

Peter Busomoke—AFP/Getty Images

Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine, wears a red beret and raises his fist while seated outdoors after a press conference at his home in Magere, Uganda.

Bobi Wine

Robert Kyagulanyi, better known as Bobi Wine, after a press conference outside his...

Sumy Sadurni—AFP/Getty Images

Physical map of East Africa showing elevation with color gradients, international boundaries, major cities, rivers, lakes, dams, waterfalls, spot elevations, and active volcanoes. The map covers countries including Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, and Angola, with a locator inset highlighting the region within the African continent.

East African mountains and lakes

Mountains and lakes of East Africa.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Uganda

Uganda

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Interactives

Uganda: Ethnolinguistic composition

Uganda: Ethnolinguistic composition

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Uganda: Religious affiliation

Uganda: Religious affiliation

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Uganda: Urban-rural

Uganda: Urban-rural

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Uganda: Age breakdown

Uganda: Age breakdown

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Uganda: Major import sources

Uganda: Major import sources

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Uganda: Major export destinations

Uganda: Major export destinations

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

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