Uganda

C

Natural Resources

Uganda’s most important natural resource is its rich soil, which provides the basis for the diverse agricultural economy of the country. In addition, Uganda has exploitable deposits of gold, copper, cobalt, tin, and tungsten, ample water-power resources for producing hydroelectricity, and rich fish resources in the lakes.

D

Plants and Animals

Uganda has a wide variety of plant life, from the mvuli tree and elephant grass of the Uganda plateau to the dry thorn scrub, acacia, and euphorbia of the south-west. The country also provides a habitat for many animals, some of which are protected in national parks. The chimpanzee inhabits the rainforests, and some elephant, eland, and hartebeest, as well as lion and leopard, are found in the grasslands. Many wild animals were slaughtered during the Amin regime, but numbers are returning to former levels.

E

Environmental Concerns

Uganda is among the poorest African nations. Access to safe drinking water and sanitation services is limited, and cases of cholera have increased in recent years. The average life expectancy in Uganda is among the lowest in the world. Uganda's extreme poverty has led to significant damage to the country's environment. Civil unrest in the country during the 1970s and 1980s resulted in poor land conservation practices and rampant poaching. Since the mid-1980s, the political situation in Uganda has improved and poaching has been curbed. Soil erosion, overgrazing, and desertification continue. In order to provide more land for agricultural use, many forests have been cleared and wetlands have been drained. Of Uganda's forestland, 0.9 per cent (1990-1996) is destroyed each year, in part because 89 per cent (1995) of the country's energy requirements are met by burning wood.

Uganda is situated in an area of rich biodiversity, incorporating four vegetation regions. The country provides habitat for 992 bird species and 338 mammal species. About 9.6 per cent (1997) of the country's land is protected in parks or reserves. Uganda has ratified international agreements intended to protect biodiversity, endangered species, marine life, wetlands, and the ozone layer. The country has also signed treaties limiting nuclear testing, chemical and biological weapons, and trade involving endangered animal species.

III

Population

Almost all the inhabitants of Uganda are black Africans of the Bantu migration. About 70 per cent of the people speak a Bantu language; they live in the southern half of the country and include the Baganda, Basoga, Banyoro, Nkole, and Toro ethnic groups. Most of the remaining people speak a Nilotic language; they live in the north and east, and include the Acholi, Lango, and Karamojong ethnic groups. In the late 1960s Uganda also had a sizeable Asian population (741,000 of Indian and Pakistani origin in 1969). Idi Amin’s expulsion of non-citizen Asians in 1972 led to all but about 4,000 leaving the country. Many have returned during the 1990s.

A

Population Characteristics

Uganda has a population of 30,262,610 (2007 estimate). The country has an average population density of about 152 people per sq km (392 per sq mi). About 12 per cent of the population is urbanized. Average life expectancy in 2007 was about 50.8 years for men and 52.7 years for women.