Geography

Uganda is located in Eastern Africa, west of Kenya and east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is in the heart of the Great Lakes region, and is surrounded by three of them, Lake Edward, Lake Albert and Lake Victoria. Whilst much of its border is lakeshore, Uganda is landlocked with no access to the sea. Uganda includes several offshore islands in Lake Victoria.

The country is located on the East African plateau, averaging about 900 metres (2,950 ft) above sea level. Despite being on the equator, Uganda is more temperate than the surrounding areas due to its altitude. The climate is tropical; generally rainy with two dry seasons (December to February, June to August). It is semiarid in northeast near Sudan and approaching the Sahara.

The country is mostly plateau with rim of mountains, which has made it more suitable to agriculture and less prone to tropical diseases than other nations in the region.

Most important cities are located in the south, near Lake Victoria, including the capital Kampala and the nearby city of Entebbe.

Facts and Figures

• Area:
  • total: 236,040 sq km
  • land: 199,710 sq k
  • water: 36,330 sq km
• Land Boundaries:
  • total: 2,698 km
  • Border Countries:
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo 765 km
  • Kenya 933 km
  • Rwanda 169 km
  • Sudan 435 km
  • Tanzania 396 km
• Elevation Extremes:
  • lowest point: Lake Albert 621 m
  • highest point: Margherita Peak on Mount Stanley 5,110 m
• Natural Resources:
  • copper
  • cobalt
  • hydropower
  • limestone
  • salt
• Land Use:
  • arable land: 25%
  • permanent crops: 9%
  • permanent pastures: 9%
  • forests and woodland: 28%
  • other: 29%
• Irrigated land: 90 sq km
• Environment Issues:
  • overgrazing
  • soil erosion
  • draining of wetlands for agricultural use
  • deforestation
  • poaching