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Uganda Facts
| Political Climate |
| The Republic of Uganda was modeled after the U.S.A. It has 56 administrative divisions, and an executive, judicial, and legislative branch. The election takes place every five years in Uganda and a President can also be reelected. |
| Geography |
| Uganda is located in Eastern Africa, just west of Kenya. It is a landlocked country astride the equator, about 800 kilometers inland from the Indian Ocean. It lies on the northwestern shores of Lake Victoria, extending from 1 south to 4 north latitude and 30 to 35 east longitude. The country is only slightly smaller than the state of Oregon with a 236,040 sq km area. To compliment the already beautiful Lake Victoria, there are also many other lakes and rivers, as well as mountains. |
Languages
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| The national language of Uganda is English, but it is also diverse with over 40 different languages. These languages include Acholi, Adhola, Alur, Amba, Aringa, Bari, Chiga, Ganda, Gujarati, Gungu, Gwere, Hindi, Ik, Kakwa, Karamojong, Kenyi, Konjo, Kumam, Kupsabiny, Lango, Lendu, Lugbara, Luyia, Ma'di, Ma'di Southern, Masaba, Ndo, Nubi, Nyankore, Nyole, Nyoro, Pökoot, Ruli, Rundi, Rwanda, Soga, Soo, Swahili, Talinga-Bwisi, Teso, Tooro, and Ugandan Sign Language. |
Currency
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| The Ugandan Shilling isbroken up into 100 cents and denominations of the shilling are 10, 50, 100, 200, 500 shillings. They also have banknotes with denominations of 1000, 5000, 10000, 20000, and 50000 shillings. |
People & Population
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| Uganda has long been a cultural melting pot. The country's most ancient inhabitants, confined to the hilly southwest, are the Batwa and Bambuti Pygmies. Also there are the kingdoms of the Buganda, Bunyoro, Ankole, Toro, Karimojong, Bakonjo, and Bagisu. |
Entry Requirements
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| US nationals require a valid passport and a visa, which can be obtained on arrival. |
Health
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| Routine vaccinations for measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) vaccine, diphtheria/pertussis/tetanus (DPT) vaccine, poliovirus vaccine are recommended to be up to date. CDC yellow fever vaccination recommendation for travelers to Uganda: For all travelers >9 months of age. Uganda requires travelers arriving from countries where yellow fever is present to present proof of yellow fever vaccination. Vaccination should be given 10 days before travel and at 10-year intervals if there is ongoing risk. Also highly recommended are the Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Typhoid, Meningitis, Rabies, and Polio vaccinations. |
Communications
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| Three cellular systems have been introduced in Uganda for mobile telephony. Intercity telephone traffic is carried by wire. Microwave radio relay, and radiotelephone communication stations are used in the country also. Uganda has 18 internet service providers. There are 122 FM radio stations, 7 AM and 2 shortwave, 2 major PayTV providers, and 22 television broadcast stations. Daily newspapers in Uganda include The New Vision, Sunday Vision, The Daily Monitor, The Sunday Monitor, The Red Pepper, The Sunday Pepper, The Uganda Observer, and The East African. The East African Procurement News is a weekly business newspaper. |
Electricity
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| 240V 50HZ (UK Plug Type) |
Climate and Best Time to Travel
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| Uganda's equatorial climate provides plentiful sunshine, moderated by the relatively high altitude of most areas of the country. Mean annual temperatures range from about 16° C in the southwestern highlands to 25° C in the northwest; but in the northeast, temperatures exceed 30° C about 254 days per year. Northeastern corner of the country, rainfall is well distributed. The southern region has two rainy seasons, usually beginning in early April and again in October. Little rain falls in June and December. In the north, occasional rains occur between April and October, while the period from November to March is often very dry. Uganda can be visited at any time, though mountain hikes, gorilla tracking and other forest walks are more challenging during the rains, which generally peak over mid-September to November and March to May. |
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