UGANDA

Yoweri Kaguta Museveni
President

(pronounced "YOU-ree kah-GOO-ta muh-SEH-veh-nee")

"My mission is now almost accomplished, which is to orient my people toward modernization. We shall complete this process of democratization."

The Republic of Uganda, a landlocked equatorial East African country, is bordered by Zaire to the west, the Sudan to the north, Kenya to the east, and Rwanda, Tanzania and Lake Victoria to the south. The capital is Kampala, located on the northern shore of Lake Victoria. Uganda occupies 235,885 sq km (94,354 sq mi), an area which is home to some 24.7 million people (2002 estimate), 99% of whom are African, and 1% of whom are of European, Asian, and Arab ancestry. The indigenous African population is quite diverse, with different groups dominating particular geographic regions of the country: Bantu groups, 65% of the African population, are located largely in the south; Nilotic groups comprise roughly 10% of the population and are found in the north; the Turkana and Karamojong are among the Nilo-Hamitic groups in the northeast. The official language is English, although Luganda and Kiswahili are widely used. The majority of Ugandans are Christian, but there are those who profess Islam or practice traditional religions as well.

Although Uganda has attained a record of solid economic reform and sustained growth economic growth over the last decade, and won accolades in the process, the economy is still among the least productive in the world: per capita gross national product (GNP) is US $1,200 (2001 estimate). The economy is primarily agricultural, and Uganda's principal exports are cash crops, including coffee (70% of all exports) cotton, tea, and maize. The currency is the Uganda shilling .