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Geography of Uganda

1°00′N 32°00′E / 1.000°N 32.000°E / 1.000; 32.000

Uganda is located in Eastern Africa, West of Kenya, South of South Sudan, East of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and North of Rwanda and Tanzania. While much of its border is on lakeshores, Ugandaislandlocked with no access to the sea port but it is a fertile and well-watered country that consists of many lakes and rivers including the largest, Lake Victoria. The country sits in the heart of the Great Lakes region, with Lake Edward, Lake George and Lake Albert on its Western border, Lake Kyoga in the Eastern part of Uganda. It is found in Central Saharan Africa and receives reliable rainfall throughout the year. Rivers are River Nile the longest river in Africa, River Kagera, River Katonga, River Semiliki and River Sezibwa.

The climate is tropical and equatorial as well with two dry spells (December to February, June to August).^[1] While the Northeast of the country is semiarid^[1] and Districts falling prey include Moroto, Kabong, Nakapiripiriti, Karenga. The terrain of Uganda mostly consist of plateaus surrounded by a rim of mountains including the Rwenzori mountain range.^[1] Notable national parks include Bwindi, Rwenzori Mountains which has snow on its peak, Margherita, Kibale, Mgahinga National Park, Mount Elgon National game Park, Kidepo National game Park and Queen Elizabeth National game Park, with thick forests to modify climate and to mention; Uganda's plant cover is Savannah.However, Forests also act as a source of Herbal Medicine. Some geographical places like Jinja and Kapchorwa have water Springs like Muchsion falls, Bujagali falls, karuma falls and Sipii falls that aids Hydro Electric Power Generation and to cite out; Bujagali falls generates 5 MW that is exported to our physically disadvantaged neighbourhood in the names Rwanda and Burundi. Inselbergs are common features in the geography of Uganda. The inselbergs are commonly made of granite, sometimes of gneiss and never of amphiboliteorvolcanic rock.^[2] Protruding quartzite hills tend to form ridges rather than "true inselbergs".^[2]

Statistics[edit]

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Area:^[3]
total: 241,551 square kilometres (93,263 sq mi)
land: 200,523 square kilometres (77,422 sq mi)
water: 41,028 square kilometres (15,841 sq mi)

Area comparative

• Australia comparative: slightly larger than Victoria
• Canada comparative: slightly less than half the size of the Yukon
• United States comparative: slightly smaller than Wyoming
• EU comparative: slightly larger than Romania

Land boundaries:^[1]
total: 2,729 kilometres (1,696 mi)
border countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo 877 kilometres (545 mi), Kenya 814 kilometres (506 mi), South Sudan 475 kilometres (295 mi), Tanzania 391 kilometres (243 mi), Rwanda 172 kilometres (107 mi)

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: 614 metres (2,014 ft) Albert Nile at border with South Sudan^[1]
highest point: 5,111 metres (16,768 ft)^[3] Margherita Peak on Mount Stanley^[1]

Natural resources:
copper, cobalt, hydropower, limestone, salt, arable land, gold^[1]

Land use: (2012)^[4]
arable land: 69,000 square kilometres (27,000 square miles) 34.41%
permanent crops: 22,500 square kilometres (8,700 square miles) 11.22%
forest cover: 28,100 square kilometres (10,800 square miles) 14.01%
other: 80,931 square kilometres (31,248 sq mi) 40.36%

Irrigated land: (2012)^[4]
140 square kilometres (54 square miles)

Total renewable water resources:
66 cubic kilometres (16 cu mi) (2011)^[5] or 60 cubic kilometres (14 cu mi) (2012)^[6]

Environment — current issues:
draining of wetlands for agricultural use, deforestation, overgrazing, soil erosion, water hyacinth infestation in Lake Victoria, widespread poaching^[1]

Environment — international agreements:
party to:

• Convention on the International Maritime Organization
• Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage
• Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds
• United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
• Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer
• Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
• Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
• Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal
• United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
• Convention on Biological Diversity
• United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa
• International Plant Protection Convention
• Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, especially as Waterfowl Habitat

signed, but not ratified:

• Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques

Geography — note: Uganda is one of six African states that lies on the equator. Most of Uganda lies north of the equator.

Climate[edit]

Uganda has a warm tropical climate with temperatures falling in the 25 to 29 °C (77.0 to 84.2 °F) range on an average. The months from December to February are the hottest, but even during this season the evenings can be pleasant with temperatures in the 17 to 18 °C (62.6 to 64.4 °F) range.^[7]

Most of Uganda receives an annual rainfall of 1,000 to 1,500 millimetres or 40 to 60 inches. The rainy seasons are from March to May and from September to November. During these months, heavy rains can make roads and terrains hard to traverse. The period from January to February and again from June to August are dry.^[7] In the north, there is only one rainy season from March to November, and a dry season from December to February.

Climate change[edit]

The effects of climate changeinUganda are increasingly severe, affecting the lives of the country's citizens and its environment.^[14] It has led to extreme weather events such as unpredictable, prolonged drought and rainfall.^[14] Uganda's climate is mostly tropical with regular rainfall and sunshine patterns. Due to climate change the seasons have changed, with the rainy season becoming more variable in length and droughts more ubiquitous, especially in eastern and northeastern Uganda.^[15] Climate trends have the potential to affect development of Uganda, due to the vulnerability of Uganda's diverse environment.^[16]

See also[edit]

• List of Protected Areas in Uganda

References[edit]