Uganda

Where in the world are we???

Uganda, nicknamed the Pearl of Africa by Winston Churchill, is a landlocked country in East Africa that straddles the equator. It's about the size of Oregon, yet there are 56 languages spoken within its borders. Fun fact: PC Uganda trains its volunteers in more languages than any other Peace Corps county! Uganda's neighbors are South Sudan to the north (the world's newest country!) Kenya to the east, Tanzania and Rwanda to the South/Southwest (as well as Lake Victoria) and the DRC to the west.  Can you find it on this map? Clue: it's light orangish. 

Uganda's capital, Kampala, is on Lake Victoria's northern shore. Lake Victoria is the second largest fresh water lake in the world and it is the source of the Nile River.  The climate in Uganda is supposedly milder than one would expect, with it being situated directly on the equator.  There aren't seasons like we have in the US, and the temperatures are consistent all year round. There is a wet season from mid-September through November, and also one from March - May.  Being on the equator also means that there are equal amounts of darkness and daylight throughout the year, and it gets dark super fast... very little "sunset" or "twilight" time.. it's light and then 15 min later it's dark.

This is the flag, that animal in the middle, apart from simply being awesome, is a Crested Crane, the national bird of Uganda. The red stands for blood, the brotherhood of all Ugandans & Africans, the black is for the skin, and the yellow is the sunshine.

Looking at the numbers for Uganda can give you a better frame of reference to understand this small East African country.

• The population is 33,398,682, but is the fastest growing in the world. It is expected to top 103 million by 2050
• 50% of the population is under the age of 14
• The life expectancy is 53 years old
• HIV/Aids prevalence is 7.3%
• The literacy rate is 67%
• 84% of the population is Christian (42% Roman Catholic, 36% Protestant, 6% Evangelical & Pentacostal) 12% is Muslim, and the remainder are divided among traditional religions and others.