EnterUganda

. Kampala, Uganda.

Location:
Uganda lies between the two arms of the Great Rift Valley in East Africa. It is crossed by the equator. It lies between latitudes 4 degrees 12" north and 1 degree 29" south and longitudes 29 degrees 5" and 25" east. It is roughly the same in size to Great Britain, Ghana or the state of Oregon in the United States of America. It is bordered by Kenya to the East, Sudan to the North, DRC to the West and Tanzania and Rwanda to the south.

Area:
241,139 sq. km of which 42.000 (17%) sq km is made up of swamps and open fresh water bodies. 30,000 sq km (12%) forest reserves and game parks.

Terrain:
Uganda lies in the Great African Plateau with an average altitude of 1200m (4000ft) above sea level broken by the Great Rift Valley to the Western Side. Elevated areas are the Rwenzori mountains (5000m) with permanent snow cover and Mount Elgon (4300m).

The Nile, the world's second longest river starts its journey from the world's second largest fresh water body, Lake Victoria at Jinja.

Climate:
Uganda's climate is equatorial but its elevated altitude affects it. The average annual temperature is 26 degrees Centigrade over much of the country though 5 degrees Centigrade in South Western and 35 degrees Centigrade in the North and North East can be recorded. Average annual rainfall is 1000mm in most parts of the country, 500mm in North East and 2000mm in Ssese Islands. Most of Uganda is green all year round.

Lakes and Rivers:
Uganda has been called a land of lakes because almost a third of the country is covered by water. Lake Victoria, the largest in Africa, dominates the southern border of the country while Lakes Edward and Albert lie to the west.
Linked to Lake Edward is the Kazinga Channel, Lake Mburo, 230 km to the west of Kampala, is the only lake entirely within a National Park. In the center of Uganda, Lakes Kwania and Kyoga are fed by the waters of the River Nile.

Other lakes include Lake Bunyonyi near Kabale and Lake Bisina in the shadow of Mt. Elgon, as well as tiny crater lakes high in the mountains. Uganda's fresh water lakes offer opportunities for water activities and sports. An example is white water rafting, pioneered by Adrift, which has caught on as a popular tourist activity, especially on the River Nile. The country now attracts 500 rafters every month. Lake Victoria is now also being increasingly used for lake cruises. Other popular activities include sport fishing and sailing.

Habitats and Vegetation:
Uganda is a treasure trove for lovers of natural history. The country is awash with colour which earned it the accolade of "the Pearl of Africa" by the War-time British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
The country is indeed the pearl of Africa's crown. Most of the country is fertile and well-watered. There is a wide range of wetland habitats ranging from swamps, sandbanks, papyrus mats, rivers and vast expanses of water in Lake Victoria.

Uganda is a country of exceptional diversity. It lies at the overlap between tropical East African savannah and the West African rainforest zones. Seven of Africa's 18 plant kingdoms are represented in Uganda, which is more than any other country on the continent.
The tropical rain forests of Western Uganda have unique flora and fauna, some of which are endangered species. As part of the emphasis on eco-tourism and in response to increasing demand from tourists, new nature trails have been developed in virtually every protected area.

These trails offer an unhurried way of exploring the wilderness and getting near to nature.
The south of the country is mostly covered by forest and sub-tropical cultivation (plantains, coffee and tea). There are woodland and open Savanah grassland areas.
The north is drier than most of the country. It is covered in semi-desert and dry acacia woodland, which lacks the heavy intertwining canopy found in tropical forests.

Uganda is presently the best location for tracking mountain gorillas, the country boasts a wide variety of primates ranging chimpanzees and several types of monkeys to the tiny wide-eyed bush baby.
All these are easily visible among the wide variety of 343 species of large mammals that the country has to offer.