The nation of Uganda is located in East
Africa and has many unique features. In
this post I will be giving an overview of this nation’s climate, trade, natural
resources, and missions.
Uganda is very diverse with many climates
and geographical features such as mountains, rivers, and lakes, making the
nation a travel destination. Uganda is located between Kenya and the Congo. Other neighboring nations include Rwanda,
Sudan, and Tanzania. The capital of Uganda is Kampala and two other major
cities are Gulu and Lira. Although
Uganda is more centrally located it is mostly surrounded by lakes and rivers.
Lake Victoria, Lake Kyoga, Lake Albert, and Lake Edward are all either in
Uganda or are on the border.[1] Lake Victoria flows into
the Nile river and is the second largest inland freshwater lake, making it a
destination for visiting tourists. Some
of the rivers in Uganda include the Semliki, Sezibwa, Kafu, Katonga, Turkwel,
Kagera, White Nile, and the Nile River.[2] These rivers provide
energy, power, timber, and hunting areas. They are also tourist destinations and
important to many plants and animals.
The
climate is very different throughout Uganda with tropical rainforests to snowy
mountains and grasslands to volcanic areas. Northern Uganda has a wet season from April to
October and a dry season from November through march.[3] The south has wet seasons
from April to May and October to November and dry seasons in between.[4] There are many diseases in
Uganda such as malaria, cholera, typhoid, yellow fever, rabies, and meningitis.[5] Many of these diseases are
common because of unsanitary conditions of the surrounding lakes and rivers.
Uganda has rich soil that is practically perfect for growing crops such as
coffee, tea, tobacco, cocoa beans, palm oil, and sugar cane.[6] Uganda is a beautiful
nation with diverse plants and animals and breathtaking water views.
Over the years the natural resources and
trading of Uganda have changed. This
nation used to be one of the poorest in Africa but now is trading with many
other countries all over the world. Uganda
has fertile soil and many parts of the nation get enough rainfall to produce
agriculture for trade and to consume. This
nation also has deposits of gold, copper, cobalt, salt, limestone, and most
recently discovered, oil. Some exports
of Uganda include coffee, corn, fish, tea, cotton, flowers, gold, and
horticultural products.[7]
Coffee is the largest export and is a major part of the economy. The second largest export is fish products. These products come from lakes such as
Victoria, George, Edward, Albert, and Kyoga. Unfortunately, the fish market could be dying
because their supply is running low. Another
surprising export is bananas. Uganda is the second largest banana exporter
while the country of India is the largest.[8] Most
farmers grow bananas and it is also the nations staple food, making it an
important part of their diet.
In 2008 Uganda traded mostly with Congo,
Rwanda, Sudan, Kenya, Switzerland, Netherlands, Germany, and the United
Kingdom.[9]
These countries depend on each other for certain products and to help stabilize
their economies. According to Forbes, in
2017 Uganda was ranked 105 in best countries for business.[10]
Uganda
is made of many religions that have changed the culture over time. Early religions
in Uganda are Buddhism, Hinduism, and the Baha’I religion.[11] Islam
came in the 1800s followed by Christianity. Muslim practices included Sunni, Shia
Ahmadiyya, and others.[12]
The King of Baganda heard Christian teachings from European explorers and
requested that protestant missionaries be sent to Africa. In 1877 protestant missionaries came from
England and in 1879 French Catholic missionaries arrived.[13] Both denominations were spread all throughout
Africa. Uganda has always been a religious nation from the beliefs and
ancestors and tribes to the many religions that are practiced there today. The major religions in Uganda are Roman
Catholic, Anglican, Muslim, Pentecostal, Seventh-Day Adventist, traditional
beliefs, and others.[14] Roman Catholics and Anglicans are the top two
religions in Uganda as you can see from the chart below:
Islam opened the minds of the people Uganda
and surprisingly made it easier for other religions to come into the nation. Islam gave the people of Africa a reason to learn
to read so they can learn more about this god. This concept of a higher being that cared
about how people acted toward each other was not really known until the
religion of Islam was spread.[15]
In a way, when Christian missionaries arrived in Uganda in 1877, some of the
hard work had already been completed and just needed to be clarified.[16]
Since the people of Uganda already heard of a holy book, holy day and a god
interested in their daily lives they were open to hearing other the ideas of
other beliefs. Asians in Uganda brought beliefs
of Sikhism and Hinduism.[17]
These religions changed the perspective of many people in Uganda. These religions
also greatly impacted the people of Uganda. It gave them a reason to become more educated
by learning to read and write. This allowed the people a chance to think for
themselves and tell others of what they have learned. Uganda is still open to missionaries today. The Senior Pastor of my church leads a team to
Uganda every year and always has amazing stories of the beliefs of the people
there. Here is a video of one of our conversations: https://youtu.be/I8F3KYrrPVA
Uganda is a unique African nation with a
diverse and rich History. Their natural resources
and trading are important to many economies. The interactions the people of Uganda allowed
religions to be spread all over the world. This nation played a key role in the development
of the world we live in today. I hope you have enjoyed reading my blogs about
Uganda.
Biliography
"A
History of Christianity in Uganda." From
Mission to Church: A Handbook of Christianity in East Africa, , 1991. Accessed February 28, 2018. https://dacb.org/histories/uganda-history-christianity/
"Climate & Agriculture." Our
Africa. Accessed March 16, 2018. http://www.our-africa.org/uganda/climate-agriculture.
Ingham,
Kenneth, and Maryinez Lyons. "Uganda." Encyclopedia Britannica.
September 18, 2017. Accessed February 07, 2018. https://www.britannica.com/place/Uganda/Religion.
Ingham, Kenneth, and M. Semakula M. Kiwanuka.
"Uganda." Encyclopædia Britannica. September 18, 2017. Accessed
February 28, 2018. https://www.britannica.com/place/Uganda/Religion.
Kokole, Omari H., and Maryinez Lyons.
"Uganda." Encyclopædia Britannica. March 09, 2018. Accessed March 15,
2018. https://www.britannica.com/place/Uganda/Land.
Pariona,
Amber. "Religious Beliefs In Uganda." WorldAtlas. October 11, 2016.
Accessed February 07, 2018.
https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/religious-beliefs-in-uganda.html.
Sousa, Gregory. "Major Rivers Of
Uganda." WorldAtlas. December 08, 2016. Accessed March 15, 2018. https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-major-rivers-of-uganda.html.
"Travelers' Health." Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. March 12, 2018. Accessed March 15, 2018. https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler/none/uganda.
"Uganda." Forbes. December 2017.
Accessed February 16, 2018. https://www.forbes.com/places/uganda/.
"Uganda." News, knowledge and
information on bananas from ProMusa. Accessed February 16, 2018. http://www.promusa.org/Uganda.
"Uganda." OEC - Uganda (UGA) Exports,
Imports, and Trade Partners. Accessed February 16, 2018. https://atlas.media.mit.edu/en/profile/country/uga/.
Uganda Trade, Import, Export. (2010, April 9). Retrieved February 16,
2018, from http://www.economywatch.com/world_economy/uganda/export-import.html
[1] Gregory,
Sousa. “Major Rivers of Uganda”
[2] Ibid
[3] Kenneth,
Ingham. “Uganda”
[4] Kenneth,
Ingham. ‘Uganda”
[5] Center
for Disease Control. “Travelers’ Health”
[6] “Climate
and Agriculture.”
[8] "Uganda."
[11] Kenneth,
Ingham. “Uganda”
[12] Amber,
Pariona. “Religious Beliefs in Uganda”
[13] Amber,
Pariona. “Religious Beliefs in Uganda”
[14] Kenneth,
Ingham. “Uganda”
[15] “A
History of Christianity in Uganda”
[16] “A
History of Christianity in Uganda”
[17] Kenneth,
Ingham. “Uganda”
