The colonial boundaries created by Britain to delimit Uganda grouped together a wide range of ethnic groups with different political systems and cultures.

These differences prevented the establishment of a working political community after independence was achieved in 1962.

The dictatorial regime of Idi Amin (1971-79) was responsible for the deaths of some 300,000 opponents; guerrilla war and human rights abuses under Milton Obote (1980-85) claimed at least another 100,000 lives.

The rule of Yoweri Museveni since 1986 has brought relative stability and economic growth to Uganda. During the 1990s, the government promulgated non-party presidential and legislative elections.

Source: CIA World Fact Book

Population: 30,262,610 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2007 est.)

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Age structure: 0-14 years: 50.2% (male 7,646,619/female 7,538,137) 15-64 years: 47.6% (male 7,231,196/female 7,185,058) 65 years and over: 2.2% (male 281,317/female 380,283) (2007 est.)

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Median age: total: 14.9 years male: 14.8 years female: 15 years (2007 est.)

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Population growth rate: 3.572% (2007 est.)

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Birth rate: 48.12 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)

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Death rate: 12.64 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)

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Net migration rate: 0.24 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)

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Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.014 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.006 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female total population: 1.004 male(s)/female (2007 est.)

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Infant mortality rate: total: 67.22 deaths/1,000 live births male: 70.92 deaths/1,000 live births female: 63.42 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)

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Life expectancy at birth: total population: 51.75 years male: 50.78 years female: 52.73 years (2007 est.)

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Total fertility rate: 6.84 children born/woman (2007 est.)

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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 4.1% (2003 est.)

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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 530,000 (2001 est.)

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HIV/AIDS - deaths: 78,000 (2003 est.)

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Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2007)

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Nationality: noun: Ugandan(s) adjective: Ugandan

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Ethnic groups: Baganda 16.9%, Banyakole 9.5%, Basoga 8.4%, Bakiga 6.9%, Iteso 6.4%, Langi 6.1%, Acholi 4.7%, Bagisu 4.6%, Lugbara 4.2%, Bunyoro 2.7%, other 29.6% (2002 census)

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Religions: Roman Catholic 41.9%, Protestant 42% (Anglican 35.9%, Pentecostal 4.6%, Seventh Day Adventist 1.5%), Muslim 12.1%, other 3.1%, none 0.9% (2002 census)

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Languages: English (official national language, taught in grade schools, used in courts of law and by most newspapers and some radio broadcasts), Ganda or Luganda (most widely used of the Niger-Congo languages, preferred for native language publications in the capital and may be taught in school), other Niger-Congo languages, Nilo-Saharan languages, Swahili, Arabic

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Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 66.8% male: 76.8% female: 57.7% (2002 census)

Uganda has substantial natural resources, including fertile soils, regular rainfall, and sizable mineral deposits of copper and cobalt. Agriculture is the most important sector of the economy, employing over 80% of the work force. Coffee accounts for the bulk of export revenues. Since 1986, the government - with the support of foreign countries and international agencies - has acted to rehabilitate and stabilize the economy by undertaking currency reform, raising producer prices on export crops, increasing prices of petroleum products, and improving civil service wages. The policy changes are especially aimed at dampening inflation and boosting production and export earnings. During 1990-2001, the economy turned in a solid performance based on continued investment in the rehabilitation of infrastructure, improved incentives for production and exports, reduced inflation, gradually improved domestic security, and the return of exiled Indian-Ugandan entrepreneurs. In 2000, Uganda qualified for enhanced Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) debt relief worth $1.3 billion and Paris Club debt relief worth $145 million. These amounts combined with the original HIPC debt relief added up to about $2 billion. Growth for 2001-02 was solid, despite continued decline in the price of coffee, Uganda's principal export. Growth in 2003-06 reflected an upturn in Uganda's export markets.

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GDP (purchasing power parity): $52.93 billion (2006 est.)

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GDP (official exchange rate): $8.526 billion (2006 est.)

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GDP - real growth rate: 5.3% (2006 est.)

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GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,900 (2006 est.)

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GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 29.4% industry: 22.1% services: 48.5% (2006 est.)

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Labor force: 13.76 million (2006 est.)

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Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 82% industry: 5% services: 13% (1999 est.)

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Unemployment rate: NA%

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Population below poverty line: 35% (2001 est.)

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Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 4% highest 10%: 21% (2000)

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Distribution of family income - Gini index: 43 (1999)

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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6% (2006 est.)

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Investment (gross fixed): 23.5% of GDP (2006 est.)

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Budget: revenues: $1.943 billion expenditures: $1.994 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.)

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Public debt: 29.3% of GDP (2006 est.)

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Agriculture - products: coffee, tea, cotton, tobacco, cassava (tapioca), potatoes, corn, millet, pulses, cut flowers; beef, goat meat, milk, poultry

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Industries: sugar, brewing, tobacco, cotton textiles; cement, steel production

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Industrial production growth rate: 5.2% (2006 est.)

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Electricity - production: 1.894 billion kWh (2004)

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Electricity - consumption: 1.596 billion kWh (2004)

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Electricity - exports: 165 million kWh (2004)

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Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2004)

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Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2004 est.)

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Oil - consumption: 10,890 bbl/day (2004 est.)

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Oil - exports: NA bbl/day

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Oil - imports: NA bbl/day

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Oil - proved reserves: 0 bbl

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Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2004 est.)

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Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2004 est.)

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Current account balance: -$423 million (2006 est.)

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Exports: $961.7 million f.o.b. (2006 est.)

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Exports - commodities: coffee, fish and fish products, tea, cotton, flowers, horticultural products; gold

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Exports - partners: Belgium 9.9%, Netherlands 9.3%, France 7.8%, Germany 7.6%, Rwanda 5.6%, Sudan 4.7% (2006)

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Imports: $1.945 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

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Imports - commodities: capital equipment, vehicles, petroleum, medical supplies; cereals

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Imports - partners: Kenya 34.6%, UAE 8.7%, China 7.2%, India 5.6%, South Africa 5.5%, Japan 4.3% (2006)

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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $1.4 billion (2006 est.)

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Debt - external: $1.456 billion (2006 est.)

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Economic aid - recipient: $959 million (2003)

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Currency (code): Ugandan shilling (UGX)

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Exchange rates: Ugandan shillings per US dollar - 1,834.9 (2006), 1,780.7 (2005), 1,810.3 (2004), 1,963.7 (2003), 1,797.6 (2002)

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Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June