The climate of Uganda Uganda is highly vulnerable to climate change and variability - its economy and the wellbeing of its people are tightly bound to climate. Human induced climate change in the coming century has the potential to halt or reverse the country's development trajectory. In particular, climate change is likely to mean increased food insecurity; shifts in the spread of diseases like malaria; soil erosion and land degradation; flood damage to infrastructure and settlements and shifts in the productivity of agricultural and natural resources. It will be the poor and vulnerable who feel these impacts the hardest, though climate change has serious implications for the nation's economy, with for example, a shift in the viability of coffee growing areas potentially wiping out US $265.8 million or 40% of export revenue.
Landforms and Elevation Extremes
total: 2,698 km border countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo 765 km, Kenya 933 km, Rwanda 169 km, Sudan 435 km, Tanzania 396 km
Current Environmental Issues
Finding a balance: Whether meeting sustenance needs means clearing rainforests or drawing fish from Lake Victoria, the objective for many Ugandans is the same: survival. But could these practices make things even more difficult for Ugandans in future generations? Forests: Most Ugandans are completely reliant on natural resources to survive. Forests provide fuel-wood and cleared land frees arable soil for agriculture. Uganda loses about 6,000 hectares of forests every 30 days according. If no action is registered by 2050, Uganda’s per capita forest cover will be zero (NEMA, 2009). Already 28 districts have lost their entire forest ecosystem while another 19 districts have forest cover lower than 1%. As forests give way to agricultural land, the soil is exposed to erosion and loses its fertility. Where cattle are introduced, grazing also affects soil quality, opens the way for invasive species and reduces the diversity of plant species. Other related problems include falling quality and availability of water. Species: Habitat loss also means that endangered species such as the mountain gorilla find themselves increasingly at risk from poachers. This species is now on the brink of extinction in the wild because it subsists in islands of vegetation surrounded by large human populations with growing land needs.
Major rivers and/or lakes, vegetation
Major Rivers: Katonga River, River Kafu and Sezibwa Vegetation: Uganda has many plants and crops growing there like Bamboo, Acacia Trees, Elephant grass, and Mvuli Trees
Major Landmarks
Jinja: Jinja, a town at Lake Victoria about 50 miles from Kampala, is the fabled source of the Nile, which flows all the way to Egypt, Sudan and the Mediterranean. John Hanning Speke was the first European to “discover” and document the site in 1862. Take a boat trip across the lake to the Source of the Nile Gardens and you’ll see Speke’s Monument, an obelisk honoring the explorer’s achievement. The vicinity of Jinja, a scenic place of forested islands, waterfalls and abundant bird life, is renowned for white-water rafting and kayaking. The town itself has become a hub for adventure tourism, where travelers can find plentiful accommodations and arrange bungee jumping, ATV excursions, horseback riding and mountain biking tours. Kasubi Tombs: The Kasubi Tombs were built as sacred burial grounds on a hilltop outside Kampala in the 1880s by the kabakas (royal family) of the Buganda tribe. They are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an important cultural and religious landmark for the Buganda people. The site comprises royal tombs, an agricultural area and grave sites, as well as some other buildings, all constructed from natural materials including grasses, bark cloth, reeds and wood. Ngamba Island: Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary and Wildlife Conservation Trust (ngambaisland.com) is an approximately 100-acre island in Lake Victoria that welcomes a limited number of visitors for half-day, full-day and overnight trips. Reservations are required. Boardwalks along the edge of forest enclosures allow for up-close viewing of the resident chimps, and scheduled feeding sessions are an especially captivating sight. For a more in-depth experience, choose the Chimpanzee Integration Program, which includes personal interaction with the chimpanzees, or the Caregiver-For-a-Day experience.