Uganda

Where the name comes from

Uganda is the Swahili form of Buganda, the kingdom of the Ganda people on the northern shore of Lake Victoria.

First people

Buganda and other Great Lakes kingdoms grew here over many centuries.¹

Known for

Uganda is known for the source of the White Nile at Jinja and for mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.²

Outside rule

Britain set up the Uganda Protectorate in 1894, and colonial borders joined communities with different languages and histories.¹

The modern country

Independence came in 1962. Uganda is a republic, but its constitution also recognizes kings, such as Buganda’s, as cultural leaders.³