Uganda has a population of approximately 40 million, and with an area of 241,000 km2 is about the size of Great Britain or slightly smaller than New Zealand.

 

The Ugandans are a friendly, warm-hearted and humorous people, in spite of their suffering through civil war, brutal dictatorships, and the development of the HIV epidemic.

 

Uganda is one of the world’s "youngest" countries: more than 50% of the population is under 16 years old. Malaria and AIDS are the chief reasons for the low average life expectancy of approximately 53 years, and for the many orphans. According to UNICEF, Uganda has about 2.5 million orphans. In many cases, they are taken in by relatives who often do not have the necessary financial means to care for the children well or send them to school.

 

Uganda’s official language is English, which is spoken by most people, especially in the towns. Most schools and universities teach in English. The 47 different national languages are spoken mainly by the rural population.

 

The capital city of Kampala offers almost every comfort of modern life, such as telecommunication, medical care and travel connections by car, train and plane. The infrastructure is not so well-developed in other towns.

 

Winston Churchill called Uganda 'The Pearl of Africa" because of the country's unique beauty.