Uganda lies between the two arms of the Great Rift Valley in East Africa. It is crossed by the equator. It lies between latitudes 4 degrees 12" north and 1 degree 29" south and longitudes 29 degrees 5" and 25" east. It is roughly the same in size to Great Britain, Ghana or the state of Oregon in the United States of America. It is bordered by Kenya to the East, Sudan to the North, DRC to the West and Tanzania and Rwanda to the south.
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241,139 sq. km of which 42.000 (17%) sq km is made up of swamps and open fresh water bodies. 30,000 sq km (12%) forest reserves and game parks.
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Uganda lies in the Great African Plateau with an average altitude of 1200m (4000ft) above sea level broken by the Great Rift Valley to the Western Side. Elevated areas are the Rwenzori mountains (5000m) with permanent snow cover and Mount Elgon (4300m).
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Uganda's climate is equatorial but its elevated altitude affects it. The average annual temperature is 26 degrees Centigrade over much of the country though 5 degrees Centigrade in South Western and 35 degrees Centigrade in the North and North East can be recorded. Average annual rainfall is 1000mm in most parts of the country, 500mm in North East and 2000mm in Ssese Islands. Most of Uganda is green all year round.
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Uganda has been called a land of lakes because almost a third of the country is covered by water. Lake Victoria, the largest in Africa, dominates the southern border of the country while Lakes Edward and Albert lie to the west.
Linked to Lake Edward is the Kazinga Channel, Lake Mburo, 230 km to the west of Kampala, is the only lake entirely within a National Park. In the center of Uganda, Lakes Kwania and Kyoga are fed by the waters of the River Nile.
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Geography