Locating Uganda Trivia Quiz

The Democratic Republic of the Congo lies to the west of Uganda, and the two countries share a 950 km (590 mi) land border, extending from the south where the two countries make a tripoint with Rwanda, north up to where the two countries make a tripoint with South Sudan. Along the border, the two countries share portions of Lake Edward and Lake Albert, two of the smaller lakes in the African Great Lakes district.

To the north of Uganda lies South Sudan, the two countries sharing a 475 km (295 mi) border. In the late 18th and early 19th century, the entire region was under British colonial rule, and they created the administrative division that would become the border between Sudan and Uganda. When both nations gained independence in 1956 (Sudan) and 1962 (Uganda), the border largely remained the same (except for the Nile River boundary).

South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011.

Kenya lies on Uganda's eastern border, extending 814 km (506 mi) from South Sudan down to Lake Victoria, where the watery border line continues straight south until meeting the portion 'owned' by Tanzania.

Kenya was part of the East Africa Protectorate under the British Empire in 1895, with the region of Kenya known from 1920 as the Kenya Colony. In December of 1963, the colony became the Commonwealth realm of Kenya just over a year after Uganda gained independence. And then one full year later (Dec. 1964) it became the Independent Republic of Kenya, effectively severing its British governmental ties, albeit remaining a member nation of the British Commonwealth.

The beautiful Kenyan landscape was the inspiration for Disney's animated "The Lion King" (1994) and was also where much of the footage was filmed for the follow-up live action film (2019).

Tanzania is Uganda's neighbour to the south, sharing a 396 km (246 mi) land border extending to the west of Lake Victoria until reaching Rwanda. Before achieving independence in 1964, Tanzania was part of the territory of German East Africa until the British took control of the territory in 1922 under a League of Nations mandate, which later became a United Nations Trust Territory. In 1961, Tanganyika (the mainland portion of today's Tanzania) gained independence from the UK, and just a year later, became a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations. In 1964, Tanganyika united with the island nation of Zanzibar to become Tanzania.

Tanzania is also the home of Africa's highest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro, at 5,895 m (19,340 ft).

Rwanda is located at the extreme southwest corner of Uganda, sharing a 169 km (105 mi) border running east/west between Tanzania and the DR Congo.

Rwanda was colonized by Germany as part of German East Africa in 1897, then later the region was governed by Belgium when they took control in 1916 (along with Burundi). Rwanda-Urundi existed under a League of Nations mandate (still under Belgian rule) from 1922 and continued as such under UN mandate following World War II. Racial tensions between the Tutsi and Hutu peoples led to the Rwandan Revolution in 1959, which ultimately culminated in Rwandan independence in 1962.

Political unrest has continued to plague the nation of Rwanda, with a hard history that includes a military coup in 1973, and civil war in the 1990s, which included the attempted genocide of the Tutsi minority.

The name Kampala originated from the location of a British settlement (Fort Lugard) atop a hill. Located within the lands of the King of the Baganda (Bantu) people. The British referred to the site as the "hill of the impala," which were prominent in the region. In the native language, this translated as "Akasozi ke'Empala," which was eventually shortened to simply "Kampala."

Under the British protectorate, these lands were claimed as "Crown lands," and grew into a township in the early 1900s. The site grew slowly, and then more quickly once the railway connected Kampala to Mombasa Port in 1931. And then when Uganda gained its independence in 1962, Kampala became the capital of the new country, (moving from Entebbe), and achieving city status at the same time.

In 2019, the population of Kampala was estimated to be 1.65 million, with an expected growth of about 5% per year.

In 1864, explorer Samuel Baker became the first European to see these beautiful falls, which are on the Victoria (White) Nile at the apex of Lake Albert. At the time of its 'discovery,' Baker named the falls for Roderick Murchison, who was the president of the Royal Geographical Society.

Under the Idi Amin government of the 1970s, the falls were renamed Kabalega Falls, after a former king of the Bantu kingdom of Bunyoro.

Murchison Falls tumble down 43 meters (141 ft) into a narrow gorge that empties into Lake Albert.

Mount Stanley is Africa's third-highest mountain at 5,109 m (16,763 ft). Straddling the border of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo along the Rwenzori mountain range, it is the highest point of both countries.

As you may have surmised, Mount Stanley is named for British explorer Sir Henry Morton Stanley, who famously located missionary (and explorer) David Livingstone (in 1871), who had been 'missing' for six years.

Mount Stanley is located within the Rwenzori Mountains National Park, which was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994.

The Victoria Nile is the section of the White Nile that travels from the northern part of Lake Victoria (west of Jinja) to Lake Albert, on the western border of Uganda. Over the course of its travels, the Victoria Nile travels in a northerly direction for approximately 480 km (300 mi), over the Nalubaale and Kiira dams at Owen Falls, through Lake Kyoga in the center of the country, then north and west to Lake Albert where it forms the Murchison (Kabalega) Falls as it enters the lake.

Some also call the section of the river after Lake Kyoga the Kyoga Nile.

The Albert Nile extends from the northern extremity of Lake Albert (AKA Lake Mwitanzige), flowing north approximately 210 km (130 mi) to the border of South Sudan at Nimule. There it becomes the Mountain Nile. Throughout its length (in Uganda), it is a navigable river.

Other names for the Albert Nile exist, and in its Ugandan section, it is also commonly called the Mobutu Nile. Once it crosses into South Sudan, it is also known as the Al-Jabal River.

Lake Victoria is the largest of Africa's Great Lakes, and the second-largest freshwater lake in the world (by area), after North America's Lake Superior. Measuring 69,484 km2 (26,828 sq mi) in area, Lake Victoria is shared by Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania, with approximately 45% of the lake within Uganda's recognized border.

Lake Victoria is extremely important to Uganda, for a number of reasons. Primary among them are hydroelectric power (water flowing from Lake Victoria along the Victoria Nile), fisheries (over two million Ugandans directly or indirectly employed), transportation (commercial and travel link between the three countries), climate moderation, and its biodiversity.

The first European to set eyes on the lake was British explorer John Hanning Speke in 1858. He named it for Queen Victoria, of course. The lake has many different names in varying local dialects, and has, of course, been an important resource for centuries for the local African (mostly Bantu) tribes.

Lake Edward (AKA Rwitanzigye) straddles the border between the DRC and Uganda. It has an area of 2,325 km2 (898 sq mi), with just under a third of the lake (29%) within Ugandan borders. It is considered to be the smallest of the African Great Lakes. While there are a number of rivers that feed into Lake Edward, it only has one river exiting the lake at the north - the Semliki River - flowing towards Lake Albert.

Lake Edward was named by Henry Morton Stanley in honour of Queen Victoria's son Albert Edward, the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII). The lake was renamed "Lake Idi Amin" from 1973 until 1979, after which the name reverted to Lake Edward. The lake also carries the local names of Rwitanzigye and Rweru.

Lake George is a small (in comparison) lake connected to Lake Edward by the 32 km (20 mi) Kazinga Channel. The lake is 250 km2 (97 sq mi) in area, and is fully within Uganda, located to the northeast of Lake Edward.

When it was first 'discovered' by Henry Morton Stanley in 1875, and he initially believed it to be part of Lake Albert, consequently naming it Beatrice Gulf (after Queen Victoria's daughter). It wasn't until Stanley reached Lake Edward in 1888 that he realized that it was a separate lake, and he gave it the updated name, Lake George (after Prince Edward's son, who would become George V).

The local name, Lake Katunguru, describes the shape of the lake in a number of the dialects in the region, meaning 'onion.'

Lake Albert, AKA Lake Mwitanzige (and also Lake Mobutu Sese Seko for a time), is the seventh-largest of the African Great Lakes, with an area of approximately 5,300 km2 (2,000 sq mi). Just like Lake Edward, Lake Albert straddles the border between the DRC and Uganda, although this one is more evenly divided between the two nations, with 46% of it within Uganda. It is a long lake, stretching roughly 160 km (99 mi) long from the southwest to the northeast, with a width of 30 km (19 mi).

It has two main inflowing rivers: the Semliki River (from Lake Edward to the southwest); and the Victoria Nile (from Lake Victoria to the southeast, through Lake Kyoga). Lake Albert's outflowing river is the Albert Nile, which extends north to the border with South Sudan.

Lake Kyoga is a large, shallow lake in the center of Uganda. It has an area of 1,720 km2 (660 sq mi), but it only has an average depth of about 4 m (13 ft), and its deepest point is just 5.7 m (under 19 ft). For this reason it is not considered one of the African Great Lakes, even though it is part of the same lake system.

The lake is roughly midway along the Victoria Nile between Lake Victoria and Lake Albert. As shallow as it is, the lake has large areas of water lilies and swampy shorelines of papyrus and water hyacinth. It is an irregularly-shaped lake, with many arms and a complex system of streams and rivers surrounding it.