Uganda is a state in the equatorial East Africa and occupies 236 thousand sq. km. To the North it borders Sudan, to the West -Zaire, to the East -Kenya, to the South-Rwanda and Tanzania. The official languages - Swahili, English. Uganda is sometimes called "African Pearl" for the amazing beauty and soft climate. Uganda is located near the equator. Average temperatures of January 17-24°C, of July - 16-21°C.  There are two rainy periods on the whole territory April-May, September-October.

The main part of Uganda is occupied with savannas. There are 400 species of trees in forests. In cool forests there are gorillas, elephants, hippopotamuses, monkeys, buffaloes, zebras and etc.  The population of the country counts 17,7 million people. People are mostly Christians, some of them - Muslims, the rest - of traditional religions. The capital of the country - Kampala.

Life expectancy in Uganda is just 44 years. In the United States, the average person can expect to live to the age of 77.  Of every 1,000 babies born alive in Uganda, 124 will die before their fifth birthdays -- compared to only 8 out of 1,000 in the United States.

Safe water is accessible to just 52% of the people of Uganda. Almost everyone in the United States has access to safe water.

Illiteracy is a major problem in Africa, as is the disparity between men's and women's education.  In Uganda, 74% of the men and just 54% of the women are literate. In the United States, nearly all adults -- 97% of both men and women -- can read and write.

Annual per capita income in Uganda is $1,208.  It is $34,142 in the United States.

Densely populated, mountainous and rainy, Uganda has long battled the problems of over farming and water erosion and now faces the prospect of decreased soil fertility -- especially tragic, given the tremendous agricultural potential of this country once called "the pearl of Africa." Political instability, too, has plagued Uganda off and on since independence, although a stable, democratically elected government has made tremendous strides since 1986.