Introduction
Kampala (place of the impala) was named for the animals that once grazed on its hills. The modern city of Kampala is now the capital of the East African country of Uganda. Kampala is situated near the shores of Lake Victoria, only a short distance from the equator.
Places of interest
Kampala's Uganda Museum is known for its large collection of traditional musical instruments. Also notable are the tombs of the kings of Buganda, called the Kasubi Tombs, which are on a hill overlooking the city. Makerere University's large campus is in the northern part of the city.
Photograph:The Roman Catholic Rubaga Cathedral stands on a hill overlooking the city of Kampala, the capital …
* The Roman Catholic Rubaga Cathedral stands on a hill overlooking the city of Kampala, the capital …
Kampala's religious buildings show the diversity of the population. A white Islamic mosque sits on Kibuli Hill. In downtown Kampala there is a large Hindu temple. Just outside of the city is Africa's only temple of the Baha'i faith. Christianity is represented by Anglican and Roman Catholic cathedrals.
Economy
Thousands of people in Kampala work for the government. Many others work in banks, business offices, stores, and restaurants. Uganda is a country with fertile farmland. Much of Kampala's industry is devoted to the processing of agricultural products such as tea, sugar, coffee, and cotton. Kampala is also a transportation hub. A railway connects the landlocked country to Mombasa, Kenya, on the coast of the Indian Ocean. Steamships on nearby Lake Victoria visit ports in Kenya and Tanzania. Uganda's international airport is located at Entebbe, to the southwest.
History
The kingdom of Buganda controlled the region of Kampala when Europeans first arrived in the 19th century. The palace of the Buganda kings was built in the 1800s on Mengo Hill, which is now part of Kampala.
Kampala was chosen in 1890 for the headquarters of the Imperial British East Africa Company. Four years later the British government created the Uganda Protectorate. In 1905 the British moved their colonial headquarters to nearby Entebbe. The capital was moved back to Kampala in 1958.
In 1962 Kampala became the capital of the independent country of Uganda. Like the rest of the country, the city suffered under the dictatorship of Idi Amin for many years. It started to rebuild in the late 1980s after Amin was forced out of power. Population (1998 estimate), 1,154,000.
