Buvuma District
Encyclopedia
Buvuma District is a district
in Central Uganda
. The district is coterminous with the Buvuma Islands archipelago
in Lake Victoria
and does not have territory on mainland Uganda
.
to the north, Mayuge District
to the east, the Republic of Tanzania to the south, and Buikwe District
to the west and northwest. Kitamilo
, the district headquarters is located approximately 30 kilometres (18.6 mi), across water, south of the city of Jinja
, the nearest large metropolitan area. The coordinates of the district are: 00 14N, 33 16E.
. The largest island is called Buvuma, the name adopted by the new district, which was created by Act of Parliament in 2010. Administratively, the district is subdivided into four sub-counties:
(b) Tourism
(c) Logging
and (d) Manufacture of charcoal
. Subsistence agriculture is practiced by the inhabitants of the islands. The majority of the islanders depend a lot on fishing. Overfishing is a concern. The district has twenty-six (26) gazetted forest reserves, although many are threatened by unregulated logging and burning to make charcoal. Little livestock farming is practiced in the district, with the majority of livestock consumed locally in the district.
, located in Lake Victoria
, a few miles off the mainland, offers splendid beauty through its diverse fauna and flora. It has dense tropical forests with a range of rare bird, animal and plant species. The island has some uncommon and unspoiled sandy beaches. The island has good camping
sites.
Although Buvuma is by far the biggest island in the Buvuma Island chain, there are actually 52 islands in all. The most important of which is Lingira Island. It is home to 1,500 people all crowded together versus the spread out population of Buvuma. Lingira also has a clinic which serves the surrounding islands and is the first line treatment for some 20,000 inhabitants of the islands. The clinic was started in 1991 by a German nurse (Ralph Richtsteiger) under an NGO, known as "Youth With A Mission" (YWAM). Although he has since left the islands the clinic is still in operation. They also do mobile child immunization and other community development work.
Districts of Uganda
Uganda is divided into 111 districts and one city across four administrative regions. Most districts are named after their main commercial and administrative towns....
in Central Uganda
Central Region, Uganda
Central Region is a region of Uganda. It is coterminous with the Kingdom of Buganda, one of the ancient African monarchies that are constitutionally recognised in Uganda. It is divided into the following districts:...
. The district is coterminous with the Buvuma Islands archipelago
Archipelago
An archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...
in Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. The lake was named for Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, by John Hanning Speke, the first European to discover this lake....
and does not have territory on mainland Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
.
Location
Buvuma District is bordered by Jinja DistrictJinja District
Jinja District is a district in Eastern Uganda. Like most Ugandan districts, it is named after its main municipal and commercial center, Jinja.-Location:...
to the north, Mayuge District
Mayuge District
Mayuge District is a district in Eastern Uganda. Like many other Ugandan districts, it is named after its 'chief town', Mayuge, where the district headquarters are located.-Location:...
to the east, the Republic of Tanzania to the south, and Buikwe District
Buikwe District
Buikwe District is a district in the Central Region of Uganda. It is named after its 'chief town', Buikwe, where the district headquarters are located.-Location:...
to the west and northwest. Kitamilo
Kitamilo
Kitamilo is a town in Buvuma District, in Central Uganda. It is the main municipal, administrative and commercial center of the district. The district headquarters are located there.-Location:...
, the district headquarters is located approximately 30 kilometres (18.6 mi), across water, south of the city of Jinja
Jinja, Uganda
Jinja is the largest town in Uganda, Africa. It is the second busiest commercial center in the country, after Kampala, Uganda's capital and only city. Jinja was established in 1907.-Location:...
, the nearest large metropolitan area. The coordinates of the district are: 00 14N, 33 16E.
Overview
Buvuma District is made up of fifty-two (52) scattered islands in the northern part of Lake VictoriaLake Victoria
Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. The lake was named for Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, by John Hanning Speke, the first European to discover this lake....
. The largest island is called Buvuma, the name adopted by the new district, which was created by Act of Parliament in 2010. Administratively, the district is subdivided into four sub-counties:
- Bugaya sub-county
- Busemizi sub-county
- Bwera sub-county
- Nairambi sub-county
Population
The population of Buvuma District was estimated at approximately 42,500 by the 2002 national census. The district population in 2010 is estimated at about 30,000, suggesting net emigration from Buvuma to the mainland during the first decade of the 2000.Economic activities
The four main activities in the district are: (a) FishingFishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
(b) Tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
(c) Logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
and (d) Manufacture of charcoal
Charcoal
Charcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen...
. Subsistence agriculture is practiced by the inhabitants of the islands. The majority of the islanders depend a lot on fishing. Overfishing is a concern. The district has twenty-six (26) gazetted forest reserves, although many are threatened by unregulated logging and burning to make charcoal. Little livestock farming is practiced in the district, with the majority of livestock consumed locally in the district.
Tourist attractions
Buvuma IslandBuvuma Island
Buvuma Island refers to a Lake Victorian island chain and the chain's largest island.-Location:This chain of more than fifty islands is located a few kilometres off the northern shore of Lake Victoria, Uganda in the Napoleon Gulf. Buvuma lies some 25 km south of the major city of Jinja, and...
, located in Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. The lake was named for Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, by John Hanning Speke, the first European to discover this lake....
, a few miles off the mainland, offers splendid beauty through its diverse fauna and flora. It has dense tropical forests with a range of rare bird, animal and plant species. The island has some uncommon and unspoiled sandy beaches. The island has good camping
Camping
Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...
sites.
Although Buvuma is by far the biggest island in the Buvuma Island chain, there are actually 52 islands in all. The most important of which is Lingira Island. It is home to 1,500 people all crowded together versus the spread out population of Buvuma. Lingira also has a clinic which serves the surrounding islands and is the first line treatment for some 20,000 inhabitants of the islands. The clinic was started in 1991 by a German nurse (Ralph Richtsteiger) under an NGO, known as "Youth With A Mission" (YWAM). Although he has since left the islands the clinic is still in operation. They also do mobile child immunization and other community development work.
External links
See also
- KitamiloKitamiloKitamilo is a town in Buvuma District, in Central Uganda. It is the main municipal, administrative and commercial center of the district. The district headquarters are located there.-Location:...
- Buvuma IslandBuvuma IslandBuvuma Island refers to a Lake Victorian island chain and the chain's largest island.-Location:This chain of more than fifty islands is located a few kilometres off the northern shore of Lake Victoria, Uganda in the Napoleon Gulf. Buvuma lies some 25 km south of the major city of Jinja, and...
- Central Region, UgandaCentral Region, UgandaCentral Region is a region of Uganda. It is coterminous with the Kingdom of Buganda, one of the ancient African monarchies that are constitutionally recognised in Uganda. It is divided into the following districts:...
- Districts of UgandaDistricts of UgandaUganda is divided into 111 districts and one city across four administrative regions. Most districts are named after their main commercial and administrative towns....