Kalangala District
Encyclopedia
Kalangala is a district
in southern Central Uganda
. The district is coterminous with the Ssese Islands
in Lake Victoria
and does not have territory on mainland Uganda
. Like other Ugandan districts, it is named after its 'chief town', Kalangala
which is located on Bugala Island
, the largest of the Ssese Islands.
and Wakiso District
to the north, Mukono District
to the northeast and east, the Republic of Tanzania to the south, Rakai District
to the southwest, Masaka District
to the west and Kalungu District
to the northwest.. The district headquarters at Kalangala
, are located approximately 60 kilometres (37.3 mi), across water, southwest of Entebbe
, in Wakiso District
. The coordinates of the district are: 00 26S, 32 15E.
of which only forty three (43) are inhabited. The biggest island is Bugala Island
which covers 296 square kilometre or 68.5% of the district land mass.
{| style="font-size:100%;"
|-
| width="100%" align="center" | Kalangala District Population Trends
|- valign="top"
|
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto"
! style="width:2em;" |Year !!Estimated Population
|-
|2002||36,700
|-
|2003||37,800
|-
|2004||38,900
|-
|2005||40,100
|-
|2006||41,300
|-
|2007||42,500
|-
|2008||43,800
|-
|2009||45,100
|-
|2010||46,500
|-
|}
(b) Tourism
and (c) Agriculture
. The majority of the islanders depend a lot on fishing. They always migrate
following the seasonal movements of fish. Overfishing remains a concern.
Due to its location, its climate and its relative isolation, the district is a tourist magnet. Tourist facilities are rudimentary in most areas, although improvements in infrastructure
(accommodations, road networks, communications, electricity supply, piped water etc.) are slowly improving.
BIDCO, a private palm oil
processor based in Jinja
, maintains a 15000 acres (6,070.3 ha) palm oil plantation
in the district. In addition, outgrower farmers grow palm oil on contract with BIDCO and sell their produce to the processor. Logging
is another economic activity that is practiced in the district.
Livestock farming
is another economic activity that is practiced. Current estimates have the livestock population at 2,999 cattle
, 250,000 poultry
(chicken and ducks), 1,235 goat
s and 7,000 pig
s.
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 southern 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 Ssese Islands
Ssese Islands
The Ssese Islands are an archipelago of eighty-four islands in the northwestern part of Lake Victoria in Uganda. The islands are coterminous with the Kalangala District in southern Central Uganda, which does not have any territory on mainland Uganda....
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...
. Like other Ugandan districts, it is named after its 'chief town', Kalangala
Kalangala
Kalangala is the 'chief town' of Kalangala District in Central Uganda. It is the location of the headquarters of Kalangala District. The district is named after the town.-Location:...
which is located on Bugala Island
Bugala Island
Bugala Island is the second largest island in Lake Victoria, Uganda, after Ukerewe Island. Its area is or . It is a part of the Ssese Islands in the Kalangala District. Chief town is Kalangala....
, the largest of the Ssese Islands.
Location
Kalangala District is bordered by Mpigi DistrictMpigi District
Mpigi District is a district in Central Uganda. Like other most other Ugandan districts, it is named after its 'chief town', Mpigi.-Location:...
and Wakiso District
Wakiso District
Wakiso District is a district in Central Uganda that encircles Kampala, Uganda's capital city. The district is named after the town of Wakiso, where the district headquarters are located.-Location:...
to the north, Mukono District
Mukono District
Mukono District is a district in Central Uganda. Like most other Ugandan districts, it is named after its 'chief town' - Mukono.-Location:Mukono District is bordered by Kayunga District to the north, Buikwe District to the east, the Republic of Tanzania to the south, Kalangala District to the...
to the northeast and east, the Republic of Tanzania to the south, Rakai District
Rakai District
Rakai District is a district in Central Uganda. Like most other Ugandan districts, it is named after its 'chief town', Rakai.-Location:Rakai District borders Lyantonde District to the northwest, Lwengo District to the north, Masaka District to the northeast, Kalangala District to the east, the...
to the southwest, Masaka District
Masaka District
Masaka District is a district in Central Uganda. Its main town is Masaka, whose estimated population in 2011 was 74,100.-Location:The district is bordered by Bukomansimbi District to the northwest, Kalungu District to the north, Kalangala District to the east and south, Rakai District to the...
to the west and Kalungu District
Kalungu District
Kalungu District is a district in southern Central Uganda. It is named after the 'chief town' of the district, Kalungu, where the district headquarters are located.-Location:...
to the northwest.. The district headquarters at Kalangala
Kalangala
Kalangala is the 'chief town' of Kalangala District in Central Uganda. It is the location of the headquarters of Kalangala District. The district is named after the town.-Location:...
, are located approximately 60 kilometres (37.3 mi), across water, southwest of Entebbe
Entebbe
Entebbe is a major town in Central Uganda. Located on a Lake Victoria peninsula, the town was at one time, the seat of government for the Protectorate of Uganda, prior to Independence in 1962...
, in Wakiso District
Wakiso District
Wakiso District is a district in Central Uganda that encircles Kampala, Uganda's capital city. The district is named after the town of Wakiso, where the district headquarters are located.-Location:...
. The coordinates of the district are: 00 26S, 32 15E.
Overview
Kalangala District covers an area of 9066.8 square kilometre, of which only 432.1 square kilometre (4.8%) is land and the rest is open water. The district is made up of eighty four (84) widely scattered islands in the northwestern 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....
of which only forty three (43) are inhabited. The biggest island is Bugala Island
Bugala Island
Bugala Island is the second largest island in Lake Victoria, Uganda, after Ukerewe Island. Its area is or . It is a part of the Ssese Islands in the Kalangala District. Chief town is Kalangala....
which covers 296 square kilometre or 68.5% of the district land mass.
Population
The 2002 national census estimated the population of the district at 34,800. The annual population growth rate of the district was estimated at 3.0%. It is estimated that the population of Kalangala District in 2010 is approximately 46,500. See table below:{| style="font-size:100%;"
|-
| width="100%" align="center" | Kalangala District Population Trends
|- valign="top"
|
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto"
! style="width:2em;" |Year !!Estimated Population
|-
|2002||36,700
|-
|2003||37,800
|-
|2004||38,900
|-
|2005||40,100
|-
|2006||41,300
|-
|2007||42,500
|-
|2008||43,800
|-
|2009||45,100
|-
|2010||46,500
|-
|}
Economic activities
The three pillars of the district economy 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...
and (c) Agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
. The majority of the islanders depend a lot on fishing. They always migrate
Human migration
Human migration is physical movement by humans from one area to another, sometimes over long distances or in large groups. Historically this movement was nomadic, often causing significant conflict with the indigenous population and their displacement or cultural assimilation. Only a few nomadic...
following the seasonal movements of fish. Overfishing remains a concern.
Due to its location, its climate and its relative isolation, the district is a tourist magnet. Tourist facilities are rudimentary in most areas, although improvements in infrastructure
Infrastructure
Infrastructure is basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function...
(accommodations, road networks, communications, electricity supply, piped water etc.) are slowly improving.
BIDCO, a private palm oil
Palm oil
Palm oil, coconut oil and palm kernel oil are edible plant oils derived from the fruits of palm trees. Palm oil is extracted from the pulp of the fruit of the oil palm Elaeis guineensis; palm kernel oil is derived from the kernel of the oil palm and coconut oil is derived from the kernel of the...
processor based in 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:...
, maintains a 15000 acres (6,070.3 ha) palm oil plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
in the district. In addition, outgrower farmers grow palm oil on contract with BIDCO and sell their produce to the processor. 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...
is another economic activity that is practiced in the district.
Livestock farming
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
is another economic activity that is practiced. Current estimates have the livestock population at 2,999 cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
, 250,000 poultry
Poultry
Poultry are domesticated birds kept by humans for the purpose of producing eggs, meat, and/or feathers. These most typically are members of the superorder Galloanserae , especially the order Galliformes and the family Anatidae , commonly known as "waterfowl"...
(chicken and ducks), 1,235 goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
s and 7,000 pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
s.
External links
See also
- KalangalaKalangalaKalangala is the 'chief town' of Kalangala District in Central Uganda. It is the location of the headquarters of Kalangala District. The district is named after the town.-Location:...
- Ssese IslandsSsese IslandsThe Ssese Islands are an archipelago of eighty-four islands in the northwestern part of Lake Victoria in Uganda. The islands are coterminous with the Kalangala District in southern Central Uganda, which does not have any territory on mainland Uganda....
- Bugala IslandBugala IslandBugala Island is the second largest island in Lake Victoria, Uganda, after Ukerewe Island. Its area is or . It is a part of the Ssese Islands in the Kalangala District. Chief town is Kalangala....
- 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....