Entebbe
Entebbe city is the location of Uganda's international airport. The drive to or from Kampala is about an hour. The United Nations uses Entebbe as a depot and staging area for their vehicles and heavy equipment that are part of peace keeping and other missions in the central African region.
Entebbe offers a relaxed stop-over alternative to Kampala on your way into or out of the country by airplane, as the air is clean, the streets are safe to walk, and the old colonial gardens and parks with the lake in the background make for a serene atmosphere.
Entebbe is perhaps most famous for an Israeli commando raid on July 4 1976, when over one hundred mainly Jewish hostages held on a hijacked Air France plane were rescued. The rescue was complicated by the fact that the then Ugandan president, Idi Amin, was supporting the hijackers.
Over 40 Ugandan troops were killed by the Israelis during the rescue. State House, the official residence of the President of Uganda, is on a hill overlooking the center of Entebbe.
Geography
Entebbe sits on the northern shores of Lake Victoria, Africa’s largest lake. It lies at 0.0500N, 32.4600E (Latitude: 0°3’0.00’’; Longitude: 32° 27’ 36.00’). The town is situated in Wakiso District, approximately 37 kilometers southwest of Kampala, Uganda’s capital and largest city.
The municipality is located on a peninsula into Lake Victoria covering a total area of 52.6 square kilometers out of which 20square kilometers is water.
Climate
Entebbe has a tropical rainforest climate with relatively constant temperatures throughout the course of the year. Entebbe has noticeably wetter and drier months, with January being the city's driest month and a noticeably drier stretch from July through September.
However, since average monthly precipitation in each of these months is above 60 mm, Entebbe has no true dry season and therefore falls under the tropical rainforest climate category.
Entebbe's wettest months are April and May, when, on average, roughly 250 mm of rain falls in each of these months. Entebbe's average annual temperature is approximately 21 degrees Celsius.
Currency
The unit of currency in Uganda is the Ugandan Shilling. United States dollar is also widely accepted by major companies and service providers. The bank times vary but it is more convenient to change money at the Reception desk.
The rates will be slightly less than that offered by the bank but for convenience it is much easier. Credit Cards mostly Visa only is accepted in the tourist areas, however a surcharge is usually applicable. Master card is not widely used as Visa Cards.
People
During the 2002 National Census, Entebbe's population was estimated at 55,086 people. In 2008, the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) estimated the population of the town at 70,200. In 2011, UBOS estimated the population of Entebbe at approximately 79,700.
Languages
The official languages are English and Swahili, although multiple other languages are spoken in the country; Luganda, other Bantu a Nilo-Saharan languages.
Languages spoken | Luganda, English, Kiswahili |
---|---|
Currency used | Uganda Shillings (UGX) |
Area (km2) | 56.2 km² |
Country name | Uganda |