Uganda

Uganda is a landlocked country in east-central Africa, inhabited by dozens of ethnic groups. Together, the English language and Christianity help bring these diverse peoples together in the cosmopolitan capital of Kampala, a lush green city home to dozens of small parks and public gardens and a picturesque promenade on the shores of Africa's largest freshwater lake, Lake Victoria. The Swahili language unites the country with Kenya and Tanzania, its East African neighbors. Uganda takes its name from the Buganda Kingdom, which covers part of the south of the country, including its capital Kampala, and whose language, Luganda, is spoken across the country. The country encompasses a wide range of ecosystems, from the high volcanic mountains of the eastern and western borderlands to the densely forested swamps of the Albert-Nile River and the rainforests of the country's central highlands. The land is extremely fertile and Ugandan coffee has become a pillar of the agricultural economy and a favorite of gourmets around the world. Uganda is home to a wide variety of habitats, ranging from mountains, hills, tropical rainforests, woodlands, freshwater lakes, swamps and scattered savannahs of trees. The country's wildlife and fauna reflect this diversity of habitats and is renowned for its primates, including gorillas and chimpanzees. There are ten national parks and thirteen wildlife reserves in Uganda, and around 345 species of mammals, 1020 species of birds, 142 species of reptiles, 86 species of amphibians, 501 species of fish and 1242 species of butterflies.