Amuria

Amuria
Amuria
Location in Uganda
Coordinates:
Country Uganda
Region Eastern Uganda
Sub-region Teso sub-region
District Amuria District
Government
 • Mayor
Elevation 3,937 ft (1,200 m)
Population (2002 Estimate)
 • Total 6,000

Amuria is a town in Eastern Uganda. It is the chief municipal, administrative and commercial center of Amuria District, in the Teso sub-region. The district is named after the town.

Contents

Location

Amuria is located approximately 44 kilometres (27 mi), by road, north of Soroti, the largest town in the sub-region.[1] The coordinates of the town are:02 01 48N, 33 38 35E (Longitude:2.0300; Longitude:33.6430).

Population

The population of Amuria Municipality was estimated at about 6,000 in 2006. [2] During the first decade of the 2000's, the population of the town has fluctuated from as low as 4,500 to as high as 30,000. There are several factors that have contributed to the rapid increase in the population of the town:

  1. The activities of the Lord's Resistance Army forced the population out of the villages into the town due to better security in urban areas.
  2. The Karamojong attack the villages in Amuria District to steal cattle and harm anyone who attempts to stop them. The villagers in the neighboring villages move closer to town to avoid the wrath of the cattle rustlers
  3. The congregation of many people in IDP camps, who are not related by blood and who are idle for the most part, leads to increased sexual activity, increased birth rates and a rapid expansion in the population.

In mid 2007, the LRA ceased activity in Uganda and moved away to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but the Karamojong have continued with their cattle raids. It will take a new national census in 2012 to establish the true population figure for Amuria Municipality.

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References