Entebbe

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This article is about the town. For the airport, see Entebbe International Airport. For the incident in 1976, see Operation Entebbe.
Entebbe
Entebbe
Location in Uganda
Coordinates: 00°03′00″N 32°27′36″E / 0.05000°N 32.46000°E / 0.05000; 32.46000
Country Uganda
Region Central Uganda
District Wakiso District
Government
 • Mayor Vincent Kayanja[1]
Elevation 3,870 ft (1,180 m)
Population (2011 Estimate)
 • Total 79,700

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. Entebbe is the location of Entebbe International Airport, Uganda's largest commercial and military airport, best known for the dramatic rescue of 100 hostages kidnapped by the resistance group of the PFLP-EO and Revolutionary Cells (RZ) organizations. Entebbe is also the location of State House, the official office and residence of the President of Uganda.

Etymology

The word came from Luganda language e ntebe which means 'seat' / 'chair'.[2]

Location

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 kilometres (23 mi), southwest of Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city.[3] The Municipality is located on a peninsula into Lake Victoria covering a total area of 56.2 square kilometres (21.7 sq mi), out of which 20 square kilometres (7.7 sq mi) is water.[4]

Population

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.[5] In 2011, UBOS estimated the population of Entebbe at approximately 79,700.[6]

History

"Entebbe", in the local Luganda language, means a "seat", and was probably named that because it was the place where a Baganda chief sat to adjudicate legal cases. It first became a British colonial administrative and commercial centre in 1893 when Sir Gerald Portal, a colonial Commissioner, used it as a base. Port Bell went on to become Kampala's harbour. Although no ships dock there now, there is still a jetty, which was used by Lake Victoria ferries. Entebbe is perhaps best known to Europeans as the home of Entebbe International Airport, the main international airport of Uganda, which was first opened in 1929. Entebbe airport was the scene of a hostage scene and a rescue operations in history when soldiers from an elite unit of the Israeli army freed over 100 hostages following a hijacking by a group of Palestinian and German militia. It was also from this airport that Queen Elizabeth II departed Africa to return to England in 1952 when she learned of her father's death and that she had become Queen.

The city of Entebbe also hosted final resolution talks to end the M23 rebellion.

Tourist attractions

  • The extensive National Botanical Gardens, laid out in 1898, are located in Entebbe.
  • Entebbe is the home of the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI)
  • Entebbe is the location of the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC)[7] The Centre also serves as the national zoo. The entrance to the Centre is located near the jetty. Foreign visitors have noted the seeming incongruity of wild monkeys sitting in the trees over the Centre's paths.
  • Entebbe is the location of Nkumba University, one of the more than thirty licensed institutions of tertiary education in Uganda.
  • State House, the official residence of the President of Uganda, is located in Entebbe.[8]
  • Entebbe is also home to the historical site in Kigungu where the first catholic missionaries Brother Amans and Father Mon Maple Lourdel landed to establish the catholic faith in Uganda.

  • Sunset over Entebbe

  • Bugonga Church in Entebbe

  • Entebbe sits on the northern shores of Lake Victoria

  • Entebbe along Lake Victoria

  • Entebbe is home of the Oldest Golf course in East Africa called Entebbe Golf Club which was established in 1900. Entebbe Golf Club is surrounded by Uganda WildLife Education Centre (Zoo) on its lower side.

Government and infrastructure

The head office of the Ministry of Works and Transport is in Entebbe.[9][10]

The head office of the Ugandan Civil Aviation Authority is on the property of Entebbe International Airport.[11]

Other points of interest

Other points of interest within the city limits or close to its edges include the offices of Entebbe City Council and several branches of foreign and indigenous commercial banks. The supermarket chain, Nakumatt, planned to open a store in Entebbe in 2012.[12]

Climate

Entebbe features 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.

Climate data for Entebbe
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 32
(90)		 32
(90)		 33
(91)		 28
(82)		 28
(82)		 29
(84)		 28
(82)		 29
(84)		 31
(88)		 29
(84)		 32
(90)		 29
(84)		 33
(91)
Average high °C (°F) 27
(81)		 27
(81)		 26
(79)		 26
(79)		 25
(77)		 25
(77)		 24
(75)		 25
(77)		 26
(79)		 26
(79)		 26
(79)		 26
(79)		 25.8
(78.5)
Average low °C (°F) 18
(64)		 18
(64)		 18
(64)		 18
(64)		 18
(64)		 17
(63)		 17
(63)		 17
(63)		 17
(63)		 17
(63)		 18
(64)		 17
(63)		 17.5
(63.5)
Record low °C (°F) 14
(57)		 14
(57)		 14
(57)		 15
(59)		 15
(59)		 14
(57)		 12
(54)		 13
(55)		 14
(57)		 14
(57)		 14
(57)		 14
(57)		 12
(54)
Precipitation mm (inches) 66
(2.6)		 91
(3.58)		 160
(6.3)		 257
(10.12)		 244
(9.61)		 122
(4.8)		 76
(2.99)		 74
(2.91)		 74
(2.91)		 94
(3.7)		 132
(5.2)		 117
(4.61)		 1,507
(59.33)
Source: BBC Weather[13]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Vincent Kayanja Elected Mayor in 2011
  2. ↑ United Nations Human Settlements Programme: Lake Victoria City Development Strategies for Improved Environment and Poverty Reduction (accessed 2013-6-14)
  3. ↑ Map Showing Kampala And Entebbe With Distance Marker
  4. ↑ Location of Entebbe
  5. ↑ 2002 and 2008 Estimated Populations of Ugandan Cities and Towns
  6. ↑ 2011 Estimated Populations Of Ugandan Cities And Towns
  7. ↑ UWEC Homepage
  8. ↑ State House, Entebbe
  9. ↑ "Home." Ministry of Works and Transport. Retrieved on 30 November 2013. "P.O. Box 10 Entebbe Plot 4/6, Airport Road, Ebb"
  10. ↑ "Contact Us." (Archive) Ministry of Works and Transport. 16 April 2010. Retrieved on 30 November 2013. "Ministry of Works and Transport Plot 4/6 Airport Road P.O.Box 10 Entebbe"
  11. ↑ "Contacts." Civil Aviation Authority17 December 2009. Retrieved on 28 January 2013. "Contact Information Head Office Entebbe International Airport P.O. Box 5536, Kampala"
  12. ↑ Namono, Lydia. "Foreign Retailers Flooding Uganda Market." Daily Monitor. Tuesday 20 March 2012. Retrieved on 28 January 2013.
  13. ↑ "BBC Weather - Entebbe". BBC Weather. Retrieved 12 August 2013. 

External links

Media related to Entebbe at Wikimedia Commons

Capital: Wakiso
Counties and
sub-counties
  • Kyaddondo County
  • Busiro County
Parishes
    Towns and villages
    Economy
    Notable landmarks
    Transport
    Education
    Notable people

    Coordinates: 00°03′00″N 32°27′36″E / 0.05000°N 32.46000°E / 0.05000; 32.46000

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