Rakai District

Rakai District
District

District location in Uganda
Coordinates: 00°43′S 31°24′E / 0.717°S 31.400°E / -0.717; 31.400Coordinates: 00°43′S 31°24′E / 0.717°S 31.400°E / -0.717; 31.400
Country  Uganda
Region Central Region of Uganda
Capital Rakai
Area
 • Land 3,351.5 km2 (1,294.0 sq mi)
Population (2012 Estimate)
 • Total 484,400
 • Density 144.5/km2 (374/sq mi)
Time zone EAT (UTC+3)
Website www.rakai.go.ug

Rakai District is a district in the Central Region of Uganda. The town of Rakai is the site of the district's headquarters.

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 Kagera Region in the Republic of Tanzania to the south, Isingiro District to the southwest, and Kiruhura District to the northwest. The town of Rakai is approximately 65 kilometres (40 mi), by road, southwest of Masaka, the largest city in the sub-region.[1] The coordinates of the district are 00 43S, 31 24E.

Overview

Because of its proximity to Uganda's border with Tanzania, the district experiences cross border commercial traffic to and from Bukoba.

The first recorded case of HIV in Uganda was in Rakai District and the district has been particularly hard hit by the disease. A number of medical research facilities are located here.

In 2007, the northern part of the district known as Kabula County was split off to form Lyantonde District.[2]

Population

The 1991 national population census put the district population at about 330,400. In 2002, the next national census estimated the population of the district at 404,330, with an annual growth rate of 1.8 percent. In 2012, the district population was estimated at 484,400.[3]

Administration

The town of Rakai is the chief municipal, political, and administrative center in the district. The district is divided into the following administrative units:[4][5]

Economic activities

Subsistence agriculture is the dominant economic activity in the district, employing over 85 percent of the people. Crops grown include matooke, beans, cassava, and potatoes for food while coffee is the main cash crop. Livestock raised includes cattle, goats, pigs, and chicken.

Health issues

The main health issues in the district include malaria, childhood malnutrition, diarrheal diseases, HIV/AIDS, obstetric complications, respiratory infections, and skin diseases.[6][7]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Map Showing Masaka And Rakai With Distance Marker". Globefeed.com. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
  2. ↑ Lyantonde District Established in 2007
  3. ↑ "Estimated Population of Rakai District In 1991, 2002 & 2012". Citypopulation.de. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
  4. ↑ Districts of Uganda, Statoids, accessed 3 August 2015
  5. ↑ Counties of Uganda, Statoids, accessed 3 August 2015
  6. ↑ Joyce K. Kikafunda, Hanifa K. Namusoke (2006). "Nutritional Status of HIV/AIDS Orphaned Children In Households Headed By The Elderly In Rakai District, South Western Uganda". African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development Vol. 6(1). Retrieved 9 May 2014.
  7. ↑ Natukunda, Carol (10 January 2014). "Health: Has the HIV/Aids fight lost steam?". New Vision. Retrieved 15 September 2014.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, September 15, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.