Location:
Eastern Africa, west of Kenya
Geographic coordinates:
1 00 N, 32 00 E
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 236,040 sq km
water: 36,330 sq km
land: 199,710 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Oregon
Land boundaries:
total: 2,698 km
border countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo 765 km, Kenya 933
km, Rwanda 169 km, Sudan 435 km, Tanzania 396 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
tropical; generally rainy with two dry seasons (December to
February, June to August); semiarid in northeast
Terrain:
mostly plateau with rim of mountains
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Lake Albert 621 m
highest point: Margherita Peak on Mount Stanley 5,110 m
Natural resources:
copper, cobalt, hydropower, limestone, salt, arable land
Land use:
arable land: 25.34%
permanent crops: 8.77%
other: 65.89% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land:
90 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
NA
Environment - current issues:
draining of wetlands for agricultural use; deforestation;
overgrazing; soil erosion; water hyacinth infestation in Lake
Victoria; poaching is widespread
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation,
Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
Geography - note:
landlocked; fertile, well-watered country with many lakes and rivers