Entebbe

Entebbe
Entebbe Location in Uganda
Coordinates: 0°02′40″N 32°27′57″E / 0.04444°N 32.46583°E / 0.04444; 32.46583
Country	Uganda
Admin. division
District	Wakiso District
Government
- Mayor	Stephen Kabuye
Population (2008 Estimate)
- Total	70,200

Entebbe is a city in Uganda. The city 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 terrorists of the PFLP and Revolutionary Cells (RZ) organizations.

Location

Entebbe lies at 00.04N, 320.280E. It is situated in Wakiso District, approximately 37 kilometres (23 mi), southwest of Kampala, Uganda's largest city and capital. Entebbe sits on the northern shores of Lake Victoria, Africa's largest lake.

The Municipality is located on a peninsular 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.^[1][2]

Population

During the 2002 national census, Entebbe's population was estimated at 55,086 people. In 2008, the Uganda Bureau of Statistics estimated the population of the town at 70,200.^[3]

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 started in 1947. The Entebbe airport was the scene of one of the most daring counter-terrorism 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 terrorists. It was also from this airport that Queen Elizabeth II departed Africa to return to England in 1952 when learning of her father's death and that she had become Queen.

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 Center (UWEC)^[4] The Center also serves as the national zoo. The entrance to the Center is located near the jetty. Foreign visitors have noted the seeming incongruity of wild monkeys sitting in the trees over the Center's paths.
• Entebbe is the location of Nkumba University, one of the thirty one (31) licensed institutions of tertiary education in Uganda.
• Entebbe is also the location of State House, the official residence of the President of Uganda^[5]

Sunset over Entebbe

Entebbe International Airport

Bugonga Church in Entebbe

Entebbe sits on the northern shores of Lake Victoria

Other Landmarks

Landmarks within the city limits or close to its edges include:

• Three branches of Barclays Bank
• A branch of Ecobank
• A branch of Equity Bank
• Two branches of Orient Bank
• A branch of PostBank Uganda
• Two branches of Stanbic Bank
• A branch of Bank of Africa^[6]

See also

• Operation Entebbe
• Entebbe Airport

References

Coordinates: 0°02′40″N 32°27′57″E / 0.04444°N 32.46583°E / 0.04444; 32.46583