Entebbe

Etymology

The word came from Luganda language e ntebe which means 'seat' / 'chair'. Entebbe was a cultural site for the Mamba clan and it was called "entebbe za Mugula" - Mugula was the title of a chief of a subdivision of the Mamba clan - and is now the location of the official office and residence of the President of Uganda, as it was for British governors before independence. Entebbe was the former seat of power in the country, but has now been replaced by Kampala.

Location

Entebbe sits on the northern shores of Lake Victoria, Africa's largest lake. The town is situated in Wakiso District, approximately 34 km south of Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city.{{google maps| url=https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Uganda+Post+Office,+Plot+35+Kampala+Road,+Kampala+P.O.BOX+7106,+KAMPALA/Entebbe+Post+Office,+9+Apolo+Square,+Entebbe/@0.1979651,32.3768174,10.5z/data=!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x177dbc808cc2ab43:0x7dd3e9e39634c3b!2m2!1d32.5813941!2d0.3139449!1m5!1m1!1s0x177d875ce51ad2eb:0xb67f235cae5939f9!2m2!1d32.4737848!2d0.0598944!3e0 |title=Distance between Central Kampala, Uganda and Entebbe Town, Uganda |access-date=28 December 2020}} The metropolis is located on a peninsula into Lake Victoria, covering a total area of 56.2 km2, out of which 20 km2 is water. The coordinates of Entebbe are:0°03'00.0"N, 32°27'36.0"E (Latitude:0.0500; Longitude:32.4600). Neighborhoods within Entebbe City include Bugonga, Katabi, Nakiwogo, Nsamizi, Kitooro, Lunnyo and Lugonjo.

Population

During the 2002 national census, Entebbe's population was estimated at 55,100 people. In 2010, the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) estimated the population of the town at 76,500. In 2011, UBOS estimated the population of Entebbe at approximately 79,700. On 27 August 2014, the national population census put Entebbe's population at 69,958.

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 International Airport, the main international airport of Uganda, has been the site of some well known events, making it famous in Europe and abroad. It was 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 airport was the scene of Operation Entebbe, a hostage rescue on 4 July 1976, when soldiers from the Sayeret Matkal, Paratroopers Brigade and Golani Brigade units of the Israeli Army freed over 100 hostages following a hijacking by a group of Palestinian and German militia.

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

Biomedical research hub

Entebbe is home to the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI), a Ugandan government organization which provides space to conduct research to the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative HIV vaccine program, the UK Medical Research Centre Laboratories (MRC), the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Most research performed at UVRI is infectious disease-oriented and focuses on HIV, tuberculosis, malaria and helminth infections. It is also home for the headquarters of Uganda National Medical Stores, until the new headquarters and main warehouse building in Kajjansi is completed, then the headquarters will relocate to Kajjansi.

Tourist attractions

• The extensive National Botanical Gardens, laid out in 1898, are located in Entebbe.
• Entebbe is the location of the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC) The centre also serves as the national zoo.
• 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.{{cite web|title= Homepage of State House Entebbe| url=http://www.statehouse.go.ug/|publisher=State House Entebbe|access-date=18 April 2014}}
• Entebbe is also home to one of 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.
• 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 the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre, (formerly Entebbe Zoo), on its south side.

Image:Entebbe Aerial.jpg|Sunset over Entebbe Image:C17atEntebbe.jpg|Entebbe International Airport Image:Bugonga Church of Uganda.jpg|Bugonga Church in Entebbe Image:EntebbeDot.png|Entebbe sits on the northern shores of Lake Victoria Image:Entebbe Aerial view.jpg|Entebbe along Lake Victoria

Government and infrastructure

The head office of the Ugandan Civil Aviation Authority is on the property of Entebbe International Airport. The Uganda Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries maintains its headquarters in Entebbe.

The Special Forces Command, a specialized unit of the Uganda People's Defense Forces, responsible for the security of the president of Uganda, his immediate family, constitutional monarchs, state guests and vital national assets, including the national oil fields, maintains its headquarters in Entebbe.

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, Shoprite, maintains a branch in Entebbe.

Entebbe is home to the Entebbe Children's Surgical Hospital, a children's hospital, center of excellence for pediatric surgery, owned and operated by Emergency, an international NGO that offers "free medical treatment to the victims of war, poverty and landmines".

Geography

Climate

Entebbe experiences a tropical rainforest climate (Af) according to the Köppen climate classification as the city has no real dry season throughout the year. Its driest month is July with precipitation averaging 72 mm, while the wettest is April with precipitation averaging 264 mm. The temperature is moderated by the altitude. The hottest month is February with an average temperature of 22.8 C, while the coolest is July with an average temperature of 20.6 C. |Jan record high C = 31.3 |Feb record high C = 31.7 |Mar record high C = 30.6 |Apr record high C = 30.0 |May record high C = 28.9 |Jun record high C = 27.8 |Jul record high C = 28.1 |Aug record high C = 28.9 |Sep record high C = 29.8 |Oct record high C = 29.6 |Nov record high C = 31.7 |Dec record high C = 29.5 |year record high C = 31.7 |Jan record low C = 13.0 |Feb record low C = 10.7 |Mar record low C = 14.4 |Apr record low C = 12.2 |May record low C = 14.3 |Jun record low C = 14.0 |Jul record low C = 10.0 |Aug record low C = 12.0 |Sep record low C = 13.2 |Oct record low C = 13.9 |Nov record low C = 14.3 |Dec record low C = 13.8 |year record low C = 10.0 | access-date = 1 September 2016}} | access-date = 14 June 2016}} Danish Meteorological Institute (sun, 1931–1960)

References

References

1. Ssebuyira, Martin. (26 May 2011). "New Entebbe Mayor Faces Sh600 Million Debt Hurdle". [[Daily Monitor]] via AllAfrica.com.
2. Ampurire, Paul. (22 May 2019). "Cabinet Approves Phased Creation Of Nine New Cities Beginning 2020". SoftPower Uganda.
3. Uganda Radio Network. (21 May 2019). "Cabinet approves creation of nine cities". [[Daily Monitor]] Quoting [[Uganda Radio Network]].
4. Visit Entebbe. (28 December 2020). "Our History". Visitentebbe.net.
5. "Location of Entebbe At Google Maps".
6. Eve Muganga. (26 September 2018). "Lugonjo never goes to sleep". [[Daily Monitor]].
7. "Estimated Population of Entebbe In 2002, 2010 & 2011". Uganda Bureau of Statistics.
8. UBOS. (27 August 2014). "The Population of The Regions of the Republic of Uganda And All Cities And Towns of More Than 15,000 Inhabitants". Citypopulation.de Quoting Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS).
9. [http://www.citypopulation.de/Uganda-Cities.html Entebbe population statistics]
10. Britannica, [https://www.britannica.com/place/Entebbe Entebbe], britannica.com, USA, accessed on July 7, 2019
11. Burt. (2018-02-20). "A little This ‘n That about Entebbe".
12. "NIH International Center for Excellence in Research".
13. "Research on Endemic, Neglected, Emerging and Re-emerging infections (ENERI), MRC/UVRI".
14. Deo Wasswa. (10 May 2018). "National Medical Store to shift base to Kajjasi". Capital Radio Uganda.
15. "UWEC Homepage". Uganda Wildlife Education Centre.
16. Airport-technology.com. (2019). "Entebbe International Airport Expansion". Copyright 2019 Verdict Media Limited.
17. Uganda Ministry of Agriculture. (2019). "Uganda Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries: Contact Details". [[Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (Uganda)]].
18. Global Security. (18 May 2016). "About the Special Forces Command (SFC)". [[GlobalSecurity.org]].
19. Uganda Business News. (8 September 2017). "Shoprite to open a fourth store at Victoria Mall". Uganda Business News.
20. The Observer. (22 April 2021). "Free Children's Surgical hospital begins operations in Entebbe". [[The Observer (Uganda)]].