Busia, Uganda
| Busia, Uganda | |
|---|---|
 Busia, Uganda
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| Coordinates: 00°28′01″N 34°05′24″E / 0.46694°N 34.09°E | |
| Country |  Uganda |
| Region | Eastern Uganda |
| District | Busia District |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Michael Mungeni |
| Elevation | 3,870 ft (1,180 m) |
| Population (2011 Estimate) | |
| • Total | 47,100 |
Busia is a town in Eastern Uganda. It is the main municipal, administrative and commercial center of Busia District and the district headquarters are located there. The district is named after the town.
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[edit] Location
Busia is located in Busia District, Eastern Uganda, at the border with the Republic of Kenya. The town lies approximately 202 kilometres (126 mi), by road, east of Kampala, the capital of Uganda and the largest city in the country.[1] The coordinates of the town are:00 28 01N, 34 05 24E (Latitude:0.4669; Longitude:34.0900).
[edit] Population
In 2002, the national census estimated the population of Busia, Uganda at about 36,630 inhabitants. In 2010, the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), estimated the population of the town at about 45,700 people.[2] In 2011, UBOS estimated the population of the town at approximately 47,100.[3]
[edit] Economic activity
The town, together with its sister city Busia, Kenya across the border, are busy commercial centers with heavy commercial traffic in both directions. Goods from Uganda include cash crops like coffee, cotton and timber destined for the Kenyan port of Mombasa for export. Foodstuffs like fish, bananas, pineapples and mangoes, maize, beans, groundnuts, sorghum destined for the Kenyan market also come across. In the opposite direction, Uganda imports petroleum products, manufactured goods and household items like cooking oil, soap, clothing, electronics and automobiles.
Busia is the busiest border crossing between the two neighboring member countries of the East African Community. The border town of Malaba approximately 46 kilometres (29 mi) to the north, is the second busiest crossing point between Uganda and Kenya, along their common border. See table below:
| Rank | Border Town | Share of Exports | Share of Imports |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Busia | 42.7% | 54.3% |
| 2 | Mpondwe | 25.0% | 10.6% |
| 3 | Malaba | 7.8% | 19.9% |
| 4 | Paidha | 9.3% | 2.2% |
| 5 | Others | 15.2 % | 13.0 % |
| Total | 100.0% | 100.0% |
[edit] Landmarks
The landmarks within the town or close to its borders include:
- The headquarters of Busia District Administration
- The offices of Busia (Uganda) Town Council
- Busia (Uganda) Central Market
- Masafu General Hospital - A public hospital, located in the town of Masafu, about 8 kilometres (5.0 mi), by road, south of town.
- A branch of Barclays Bank
- A branch of Equity Bank
- A branch of Stanbic Bank
- A branch of Uganda Finance Trust Limited - A Tier III Financial Institution
- The International border crossing between Uganda and Kenya
- The Majanji Landing site on Lake Victoria for fish, which is one of the main foods in the area. Lake Victoria is Africa’s largest lake by area, and it is the largest tropical lake in the world. Lake Victoria is also the world's second largest freshwater lake(Only Lake Superior in North America is larger.) In terms of its volume, Lake Victoria is the world's eighth largest continental lake.
- Busitema Forest is roughly 10 square miles (26 km2) bisected by the main highway between Uganda and Kenya in Busia. A pleasant surprise while passing through Busitema Forest is its resident population of baboons. They are so to say "spoiled", as passersby regularly feed them bananas. In fact, local reports say they occasionally get pretty aggressive with cars in search of food.
[edit] External links
[edit] See also
[edit] References
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