Kabale

Kabale
Kabale Location in Uganda
Coordinates: 01°15′00″S 29°59′24″E
Country	Uganda
Region	Western Uganda
Sub-region	Kigezi sub-region
District	Kabale District
Government
• Mayor	Pius Ruhemurana
Population (2011 Estimate)
• Total	44,600

Kabale is a city in Western Uganda. It is the 'chief town' of Kabale District and the district headquarters are located there. The district is named after the town.

Location

Kabale is located approximately 420 kilometres (260 mi), by road, southwest of Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city. The town lies 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) above sea level. The coordinates of Kabale are:01 15 00S, 29 59 24E (Latitude:-1.2500; 29.9900).

Overview

Kabale is a market town and a transportation hub as the main road from Kampala continues through the town, to the border with Rwanda at Gatuna, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) south of Kabale. Another road continues westwards to Kisoro, where travelers may continue to either the Democratic Republic of the Congo or the Rwandan town of Ruhengeri. Kabale is often used as a stop-off point for people visiting Lake Bunyonyi and is also a convenient base for the tourists to the two parks famous for mountain gorilla tracking : Mgahinga National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The Virunga Mountains along the Rwandan border are visible from the town.

Population

According to the 2002 national population census, Kabale municipality had 41,344 inhabitants. The Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), estimated the population of the town at 43,500 in 2008. In 2011, UBOS estimated the mid-year population of Kabale at 44,600.

Geography

Kabale

Kabale's landscape

Kabale is the largest metropolitan area in Kabale District. It is also the largest town in the Kigezi sub-region. Kabale is one of the most scenic towns in Uganda, with Green, interlocking and heavily cultivated hills, that range from 1,219 metres (3,999 ft) to 2,347 metres (7,700 ft) above sea level that surround the city, and with beautiful Terraces of Vegetable farms and numerous valleys in which an approximately 2 Million people live, Kabale remains one of Uganda's tourist attractions. This altitude makes it colder than the rest of the country. The average monthly temperatures are around 18 °C (64 °F) and can fall to 10 °C (50 °F) at night. Relative humidity is between 90 and 100% in the morning and decreases to between 42% and 75% in the afternoon, all the year around.

Tourist attractions

The major attraction bringing visitors to Kabale are the mountain gorillas. The town is on the way to the national parks where these endangered animals reside - Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Bwindi is in fact partially within Kabale District. Other attractions include the Ihimba Hot Springs nearby, and Lake Bunyonyi, 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) from Kabale.

Other Landmarks

The landmarks within the town limits or close to the edges of town include:

• The headquarters of Kabale District Administration
• The offices of Kabale City Council
• Kabale Regional Referral Hospital - A 250 bed public hospital administered by the Uganda Ministry of Health
• A branch of Barclays Bank
• A branch of Centenary Bank
• A branch of Crane Bank
• A branch of DFCU Bank
• A branch of Kenya Commercial Bank
• A branch of National Bank of Commerce
• A branch of PostBank Uganda
• A branch of Stanbic Bank
• A branch of Pride Microfinance Limited
• A branch of the National Social Security Fund
• Kabale Currency Center - A currency storage and processing facility owned and operated by the Bank of Uganda, Uganda's Central Bank.
• The campus of Kabale University - A private university, one of the thirty (30) universities in Uganda
• Kabale Airport - A civilian airport operated by Kabale Municipality
• The Kabale Campus of Uganda Martyrs University
• Roayl supermarket kabale plot no 142/144 kle k'ro road (The best shopping place in town)

External link

• Lake Bunyonyi & Kabale in Your Pocket - A free downloadable booklet about Lake Bunyonyi and Kabale
• Kabale Faces Shortage of Clean Water

See also

• Kabale District
• Kabale University
• Bishop Barham University College
• Kigezi sub-region
• Western Region, Uganda