Entebbe
Encyclopedia
Entebbe is a major town in Central Uganda
. Located on a Lake Victoria peninsula, the town 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 the resistance group of the PFLP and Revolutionary Cells (RZ)
organizations. Entebbe is also the location of State House, the official office and residence of the President of Uganda
.
, Africa
's largest lake
.
Entebbe lies at 00.04N, 32.465E. It is situated in Wakiso District
, approximately 37 kilometres (23 mi), southwest of Kampala
, Uganda's largest city and capital.
The Municipality is located on a peninsula into Lake Victoria covering a total area of 56.2 square kilometre, out of which 20 square kilometre is water.
, 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 militia. It was also 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.
with relatively constant temperatures throughout the course of the year. Entebbe has noticeably wetter and drier months, with January being the city's driest month and a noticeably drier stretch from July through September. However, since average monthly precipitation in each of these months is above 60 mm, Entebbe has no true dry season
and therefore falls under the tropical rainforest climate category. Entebbe's wettest months are April and May, when, on average, roughly 250 mm of rain falls in each of these months. Entebbe's average annual temperature is approximately 21 degrees Celsius.
Central Region, Uganda
Central Region is a region of Uganda. It is coterminous with the Kingdom of Buganda, one of the ancient African monarchies that are constitutionally recognised in Uganda. It is divided into the following districts:...
. Located on a Lake Victoria peninsula, the town 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
Entebbe International Airport
Entebbe International Airport is the principal international airport of Uganda.-Location:It is located near the town of Entebbe, on the shores of Lake Victoria, and about from the capital, Kampala...
, Uganda's largest commercial
Commerce
While business refers to the value-creating activities of an organization for profit, commerce means the whole system of an economy that constitutes an environment for business. The system includes legal, economic, political, social, cultural, and technological systems that are in operation in any...
and military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
, best known for the dramatic rescue
Operation Entebbe
Operation Entebbe was a counter-terrorist hostage-rescue mission carried out by the Special Forces of the Israel Defense Forces at Entebbe Airport in Uganda on 4 July 1976. A week earlier, on 27 June, an Air France plane with 248 passengers was hijacked by Palestinian and German terrorists and...
of 100 hostages kidnapped by the resistance group of the PFLP and Revolutionary Cells (RZ)
Revolutionary Cells (RZ)
Revolutionary Cells was a German left-wing political militancy of self-described "urban guerillas" who were active from 1973 to 1993. According to the office of the German Federal Prosecutor, the RZ claimed responsibility for 186 attacks, of which 40 were committed in West Berlin...
organizations. Entebbe is also the location of State House, the official office and residence of the President of Uganda
President of Uganda
-List of Presidents of Uganda:-Affiliations:-See also:*Uganda*Vice President of Uganda*Prime Minister of Uganda*Politics of Uganda*History of Uganda*Political parties of Uganda...
.
Location
Entebbe sits on the northern shores of Lake VictoriaLake Victoria
Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. The lake was named for Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, by John Hanning Speke, the first European to discover this lake....
, Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
's largest lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
.
Entebbe lies at 00.04N, 32.465E. It is situated in Wakiso District
Wakiso District
Wakiso District is a district in Central Uganda that encircles Kampala, Uganda's capital city. The district is named after the town of Wakiso, where the district headquarters are located.-Location:...
, approximately 37 kilometres (23 mi), southwest of Kampala
Kampala
Kampala is the largest city and capital of Uganda. The city is divided into five boroughs that oversee local planning: Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division and Lubaga Division. The city is coterminous with Kampala District.-History: of Buganda, had chosen...
, Uganda's largest city and capital.
The Municipality is located on a peninsula into Lake Victoria covering a total area of 56.2 square kilometre, out of which 20 square kilometre is water.
Population
During the 2002 national census, Entebbe's population was estimated at 55,086 people. In 2008, the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), estimated the population of the town at 70,200. In 2011, UBOS estimated the population of Entebbe at approximately 79,700.History
"Entebbe", in the local Luganda languageLuganda language
Ganda, or Luganda , is the major language of Uganda, spoken by over sixteen million Ganda and other people mainly in Southern Uganda, including the capital Kampala. It belongs to the Bantu branch of the Niger–Congo language family...
, means a "seat", and was probably named that because it was the place where a Baganda
Baganda
The Ganda are an ethnic group native to Buganda, a subnational kingdom within Uganda. Traditionally comprising 52 tribes the Ganda have a rich history and culture...
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
Port Bell
Port Bell is a small industrial centre in the greater metropolitan Kampala area, in Uganda. Port Bell has a rail link and a rail/road ferry wharf used for International traffic across Lake Victoria to Tanzania and Kenya.-Location:...
went on to become Kampala's harbour. Although no ships dock there now, there is still a jetty
Jetty
A jetty is any of a variety of structures used in river, dock, and maritime works that are generally carried out in pairs from river banks, or in continuation of river channels at their outlets into deep water; or out into docks, and outside their entrances; or for forming basins along the...
, which was used by Lake Victoria ferries
Lake Victoria ferries
Lake Victoria ferries are motor ships carrying freight and passengers between Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya on Lake Victoria...
. Entebbe is perhaps best known to Europeans as the home of Entebbe International Airport
Entebbe International Airport
Entebbe International Airport is the principal international airport of Uganda.-Location:It is located near the town of Entebbe, on the shores of Lake Victoria, and about from the capital, Kampala...
, 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
Operation Entebbe
Operation Entebbe was a counter-terrorist hostage-rescue mission carried out by the Special Forces of the Israel Defense Forces at Entebbe Airport in Uganda on 4 July 1976. A week earlier, on 27 June, an Air France plane with 248 passengers was hijacked by Palestinian and German terrorists and...
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 militia. It was also from this airport that Queen Elizabeth II departed Africa to return to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1952 when she learned of her father's death and that she had become Queen.
Tourist attractions
- The extensive National Botanical GardensNational Botanical Gardens (Uganda)The National Botanical Gardens of Uganda are in located in Entebbe, Uganda. They were laid out in 1898 by the first curator A Whyte close to the shore of Lake Victoria. The gardens are divided into different zones, including a rainforest zone...
, 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) The Center also serves as the national zooZooA zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....
. 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 UniversityNkumba UniversityNkumba University is a private university in Entebbe, Uganda. It was established in 1994 as part of a group of schools and colleges which originally grew from a kindergarten set up in 1951...
, one of the thirty one (31) licensed institutions of tertiary educationTertiary educationTertiary education, also referred to as third stage, third level, and post-secondary education, is the educational level following the completion of a school providing a secondary education, such as a high school, secondary school, university-preparatory school...
in Uganda. - State House, the official residence of the President of UgandaPresident of Uganda-List of Presidents of Uganda:-Affiliations:-See also:*Uganda*Vice President of Uganda*Prime Minister of Uganda*Politics of Uganda*History of Uganda*Political parties of Uganda...
, is located 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
- Three branches of Barclays BankBarclays Bank (Uganda)Barclays Bank Limited, commonly known as Barclays Bank , is a commercial bank in Uganda. It is one of the twenty-three commercial banks licensed by Bank of Uganda, the national banking regulator.-Overview:...
- A branch of EcobankEcobank (Uganda)Ecobank is a commercial bank in Uganda. The bank began operations in January 2009 as a full-service bank providing wholesale, retail, investment and transaction banking services and products to governments, financial institutions, multinationals, international organizations, medium, small and...
- A branch of Equity BankEquity Bank (Uganda)-Overview:The bank provides banking services to individuals and to small and medium business enterprises. As of December 2009, the bank was the 14th largest commercial bank in Uganda with an estimated asset valuation of approximately US$81.4 million or approximately 2% of all bank assets in the...
- Two branches of Orient BankOrient BankOrient Bank is a commercial bank in Uganda. It is one of the twenty-two commercial banks licensed by Bank of Uganda, the national banking regulator.-Overview:...
- A branch of PostBank UgandaPostBank UgandaPostBank Uganda is a non-bank credit institution in Uganda. As of May 2010, PostBank Uganda was a small credit institution whose asset base was estimated at about US$39 million.-History:...
- Two branches of Stanbic BankStanbic Bank (Uganda) LimitedStanbic Bank Limited is a commercial bank in Uganda. It is one of the commercial banks licensed by Bank of Uganda, the national banking regulator.-Overview:...
- A branch of Bank of AfricaBank of Africa (Uganda)Bank of Africa , whose complete name is Bank of Africa Limited, is a commercial bank in Uganda. The bank is a member of the Bank of Africa Group, a multinational, Pan African bank headquartered in Bamako, Mali, with presence in eleven African countries, including Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi,...
- A branch of Uganda Finance Trust LimitedUganda Finance Trust LimitedUganda Finance Trust Limited , commonly called Finance Trust, is a Microfinance Deposit-taking Institution in Uganda.-Location:...
- A Tier III Financial InstitutionBanking in Uganda-The early years:Prior to Uganda’s independence in 1962, Government-owned institutions dominated most banking in Uganda. In 1966 the Bank of Uganda, which controlled the issue of currency and managed foreign exchange reserves, became the Central Bank. Uganda Commercial Bank, which had fifty...
Climate
Entebbe features a tropical rainforest climateTropical rainforest climate
A tropical rainforest climate, also known as an equatorial climate, is a tropical climate usually found along the equator...
with relatively constant temperatures throughout the course of the year. Entebbe has noticeably wetter and drier months, with January being the city's driest month and a noticeably drier stretch from July through September. However, since average monthly precipitation in each of these months is above 60 mm, Entebbe has no true dry season
Dry season
The dry season is a term commonly used when describing the weather in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which oscillates from the northern to the southern tropics over the course of the year...
and therefore falls under the tropical rainforest climate category. Entebbe's wettest months are April and May, when, on average, roughly 250 mm of rain falls in each of these months. Entebbe's average annual temperature is approximately 21 degrees Celsius.
See also
- Operation EntebbeOperation EntebbeOperation Entebbe was a counter-terrorist hostage-rescue mission carried out by the Special Forces of the Israel Defense Forces at Entebbe Airport in Uganda on 4 July 1976. A week earlier, on 27 June, an Air France plane with 248 passengers was hijacked by Palestinian and German terrorists and...
- Entebbe Airport
- Entebbe-Kampala HighwayEntebbe-Kampala HighwayEntebbe-Kampala Highway, also known as Kampala-Entebbe Highway is a four-lane toll highway proposed to be built in Central Uganda, linking Entebbe International Airport, the country's largest civilian and military airport, with the city of Kampala Entebbe-Kampala Highway, also known as...
- Wakiso DistrictWakiso DistrictWakiso District is a district in Central Uganda that encircles Kampala, Uganda's capital city. The district is named after the town of Wakiso, where the district headquarters are located.-Location:...
- Central Region, UgandaCentral Region, UgandaCentral Region is a region of Uganda. It is coterminous with the Kingdom of Buganda, one of the ancient African monarchies that are constitutionally recognised in Uganda. It is divided into the following districts:...