Fort Portal
Encyclopedia
Fort Portal is a town in Western Uganda
. It is the seat of both Kabarole District
and Toro Kingdom.
, Uganda
's capital and largest city, on an all-tarmac two-lane highway. The coordinates of the town are: 0° 39' 36" North, 30° 16' 30" East (Latitude:0.6600; Longitude:30.2750).
, a British Special Commissioner for Uganda, whose statue
graces the main road of the town. Situated between the Rwenzori Mountains, Kibale National Park
and Queen Elizabeth National Park
, it is an important market town
. Several crater lake
s and the Semliki Valley also lie near the town.
{| style="font-size:100%;"
|-
| width="100%" align="center" | Fort Portal Population Trends
|- valign="top"
|
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto"
! style="width:2em;" |Year !!Estimated Population
|-
|2002||41,000
|-
|2003||41,600
|-
|2004||42,200
|-
|2005||42,900
|-
|2006||43,500
|-
|2007||44,200
|-
|2008||44,900
|-
|2009||45,500
|-
|2010||46,200
|-
|2011||47,100
|-
|2012||48,000
|-
|}
Western Region, Uganda
Western Region is a region of Uganda. It is divided into the following districts:...
. It is the seat of both Kabarole District
Kabarole District
Kabarole District is a district in Western Uganda. Kabarole District is part of the Kingdom of Toro, one of the traditional monarchies that are constitutionally recognised in modern-day Uganda. The kingdom is coterminus with Toro sub-region...
and Toro Kingdom.
Location
Fort Portal is located approximately 320 kilometres (198.8 mi) by road, west of KampalaKampala
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
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
's capital and largest city, on an all-tarmac two-lane highway. The coordinates of the town are: 0° 39' 36" North, 30° 16' 30" East (Latitude:0.6600; Longitude:30.2750).
Overview
Fort Portal is named for Sir Gerald PortalGerald Portal
Sir Gerald Herbert Portal was a British diplomat, who was the Consul General for British East Africa and British Special Commissioner to Uganda, and a main figure in the establishment of the Uganda Protectorate.-Diplomatic career:...
, a British Special Commissioner for Uganda, whose statue
Statue
A statue is a sculpture in the round representing a person or persons, an animal, an idea or an event, normally full-length, as opposed to a bust, and at least close to life-size, or larger...
graces the main road of the town. Situated between the Rwenzori Mountains, Kibale National Park
Kibale National Park
Kibale National Park is a national park in South Uganda protecting moist evergreen rain forest. It is 766 km^2 in size and is located between 1100 and 1600 meters in elevation. Despite encompassing primarily moist evergreen forest, it contains a diverse array of landscapes . Kibale is one of the...
and Queen Elizabeth National Park
Queen Elizabeth National Park
-Location:The national park is located in western Uganda, spanning the districts of Kasese, Kamwenge, Bushenyi and Rukungiri. Its location is approximately , by road, southwest of Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city. The town of Kasese lies just outside the northeastern edge of the park,...
, it is an important market town
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
. Several crater lake
Crater lake
A crater lake is a lake that forms in a volcanic crater or caldera, such as a maar; less commonly and with lower association to the term a lake may form in an impact crater caused by a meteorite. Sometimes lakes which form inside calderas are called caldera lakes, but often this distinction is not...
s and the Semliki Valley also lie near the town.
Population
The 2002 national census estimated the population of Fort Portal at about 41,000. In 2008 the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), estimated the population of the town at 44,900. The estimated population of Fort Portal in 2011 was approximately 47,100, according to UBOS. See table below:{| style="font-size:100%;"
|-
| width="100%" align="center" | Fort Portal Population Trends
|- valign="top"
|
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto"
! style="width:2em;" |Year !!Estimated Population
|-
|2002||41,000
|-
|2003||41,600
|-
|2004||42,200
|-
|2005||42,900
|-
|2006||43,500
|-
|2007||44,200
|-
|2008||44,900
|-
|2009||45,500
|-
|2010||46,200
|-
|2011||47,100
|-
|2012||48,000
|-
|}
Landmarks
The landmarks within the town limits or close to the edges of town include:- The headquarters of Kabarole District AdministrationKabarole DistrictKabarole District is a district in Western Uganda. Kabarole District is part of the Kingdom of Toro, one of the traditional monarchies that are constitutionally recognised in modern-day Uganda. The kingdom is coterminus with Toro sub-region...
- The offices of Fort Portal Town Council
- Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital - A 300 bed public hospital administered by the Uganda Ministry of HealthUganda Ministry of HealthThe Uganda Health Ministry, commonly known as the Uganda Ministry of Health, is a government department in Uganda. The ministry is headed by three cabinet members; one Minister of Health and two State Ministers of Health.-Location:...
- Kabarole Missionary Hospital - A 60 bed community hospital, administered by the Church of UgandaChurch of UgandaThe Church of the Province of Uganda is a member church of the Anglican Communion. Currently there are 34 dioceses which make up the Church of Uganda, each headed by a bishop....
- The palace of the Omukama of ToroOmukama of ToroThe Omukama of Toro is the name given to rulers of the central African kingdom of Toro. The kingdom lasted as an independent state from the 16th to the 19th century...
- A branch of Centenary BankCentenary BankCentenary Bank is a commercial bank in Uganda. It is one of the twenty-three licensed commercial banks in the country.-Overview:The bank is a mid-sized financial services provider in Uganda. It is primarily involved in the promotion of development through loans to rural farmers, processors of...
- A branch of Crane BankCrane BankCrane Bank is a commercial bank in Uganda. It is one of the twenty-three commercial banks licensed by the Bank of Uganda, the national banking regulator.-Overview:The bank is a mid-sized financial services provider in Uganda...
- 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...
- A branch of Kenya Commercial Bank
- A branch of Housing Finance BankHousing Finance BankHousing Finance Bank 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 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:...
- A branch 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 United Bank for AfricaUnited Bank for AfricaUnited Bank for Africa Plc is a public limited company incorporated in Nigeria in 1961 and headquartered in Lagos. It is one of Africa’s leading financial institutions offering universal banking to more than 7 million customers across 750 branches in 19 African countries and a presence in New...
- A branch of Pride Microfinance LimitedPride Microfinance LimitedPride Microfinance Limited , is a Microfinance Deposit-taking Institution in Uganda.-Location:The headquarters of PML are located in Metropole House, on Entebbe Road, in the central business district of Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city...
- 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:...
- The main campus of the Mountains of the Moon UniversityMountains of the Moon UniversityThe Mountains of the Moon University , is a private, non-profit university in Uganda. It is named after the Rwenzori Mountains, lso known as the Mountains of the Moon.-Location:...
, a private university; one of thirty one (31) universities in Uganda. - The campus of Uganda Pentecostal UniversityUganda Pentecostal University-Location:The main campus of the university is located in the town of Fort Portal, Kabarole District, in Western Uganda, approximately , by road, west of Kampala, Uganda's capital city. The location is approximately , by road, west of Fort Portal town center on the road to Bwamba. The coordinates...
, a private university affiliated with the Pentecostal Movement - The Western Campus of Makerere UniversityMakerere UniversityMakerere University , Uganda's largest and second-oldest higher institution of learning, , was first established as a technical school in 1922. In 1963 it became the University of East Africa, offering courses leading to general degrees from the University of London...
- Fort Portal Currency Center - A currencyCurrencyIn economics, currency refers to a generally accepted medium of exchange. These are usually the coins and banknotes of a particular government, which comprise the physical aspects of a nation's money supply...
storage and processing facility, owned and operated by the Bank of UgandaBank of UgandaThe Bank of Uganda is the Central Bank of the Republic of Uganda. Established in 1966, by Act of Parliament, BOU is 100% owned by the Government of Uganda, but is not a government department.-Organization and Governance:...
, Uganda's Central BankCentral bankA central bank, reserve bank, or monetary authority is a public institution that usually issues the currency, regulates the money supply, and controls the interest rates in a country. Central banks often also oversee the commercial banking system of their respective countries...
. - A branch of the National Social Security FundNational Social Security Fund (Uganda)The National Social Security Fund is a semi-government agency responsible for the collection, safekeeping, responsible investment and distribution of retirement funds from employees of the private sector in Uganda, who are not covered by the Government Retirement Scheme...
External links
See also
- Kabarole DistrictKabarole DistrictKabarole District is a district in Western Uganda. Kabarole District is part of the Kingdom of Toro, one of the traditional monarchies that are constitutionally recognised in modern-day Uganda. The kingdom is coterminus with Toro sub-region...
- Toro Kingdom
- Toro sub-regionToro sub-regionToro sub-region is a region in Uganda that is coterminous with Toro Kingdom in Western Uganda. The districts that constitute the sub-region include the following:* Kabarole District* Kamwenge District* Kyegegwa District* Kyenjojo District...
- Western UgandaWestern Region, UgandaWestern Region is a region of Uganda. It is divided into the following districts:...