Officially, Uganda is known as the Republic of Uganda (Swahili: Jamhuri ya Uganda) is a nation in East Africa that is landlocked. Kenya is on the east, South Sudan on the north, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the west, Rwanda on the south-west, and Tanzania on the south. Lake Victoria is shared by Kenya and Tanzania in the southern portion of the country. The African Great Lakes region includes Uganda. The equatorial climate in Uganda, which is also in the Nile basin, varies, but it is typically more temperate. It has roughly 49 million people, of which 8.5 million live in Kampala, the largest and capital city.

The Buganda kingdom, whose language is Luganda and which includes the capital Kampala and a significant portion of the south of the country, is the inspiration for Uganda's name. Since 1894, the United Kingdom has ruled the region as a protectorate, establishing administrative law throughout the territory. On October 9, 1962, Uganda gained independence from the United Kingdom. Since then, there have been violent conflicts, including an eight-year military dictatorship under Idi Amin's leadership.