History+of+the+People-CS

Child Soldiers Home | History of Child Soldiers | Other Issues in Uganda | Call to Action | Works Cited | Webquest | Extra Info

History of the People Uganda's total population is about 23 million and is growing 2.83% each year. Three tenths of a percent are indigenous. The three main indigenous groups are the Batwa, Benet, and Karamojong, which Ugandans today originated from.

Six thousand seven hundred people are a part of the Batwa group. They are hunters, gatherers, and forest people who live in south-western Uganda. In 1991, they were forced to move because the Bwindi and Mgahinga forests, where they were living, were declared national parks.

More than 20,000 people are in the Benet group. These people are also hunters and gatherers and live in north-east Uganda.

The largest indigenous group, the Karamojong, has approximately 955,000 people. They also live in north-east Uganda. Karamojong people are mostly pastoralists, meaning they live their life strictly under the church. They use every part of the cow for daily and ritual life.

In 1971, Idi Amin led a military coup against President Milton Obote and 50,000-300,000 people were killed.

Today, the major religions are Roman Catholic and Protestant, but there are also Muslims and some indigenous beliefs.

The languages spoke are Swahili, English, Arabic, and native languages.

61.8% of the population is literate.