- Ssese Islands
The Ssese Islands are an
archipelago of eighty-fourisland s in the northwest ofLake Victoria ,Uganda , in the nation'sKalangala District . About forty-three of the islands are inhabited. The islands vary in size from less than 10,000 square metres, to over 40 kilometres in length for the largest island,Bugala Island .The islands lie in two main groups, separated by the
Kkome Channel . The south west group is home to Bugala, site of the islands' main town,Kalangala , home to the district headquarters, while other islands includeBubeke ,Bufumira ,Bugaba ,Bukasa ,Buyova ,Funve andSerinya . The main islands in the north east group areDamba ,Kkome andLuwaji .The Ssese Islands are inhabited by the Bantu speaking
Bassese tribe, closely related to theBaganda and theBasoga , and speaking a similar, though distinct language. In ancient times the islands were one of the most important spiritual centres of the region.The principal
industry in the Ssese Islands isfishing for the hugeNile Perch , with much of the catch being exported, and resulting in overfishing. Other industries includeagriculture ,forestry andtourism .The islands are also home to a variety of animals including
primate s. They are connected by ferries fromBukakata on the mainland toLiku on Bugala and fromKampala to Banda and Bukasa.AIDS is a serious health problem in the Ssese Islands. Among the numerous fishing villages of the islands, theHIV /AIDS infection rate is greater than 90%.
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