Iganga District

Iganga is a district in eastern Uganda. Like other Ugandan districts, it is named after its 'chief town'. It has a population of 716.311 in 2002.

Geography

Iganga is located in Central Uganda, about 25 km (16 miles) to the north of Lake Victoria. Iganga lies at an altitude of 1,138 m (3,732 ft.) above sea level and just north of the Equator. Iganga lies on the main road through East Africa from Kenya to the Ugandan capital Kampala and the Central African states of Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda beyond.

Population

Iganga lies within the Busoga tribal region, with the traditional Lusoga language still extensively used. Lusoga is a language very closely related to Luganda, which is widely used in the capital region and in the media.

Economy

Iganga is a rural district, and the chief town is not a tourist destination yet as is Jinja to the west. The majority of people in Iganga are farmers. The main commercial crops grown in Iganga include maize, potatoes ("Irish", as the local people call them), sugar cane, coffee, tea, and soybeans. Mango and papaya trees grow throughout the district. In the markets there are pineapples, tomatoes, sweet bananas, peppers, 'greens', and the ever-present "matooke", which is the Lugandan/Lusogan word for non-sweet bananas.