Ntungamo District

Overview

In the past, Ntungamo District was part of the Ankole Kingdom, a traditional monarchy that dates back to the 18th century. The kingdom was abolished by Milton Obote in 1967. The current President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, and his wife, Janet Museveni, were born in the district. The Ankole Kingdom is coterminous with Ankole sub-region, home to an estimated 2.2 million inhabitants in 2002, according to the national census conducted that year.

Location

Ntungamo District is bordered to the north, Mitooma District, Sheema District and Mbarara District, going from west to east. Isingiro District lies to the east, the Republic of Rwanda to the south, Kabale District to the southwest and Rukungiri District to the northwest. The district headquarters at Ntungamo, are located about 66 kilometres (41 mi), by road, southwest of Mbarara, the largest city in Ankole sub-region. The general coordinates of the district are: 00 53S, 30 16E. The district covers 2,051.4 square kilometres (792.0 sq mi) of which approximately 0.2% is open water, 3.4% is wetland and about 0.01% is forest.

Population

In 1991, the national population census estimated the district population at about 305,200. The national census of 2002 estimated the population of Ntungamo District at about 380,000, with an estimated annual population growth rate of 2.4%. It is estimated that in 2012, the population of the district was approximately 480,100.

Tourism in Ntungamo District

Tourism in Ntungamo District is not well developed but there are several potential tourism sites, including: 1. Karegyeya Rock 2. Lake Nyabihoko 3. Uganda-Rwanda Border 4. Bird-watching in the wetlands and 5. Agricultural development projects.