| FishBase | Complete | Literature | Reference | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Species | Families | Species | Families | |||
| Marine | No | |||||
| Freshwater | 296 | 23 | No | Daget, J., J.-P. Gosse and D.F.E. Thys van den Audenaerde, 1984 | ||
| Total | 299 | 23 | No | |||
| Conservation | The following information is to be sought: - Status of knowledge of the freshwater fauna; - Existence of conservation plans; - Information on major aquatic habitats or sites within the country; - Current major threats to species; - Future potential threats to species; - Contact(s) for further information. |
| Geography and Climate |
Uganda is a high plateau dipping to the southeast to the Lake Victoria Basin. The west of the country is traversed from north to south by the western area of the Great Rift Valley. There is a high mountainous chain, the Ruwezoris, in the extreme west; to the southwest the Bufimbiro volcanoes block the Rift Valley. In the east a chain of volcanic peaks stretches north to south with Mounts Moroto, Kadem and Elgan. The rest of the plateau consists of rolling hills with extensive papyrus swamps in their valleys. There is one major barrage: Owen Falls, across the point where the While Nile leaves Lake Victoria.
Although Uganda lies astride the equator, any climatic severity is eased by its alttitude. In the wettest areas along the western shore of Lake Victoria there are two rainy seasons (February-June and April-December). Although the twin seaon pattern also prevails over the rest of the country, the north and west are much more arid. Ref. Vanden Bossche, J.-P. and G.M. Bernacsek, 1990 |
| Hydrography |
In general, Uganda has an abundance of water resources covering an area of nearly 44,000 km2. This area is made up of over 36,000 km2 of open water, 5,100 km2 of swamps, and over 2,000 km of main rivers. Nearly 10,000 permanent springs with a minimum flow of 3.6 m3/hr has been recorded.
Lakes: Uganda has an extensive lake system covering over 38,500 km2. It comprises Lake Victoria and Lake Kyoga, as well as the Rift Valley Lakes (Edward, George and Albert). Lake Kyoga is, in essence, an extension of the Victoria Nile. It is relatively shallow with numerous estuaries and swamps.
Rivers, floodplains and swamps: Uganda lies almost wholly within the White Nile Drainage Basin flowing to the Mediterranean. About 10 regional drainage exist, mainly associated with the lakes. In the southern part of the country almost all watercourses draining the plateau flow into Lake Victoria and Lake Kyoga. They are characterized by broad shallow valleys, slow moving water and swamp conditions.
The longest river is the Victoria Nile, with a discharge of 1,100-1,700 m3/sec. By far, the largest river is the Albert Nile, which carries almost all of Uganda's runoff.
A distinction is to be made between grassy swamps (57%) and papyrus swamps (43%); the former are mainly seasonal, the latter permanent. About 6% (915 km2) of the area is considered reclaimable for cultivation. Lake Kyoga, in particular, is characterized by fringe swamps covering 230 km2.
Reservoirs: Other than the Owen Falls hydroelectric dam across the White Nile River near its outflow from Lake Victoria, there are no major impoundments. The Owen Falls dam does not regulate the water level of Lake Victoria to any significant extent although the latter, strictly speaking, acts as a "reservoir" for the hydroelectric plant.
Coastal lagoons: there are none; Uganda is landlocked. Ref. Vanden Bossche, J.-P. and G.M. Bernacsek, 1990 |