Katunguru, is a settlement in

Rubirizi District Rubirizi District is a district in Western Uganda. Like most Ugandan districts, the district is named after its 'chief town', Rubirizi, where the district headquarters are located. Location Rubirizi District is bordered by Kasese District to t ...

Ankole sub-region Ankole sub-region is a region in the Western Region of Uganda that consists of the following districts: * Buhweju District * Bushenyi District * Ibanda District * Isingiro District * Kazo District * Kiruhura District * Mbarara District * M ...

, in the Western Region of

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...

. The name also applies to ''Katunguru Sub-county'' and ''Katunguru Parish'', where the settlement is located.

Location

Katunguru is just south of the

equator The equator is a circle of latitude, about in circumference, that divides Earth into the Northern and Southern hemispheres. It is an imaginary line located at 0 degrees latitude, halfway between the North and South poles. The term can als ...

, on the

Kikorongo–Ishaka Road Kikorongo–Ishaka Road is a road in the Western Region of Uganda, connecting the towns of Kikorongo in Kasese District with Ishaka in Bushenyi District. Location This road starts at Kikorongo, on the Fort Portal–Kasese–Mpondwe Road. I ...

. The town is approximately , by road, north of

Rubirizi Rubirizi, sometimes spelled Rubiriizi, is a town in Rubirizi District, Ankole sub-region, Western Region, Uganda, Western Uganda. The town is the main municipal, administrative and commercial center of Rubirizi District. The district is named ...

, the location of the district headquarters. This is on the southern banks of the

Kazinga Channel The Kazinga Channel in Uganda is a wide, long natural channel that links Lake Edward and Lake George (Uganda), Lake George, and a dominant feature of Queen Elizabeth National Park. The channel attracts a varied range of animals and birds, with ...

, which links Lake George with

Lake Edward Lake Edward (locally Rwitanzigye or Rweru) is one of the smaller African Great Lakes. It is located in the Albertine Rift, the western branch of the East African Rift, on the border between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda, w ...

, and forms the border between

Kasese District Kasese District is a district in Western Uganda. Like most other Ugandan districts, the town of Kasese is the site of the district headquarters. History In September 2022, the district was hit by deadly landslides. Location Kasese District i ...

to the north and

to the south. Katunguru is located approximately south of

Kasese Kasese is a town north of Lake George in the Western Region of Uganda. It originally grew around the copper mine at Kilembe, while attention later turned to cobalt mining. It is the chief town of Kasese District, and the district headquarters ...

, the nearest large town. Katunguru, which lies within the boundaries of

Queen Elizabeth National Park Queen Elizabeth National Park is a national park in Uganda. Location Queen Elizabeth National Park (QENP) is in the Western Region of Uganda, spanning the districts of Kasese, Kamwenge, Rubirizi, and Rukungiri. The park is approximately by ro ...

, is located about , by road, west of

Kampala Kampala (, ) is the capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,680,000 and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division, and Ruba ...

, the largest city in Uganda and the

capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...

of that country. The coordinates of Katunguru, Uganda are:0°08'49.0"S, 30°03'46.0"E (Latitude:-0.146956; Longitude:30.062770). Katunguru lies at an average elevation of above

mean sea level There are several kinds of mean in mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. ...

Population

In 2015, the

Uganda Bureau of Statistics The Uganda Bureau of Statistics ("UBOS") is an agency of the Ugandan government. Formed by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics Act, 1998, the agency is mandated to "coordinate, monitor and supervise Uganda's National Statistical System". Location ...

(UBOS) estimated the population of Katunguru Sub-county at 3,900 people. In 2020, UBOS estimated that population to have increased to 4,200 inhabitants at mid-year. It further estimated that in July 2020, 2,400 inhabitants (57.1 percent) were males and 1,800 inhabitants (42.9 percent) were females. UBOS further calculated that the population of this locality had grown at an average annual rate of 1.5 percent, between 2015 and 2020.

Points of interest

The town serves as a gateway to

, with several of the primary entrances to the park within a few kilometers. The following points of interest are also found within the town limits or close to its edges: (a) the offices of Katunguru Town Council (b) the headquarters of Katunguru Sub-county (c) Katunguru central market, the source of daily fresh produce and (d) Katunguru Senior Secondary School.

Economy

Katunguru's primary occupation is

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

, with a daily fish market and a substantial number of small boats fishing the

and nearby Lake George. Agriculture and gardening is generally not possible due to the large animals that often wander through town, including buffalo,

hippopotamus The hippopotamus ( ; : hippopotamuses or hippopotami; ''Hippopotamus amphibius''), also called the hippo, common hippopotamus, or river hippopotamus, is a large semiaquatic mammal native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of only two extan ...

and

elephants Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae and ...

. The settlement also serves the various nearby safari lodges due to its central location within the national park.

References

External links

Pilot Water Supply Project In Katunguru, Uganda: In Queen Elizabeth National Park
{{Rubirizi District, state=collapsed Populated places in Western Region, Uganda Cities in the Great Rift Valley Rubirizi District