Lira (city)
| map | |
|---|---|
Location of Lira within Uganda |
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| Basic data | |
| District | lira |
| Geographical location | 2 ° 14 ' N , 32 ° 55' E |
| surface | 30.1 km² |
| population | 119,302 (2005 estimate) |
| Population density | 3963.5 inhabitants / km² |
| medium height | 1073 m |
| Precipitation | 1434 mm / a |
| Time zone | UTC +3 |
| UN / LOCODE | UG LIR |
| Telephone code | (+256) 0473 |
Lira (official spelling, although many people call the city of Lila Baganda in Kampala ) is a city in northern Uganda with 119,302 inhabitants. It is the third largest city in Uganda and the capital of the Lira district of the same name and the center of the Langi people . Lira has the status of a municipality (LC4).
City structure
The city is divided into Central, Ojwina, Adyel and Railways Divisions. In the north of the city the Ngetta Hill rises (1245 m. Above sea level).
history
During the 20-year civil war in Lira, militant representatives of the warring ethnic groups Lango , whose center is the district capital Lira, and Acholi met each other. There was also regular violence between the Ugandan government army and rebels of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). The city of Lira grew from originally 90,000 to around 190,000 due to the displaced people.
religion
Lira is a Roman Catholic bishopric was founded in 1968 Diocese of Lira . This is together with Arua and Nebbi suffragan of the Archdiocese of Gulu . There is also a church of evangelical Christians of the Pentecostal movement in the city .
Population development
| year | Residents |
|---|---|
| 1991 census | 27,568 |
| 2002 census | 80,879 |
| 2005 estimate | 119,302 |
Economy and Infrastructure
The city has a connection to the railway line of the Uganda Railway from Pakwach to Mbale , which has not been used for a few years, and there is also an airplane runway, which is only approved for domestic flights and is served by charter flight companies. There are national buses to Kampala and minibuses ( Matatus ) to Gulu , Soroti and Mbale every day . Taxis (special hire) and motorcycle taxis ( Boda-bodas ) operate in the city center .
The most important economic enterprise was the Lira Spinning Mill , a company in the textile industry, the largest in East Africa, which was closed due to the collapse of the cotton markets in 1984. After the previously state-owned company was taken over and modernized in 2005 by the Jinda International Textiles Corporation Ltd (JITCO) joint venture , it had to close in March 2005 due to a lack of cotton from the north.
Ugandan health care is inadequate due to the large number of refugees. European carriers have therefore taken over the supply in the district capital. The Lira Clinic , a project of the “ People's Mission of Resolute Christians ” (VMeC) based in Stuttgart, is considered the most important non-Ugandan institution, alongside the mobile field operations of “ Doctors Without Borders ”.
Personalities
- John Akii-Bua (1949–1997), athlete, ran the men's 400 meter hurdles in the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich in a world record time of 47.82 seconds and was the first runner from Uganda to win a gold medal at the Olympic Games.
Remarks
- ↑ Information from Doctors Without Borders