Jinja

Jinja (jin'ju) [key], city (2002 pop. 71,213), SE Uganda, on the Victoria Nile River, near Lake Victoria. It is an industrial city and the commercial and processing center for a region where cotton, sugarcane, corn, and peanuts are grown. Manufactures include refined copper, metal goods, forest products, textiles, soap, and processed food. It is connected by rail with Mombasa on the Indian Ocean. Jinja was founded in 1901 as a trading post; with the development of the nearby Owen Falls hydroelectric project, which includes the Nalubaale (1954) and Kiira (1999) dams, it became (1950s) a major industrial center. The city's services and infrastructure declined during the regime of Idi Amin.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

• • Cite
  • Print
  • Email
  • Bookmark
    • Add bookmark
    • Add to del.icio.us
    • Digg It!
    • Add to Reddit