Entebbe
[key], town, S Uganda, on Lake Victoria, near Kampala. Located in a region
producing cotton, coffee, and plantains, it is the site of a major
international airport. Entebbe was founded in 1893, and from 1894 to 1962 it
was the administrative capital of the British Uganda Protectorate. In 1972,
Entebbe's Asian population was forced to leave as part of a nationwide
expulsion of Asians by Gen. Idi Amin. In 1976, Entebbe's airport was the
site of a raid by Israeli commandos who freed 103 Israeli hostages from a
plane hijacked by Palestinian terrorists. Eleven Ugandan warplanes and much
of the airport were destroyed in the raid. The city has noteworthy botanical
gardens and research institutions.
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