Jinja

Jinja, town located in southeastern Uganda where the Nile flows out of Lake Victoria, situated at an elevation of 3,740 feet (1,140 metres) above sea level. Jinja was founded in 1901 as a British administrative centre and grew to become one of the larger towns in Uganda. When construction on the Owen Falls Dam (now the Nalubaale Dam), 3 miles (5 km) downstream, was completed in 1954, the hydroelectric power thus provided was instrumental in Jinja’s development as the country’s main industrial centre. A second dam, Kiira, was later constructed about 0.6 mile (1 km) from Nalubaale. It was completed in 1999 and began producing hydroelectric power the next year. Industries include the first steel-rolling mill of eastern Africa, a copper smeltery, plywood and tobacco factories, and a grain-conditioning plant. Nearby are a brewery, a textile factory, and large sugar plantations. Products are transported by lake steamer as well as by rail and road. Jinja has rail links with Kampala (50 miles [80 km] southwest) and the port of Mombasa, Kenya. Pop. (2008 est.) 82,800.