Uganda, a precious gem enclaved in the heart of Africa is undoubtedly a universal wonder. With an immense endowment of unique features, the country boosts of a diversity of unique wildlife ranging from mountain gorillas to the hard scaled pangolins and a great sunny weather all year round.
It is of no doubt that the embellished country is home to some set records outcompeting any place in the world. These records have been certified by the re known word record body, ‘The Guiness Book of Records.’
For illumination, Guinness World Records – originally the Guinness Book of Records – is the ultimate authority on record-breaking achievements world wide. The brand is the most recognized and trusted records brand in the world.
As always, at Gide2Uganda, we are relentless on having you know Uganda to the prime. We have therefore complied for you the Top 10 world records held by Uganda. The records range from funny to unbelievable. Take a look!
- Largest rolex
The Rolex (chapatti and rolled eggs) is a Ugandan breakfast delicacy commonly served on the roadsides. The Rolex, as is popularly referred to, is made of egg omelette and vegetables, wrapped in a chapati (baked dough).
The largest Ugandan rolex is 204.6 kg (451 lb) and was created by Raymond Kahuma (Uganda), in Kasokoso, Wakiso District, Uganda, on 4 November 2021. For months, Raymond and his team had been working on the preparation of the record. The Ugandan Rolex measured 2.32 meters in length and 0.66 meters at its thickest diameter.
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2. Youngest average (median) population
This sounds strange but true. Imagine a country with over 78% of its population being below 30 years of age. This makes Uganda the youngest country in the world.
The people of Uganda have the lowest median average age of any nation on Earth. With an average age of 15.1 years (15 years for men; 15.2 years for women) the people of Uganda as a whole are 34.8 years younger than the “oldest” nation on Earth (Monaco).
3. Most thunder days per year
Well as Uganda receives a sunny climate all year round, the wet season is usually characterized by heavy thunderstorms that strike hard in some parts of the country.
For the most thunder days per year record, Thunder-days – were recorded in Tororo, an eastern Ugandan district, and averaged to 251 days of thunder per annum (365 days). This was recorded for the 10-year period 1967-76.
4. Most Physically active country
Doubling as having the world’s youngest population, Uganda has the physically active population. According to a study by the World Health Organisation (WHO) published in September 2018, Ugandans are the most physically active, with 94.5% having sufficient regular exercise, defined as having 150 minutes of moderate-to-intense or 75 minutes of rigorous activity per week.
5. Most horns on a Giraffe
Uganda has the rearest breed of giraffe ever seen in the word. Well as most giraffes bear three small horn-like projections called ossicones on their heads, formed from ossified cartilage, the Rothschild’s giraffe – Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi – discovered in 1901 in Uganda and sometimes classed as a separate species in its own right, has five ossicones.
In addition to the normal three (a pair on top of its head and a single one at the centre of its brow), it has an extra pair at the back of its head, behind its ears. This is a rare yet real phenomenal in the wildlife wonders.
6. Most agressive butterfly
The world’s most aggressive butterfly is Charaxes candiope of Uganda. The the green-veined emperor or green-veined charaxes, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae.
Also known as the Dagger Tail Butterfly, it is a very powerful flier which actively dive-bombs people intruding upon its territory and one single strike will have you stand warned. Other butterflies aren’t safe either, as the serrated edges of this butterfly’s wings are sometimes used as a weapon to elbow each other out of the way at favorite feeding areas.
7. First Dwarf Giraffe
Regardless of being the tallest land animals in the world at an average height of 5 m (16 ft), Uganda was the birth place for the first dwarf giraffe.
According to reports in BMC Research Notes on 30 December 2020, one giraffe, known as Gimli (after the famous Lord of the Rings character), was first observed in Murchison Falls National Park in Uganda in 2015 and as of 2017 had an estimated total height of 282.9 cm (9 ft 3 in). This was recorded as the shortest of the species by that age.
However, the second known dwarf giraffe, Nigel, was photographed in 2018 at a private farm in Namibia, measuring approximately 254.4 cm (8 ft 4 in) from hoof to the top of the ossicones (horns). Dysplasia (unprecedented in this species to date) was evidenced by extremely short radius and metacarpal bones relative to giraffes of a similar age.
8. Youngest reigning Monarch
Uganda is home to the world’s youngest reigning monarch. King Rukirabasaija Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV of Tooro Kingdom in Uganda currently holds the spot in the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s youngest reigning monarch. A position he took over from Mswati III of Swaziland who became king by 18.
Born on 16 April 1992, he came to power at the age of just three and now rules over 3% of Uganda’s 33-million-strong population. Despite his title, the King’s influence is largely symbolic, as the country is governed by an elected president.
9. Shortest hostage rescue
On 4 July 1976, Israeli forces executed the shortest full-scale military rescue of one hundred hostages, mostly Israelis or Jews, held by pro-Palestinian hijackers at Entebbe Airport, Uganda. An hour before midnight on 3-4 July, four air force C-130 Hercules aircraft flew into the airport after a 2,500-mile flight behind a scheduled cargo flight.
An assault group consisting of 200 troops stormed the building where the hostages were being held and, after a 35-minute battle in which a number of Ugandan soldiers, seven hijackers, three hostages and the leader of the assault force were killed, the surviving hostages were flown to Israel via Nairobi, Kenya. It was a staggeringly successful operation and the entire raid took only two hours from start to finish.
10. Fastest run 10,000 metres (male)
Uganda’s ‘Golden Boy’ Joshua Cheptegei is a world record holder for the fastest out door run of 10,000 meters by a male clocked in 26 minutes 11.00 seconds. achieved by Joshua Cheptegei (Uganda) on 7 October 2020 in Valencia, Spain.
Cheptegei took more than six seconds off the previous record, which had stood since 2005. It was his third world record of 2020, having set new bests for 5 km on the road and the 5,000 m on the track.
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