Arua is a city and commercial centre within the Arua District in the Northern Region of Uganda.

Location

Arua is approximately , by road, north-west of Kampala, the capital and largest city of Uganda, Arua is about , by road, west of Gulu, the largest city in Uganda's Northern Region. The geographical coordinates of the city of Arua are 03°02'07.0"N, 30°54'39.0"E (Latitude:3.035278; Longitude:30.910833). Arua sits at an average elevation of above sea level. Arua is closely bordered to the Democratic Republic of Congo in the west and South Sudan in the north which makes it a strategic location for business between Uganda and her two neighbors to the west and north. Due to its strategic location, Arua is also part of the Refugee program of hosting up to 20% of refugees entering into Uganda, annually.

Overview

Arua is an important base for non-governmental organizations working in the West Nile sub-region or serving

Western Equatoria Western Equatoria is a state in South Sudan. It has an area of . Its capital is Yambio. The state was divided into counties, each headed by a County Commissioner. Western Equatoria seceded from Sudan as part of the Republic of South Sudan on ...

in South Sudan and the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. It became an important commercial supply centre and transport route when the Yei– Juba road opened, enabling supplies to come into Juba from the south on the Kaya Highway instead of through Khartoum from the north.

Transport

A branch of the Uganda Railways was to be extended to Arua sometime after 1964, but there has been no passenger rail service in Uganda for many years. The Vurra–Arua–Koboko–Oraba Road passes through town, in a south/north direction. Arua is connected to the other towns in West Nile by road. These are: Nebbi, Pakwach, Paidha, Koboko, Yumbe, Moyo, Obongi, Adjumani and other smaller towns. There is regular road transport between Arua and Kampala, Gulu, Masindi and Hoima The city is served by Arua Airport, which has scheduled air service. Arua airport has been the second busiest in Uganda after Entebbe. It was due to be upgraded to an international airport.

Population

The 1969 national census enumerated the population of Arua Town at 10,837. In 1991, the census enumerated 22,217 people in the town. In 2002, the population had increased to 43,929. The August 2014 national census and household survey enumerated the population of Arua Town Council at 61,962. In 2020, the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) estimated the mid-year population to be 72,400. UBOS calculated that the population of Arua Municipality grew at an average rate of 2.7 percent annually, between 2014 and 2020.

Climate

Arua has a tropical savanna climate (

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

''Aw'').

Activities

Administrative activities

The following administrations are seated in Arua: * offices of the Arua Town Council * headquarters of Arua District * headquarters of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Arua The Roman Catholic Diocese of Arua ( la, Aruaën(sis)) is a diocese located in the city of Arua in the Ecclesiastical province of Gulu in Uganda. Following the resignation of Bishop Frederick Drandua, on 19 August 2009, Pope Benedict XVI appoi ...

and the

Church of Uganda The Church of Uganda is a member province of the Anglican Communion. Currently there are 37 dioceses which make up the Church of Uganda, each headed by a bishop. Each diocese is divided into archdeaconries, each headed by a senior priest known a ...

's Madi West Nile Diocese

Other business and educational activities

* Arua Campus of the Makerere University Business School * Uganda Christian University Arua Campus in Ringili at St. Paul's Theological College * Arua Campus of Bugema University * main campus of Muni University, the sixth

public university A public university or public college is a university or college that is in state ownership, owned by the state or receives significant government spending, public funds through a national or subnational government, as opposed to a private unive ...

established by the

government of Uganda Uganda is a presidential republic in which the President of Uganda is the head of state and the prime minister is the head of government business. There is a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is ...

* Kuluva School of Nursing and Midwifery * a campus of the

Islamic University in Uganda The Islamic University in Uganda (IUIU) is a multi-campus university offering courses at certificate, diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The main campus of the university is in Mbale, Uganda, about north-east of Kampala, Uganda's ca ...

* a branch of PostBank Uganda * an office of the National Social Security Fund * Arua central market * Arua Currency Center, a currency storage and processing facility, owned and operated by the

Bank of Uganda The Bank of Uganda ( sw, Benki Kuu ya Uganda) is the central bank of Uganda. Established in 1966, by Act of Parliament, the bank is wholly owned by the government but is not a government department. History In 1979 and again in 1987, the Bank ...

, Uganda's

central bank A central bank, reserve bank, or monetary authority is an institution that manages the currency and monetary policy of a country or monetary union, and oversees their commercial banking system. In contrast to a commercial bank, a centra ...

. *

Arua Hospital Arua Regional Referral Hospital, commonly known as Arua Hospital is a hospital in the town of Arua, in Northern Uganda. It is the referral hospital for the districts of Adjumani, Arua, Koboko, Maracha, Moyo, Nebbi, Yumbe, and Zombo. The hosp ...

, a 128-bed public, regional referral hospital administered by the

Uganda Ministry of Health The Ministry of Health is a cabinet-level government ministry of Uganda. It is responsible for planning, delivering, and maintaining an efficient and effective healthcare delivery system, including preventive, curative, and rehabilitative service ...

* Ragem Beach

Media

Analog broadcasts, which originate from Kampala, include WBS TV (which is currently closed)
UBC TV
an
NTV
In early 2014, MBC 2 was aired in Arua as a test broadcast to pave way for Vision Group's Urban TV. Voice of Life, a

-founded radio station, has pioneered FM broadcasting in Arua since 1997.Voice of Life - Arua
/ref>

References

External links

Website of Arua District
As of 23 May 2019. {{Arua District Arua District West Nile sub-region Populated places in Northern Region, Uganda