Kampala developed around an old fort established by the British Imperial East Africa Company in 1890. It obtained city rights in 1949, and in 1962, when Uganda gained independence, it became the capital of the country.
The city is the main economic and cultural center of the country. There are many industrial plants (textiles, metal, wood, machinery, food), as well as the Uganda Scientific Society, founded in 1933, Makerere University, founded in 1922, a technical college, and numerous cultural institutions.
Southwest of Kampala is Entebbe International Airport.
