JINJA

town, southeastern Uganda, eastern Africa, where the Nile flows out of Lake Victoria, at 3,740 feet (1,140 m) above sea level. The second largest town in Uganda, it was founded in 1901 as a British administrative centre and became a municipality in 1957, when construction began on the Owen Falls Dam, 3 miles (5 km) downstream. The hydroelectric power thus provided was instrumental in Jinja's development as the country's main industrial centre. 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 southwest) and the port of Mombasa, Kenya. Pop. (1980 prelim.) 45,060.