Rwanda is situated in Central Africa. Her neighbors are the Democratic Republic of Congo to the west, Uganda to the north, Burundi to the south, and Tanzania to the east, in a region that is termed the Great Lakes because of the shared lakes, namely: Victoria, Kivu, George, Albert, Tanganyika, Kyoga and others. The hilly character has earned the country the name of “the land of a thousand hills”.
Rwanda is a land-locked country in East Africa. She is also referred to as ‘the Land of a Thousand Hills’. Rwanda has five volcanoes, 23 lakes and numerous rivers. Her mountainous topography is a product of her position on the eastern arm of the Albertine Rift Valley, part of the Great Rift Valley which cuts through Africa from the Red Sea to Mozambique. Rwanda has three main conservation areas: the Volcanoes Park, Akagera Park and Nyungwe Forest. Each of these protects a very unique ecosystem and combination of large mammals. Akagera supports a typical savannah fauna dominated by a variety of antelopes, zebra, buffalo and giraffe, the aquatic hippopotamus, and plains predators such as lion, leopard and spotted hyena. The Volcanoes Park is the best place in the world to track mountain gorillas while Nyungwe offers visitors a good chance of viewing chimpanzees and 400-strong troops of colobus monkeys – the largest arboreal primate troops in Africa today.
Rwanda can be visited at any time of the year. The long dry season, June to September, is the best time for tracking gorillas and hiking in Nyungwe, since the ground should be dry underfoot and the odds of being drenched are minimal. The wettest months are March to May. An advantage of traveling during the rainy season is that the scenery is greener, and the sky less hazy (at least when it is not overcast), a factor that will of an advantage to photographers. The season is also the best period to track chimpanzees in Nyungwe, while the months of November to March will hold the greatest appeal for birders, as resident birds are supplemented by flocks of Palaearctic migrants.
Rwanda is a wonderful destination for birdwatchers, with an incredible 670 species recorded in an area which is smaller than Belgium and has less than half the land surface of Scotland. Prime bird-watchers destinations include Nyungwe (275 species including numerous forest rarities and 24 Albertine Rift endemics) and Akagera (savannah birds, raptors and water-birds). Almost anywhere in the country can prove rewarding to birders: an hour in the garden of the capital’s larger hotels is likely to throw up a variety of colorful robin-chats, weavers, finches, flycatchers and sunbirds. Rwanda is a landlocked republic in Equatorial Africa, located on the eastern rim of the Albertine Rift, a western arm of the Great Rift Valley, on the watershed between Africa’s two largest river systems the Nile and the Congo. Much of the country’s 26,338 km2 is impressively mountainous, the highest peak being Karisimbi (4,507m) in the volcanic Virunga chain protected by the Volcanoes National Park. Lake Kivu is the largest water body, but also Rwanda has other numerous lakes which include the Burera, Ruhondo, Muhazi and Mugesera, some of them have erratic shapes following the steep mountains contours that enclose them.
Basic Facts:
Population: 8.01 million; 290 people/km2
Total population under 14 years old: 49%
Total population under 20 years old: 60%
of these an estimated 400,000 are orphans; 20% of whom head their household
Male: 46%
Female: 54%
of these an estimated 42% are widowed;
35% of all households are headed by women
Rural: 90%
Language: Kinyarwanda. English, French and Swahili are also widely spoken
Religion: Catholic (the majority), Protestant, Muslim and traditional religious beliefs.
Literacy: 52% (1998) of population 15 years of age or older
42% (1998) among women
40% of population has no access or severely limited access to education
Geography:
Land Area: 26,338 square kilometers
Location: Between 1″ – 3″ latitude south and 29″ – 31″ longitude east 75 miles from the Equator; 880 miles from the Indian Ocean; 1250 miles from the Atlantic Ocean
Altitude: Most of the country lies above 1000 m, with half of it 1500 – 2000 m above sea level
Climate: Average annual temperature is 18″ – 24″ Celsius Average annual rainfall is 900 – 1600 mm. Conditions in the mountains can be mild, but frost and snow are also possible. There are two rainy seasons from February to April and from November to January.
Terrain: Mostly grassy uplands and hills; relief is mountainous with altitude declining from west to east
Land use: 47% cropland, 22% forest, 18% pasture, 13% other
National Government and Local Administration:
Capital City: Kigali
Provinces: Kigali City-PVK, , Butare, Byumba, Cyangugu, Gikongoro, Gisenyi, Gitarama, Kibungo, Kibuye,
Kigali-Ngali (Kigali Rural), Nyagatare, Ruhengeri.
The provinces are divided into 154 smaller territorial units called Communes.
Flag:
GREEN: Symbolizes hope for prosperity.
YELLOW: Stands for Wealth.
The Sun and its Golden Yellow Rays: Stands for ever increasing light that guides all the people. They also signify unity, transparency and the fight against ignorance.
Three branches of National Government: Executive, Legislative and Judicial
Economics and Trade:
Currency: Rwandan Franc. $1 US Dollar = 460 Rwandan Francs (approximately)
Total Budget 1998: 173 billion Frw
Total Foreign Debt: US $1.2 billion, most of which was accrued by the former genocidal regime
GDP/per capital: US $250.00 (1998)
Main Exports: coffee and tea
Main Crops: beans, peas, bananas, cassava, sweet potatoes, sorghum, millet, and Irish potatoes
Natural Resources: tin, gold, and natural gas
Health Indicators:
Life expectancy at birth: 49.2 years
Men: 48.1 years
Women: 50.1 years
Fertility rate/per woman: 6.5 children (1996)
Population annual growth rate: 2.8% (1996)
Infant mortality/thousand live births: 112
Maternal mortality/per 100,000 live births: 800 (1996)
Major cause of premature death: Malaria
Adult HIV-1 seroprevalence: 11% (1998)
Total Health Centers: 255
Total health personnel: estimated 5,000
Doctors/per capital: 1/60,000
Transportation:
Airport: Kigali International Airport
Airlines: Alliance Express, SN Brussels, Ethiopian, Kenya Airways, Cameroon Airline, Uganda Airline are amongst 12 designated regular airlines plus several other non-scheduled aircraft operating into Kigali International Airport.
Closest ports: Mombasa, Kenya via Uganda (1760 km by road); Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (1528 km by road)
Languages spoken
Kinyarwanda only (official, universal Bantu vernacular) 93.2%, Kinyarwanda and other language(s) 6.2%, French (official) and other language(s) 0.1%, English (official) and other language(s) 0.1%, Swahili (or Kiswahili, used in commercial centers) 0.02%, other 0.03%, unspecified 0.3% (2002 est.)