About Rwanda

Explore this Rwanda map to learn everything you want to know about this country. Learn about Rwanda location on the world map, official symbol, flag, geography, climate, postal/area/zip codes, time zones, etc. Check out Rwanda history, significant states, provinces/districts, & cities, most popular travel destinations and attractions, the capital city’s location, facts and trivia, and many more.

Being designated from the title of “The Land of a Thousand Hills” to the land of ‘Gorillas in the Mist’, to lastly being entitled as the ‘Little Switzerland of Africa’, the Central African nation of Rwanda is acclaimed for holding suprising scenic sights.

From chasing Gorilla along the Virungas province to fresh air walking along the greenery stretches of the Akagera National Park, from the diverse attraction placed along the Nyungwe Forest to the crystal clear water near the Kivu Lake, all these wonderful sights surely catches your attention while touring to this fantastic location.

Physical Map Of Rwanda

Rwanda is centrally located along the African continent, lying towards the southern part of the Equator. The region is comprised of lush and rocky terrain, because of which it is entitled the name of the “Land of a Thousand Hills”, along the area adjacent to the continental Africa. The countryside boasts of greenery grasslands with stretches of undulating hills, with jagged mountains along the southeastern area and a chain of volcanoes running along the northwestern area. A divide between the Congo and Nile drainage structure broadens from the northern end to the southern end from the western Rwanda, which measures to about 9,000 feet.

From the western end of the undulated ridgeline, the land inclines down towards the Lake Kivu and the Ruzizi River valley that together comprises the Great Rift Valley. The eastern end is marked with rising and falling hills gently sloping from the central uplands while reaching the plains and the swampy lakes within the province.

Location Of Rwanda

Rwanda is nestled within the Great Lakes area along the east-central Africa, which is engulfed by areas like Uganda (north), Burundi (south), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (west) and Tanzania (east). The province is alienated from the Democratic Republic of the Congo through which the valley of Lake Kivu and the Ruzizi River passes by from the western end.

Flag Of Rwanda

The new flag of Rwanda was officially accepted during the month of October 25, 2001. The flag is designed with four colors namely blue, green, and two color codes of yellow. The middle band yellow slightly differs from the yellow colored displayed within the sun. The flag is described with 3 bands lying parallel with each other where the lower band is colored in green, the middle one with yellow and the topmost being double the size of the lower and the central one is colored in sky blue. The color green represents peace and greenery, yellow stands for nations growth and expansion while the color blue denotes the local natives. A sun look-alike design is placed on the right side of the flag.

Climate Of Rwanda

Rwanda experiences a tropical kind of weather conditions where the high raised mountainous region is frequently subjected to frost and snow. Rwanda is placed just two degrees towards the southern region of the equator that is rarely subjected to extreme conditions. The months of July-September and January are dry in nature. The months of February-May and September-December are the major period when the area is affected with heavy showers accompanied with thunderstorms. The western and northwestern mountains expects heavy down pouring in compared to the eastern savannas region.

Flora And Fauna Of Rwanda

Comprised of savanna grasslands along most of the regions in Rwanda, watch out for tropical forests near the western, northern and southern borders of the Lake Kivu. Eucalyptus is the most common species thriving in the region that was once introduced from the southern region along with bringing in plants like acacias, and oil palms.

The native animals residing within the region are hippopotamuses, flying lemurs, partridges, elephants, buffalo, cheetahs, guinea hens, lions, zebras, leopards, geese, monkeys, gorillas, jackals, hyena, snipe, wild boar, antelope, crocodiles, ducks and quail. One may even catch up with species like Mountain Gorilla and Shoebill Stork that are commonly found here.

People Of Rwanda

Among the three main tribes residing in the region of Rwanda, the total population is comprised of:

• The Hutu residents that includes 80 percent of the inhabitants.
• The Tutsi covers 20 percent of the natives, and
• The Twa, a native tribe of hunters that covers 1 percent of the residents.

French, Rwanda, and English are the official dialect of the area. The Rwandan language, is even refereed to as Kinyarwanda, is a local Bantu language. Swahili is even widely accepted within the region. The population consists of religion like Roman Catholic, Protestant, Adventist and Muslims.

Arts, Culture And Music Of Rwanda

Art: Among the native handicrafts designed within the region, the popular crafts of the area are based on ceramics, basketry, traditional woodcarvings and contemporary paintings. Pass through the street stalls in Kigali, where one can buy modern art works at the Formation of Arts Center. Cow dung ‘paintings’ became quite popular within the region, which dominates in the village area of Nyakarimbi adjacent to the Rusumo Falls sharing common borders with Tanzania.

Culture: Hutus were known to spend most of their time in the cultivation of agricultural goods , while Tutsis were known to have indulged in cattle rearing. One must take a tour to the two main cultural hub of the region that includes the area of the Rwanda’s National Ballet and the Impala Orchestra.

Music: The ikinimba is valued a lot in the region of Rwanda, which is a traditional folk dance that narrates the epic stories of Rwandan classical heroes. Several musical instruments are used while playing this dance music, which includes the ingoma, iningiri, umuduri, ikembe, and inanga.

The native songs that are usually sung with a help of a harp-like instrument are usually made of eight strings. Drum orchestra, played by seven to nine members, is usually used during a particular festival or celebration.

Economy Of Rwanda

The economy of Rwanda solely concentrates on the country’s agricultural production and cultivation that engages major portion of the population in farming. Bananas, cassava, pulses, sorghum, and potatoes are chiefly cultivated here while the primary cash crops of the region being coffee, tea, and pyrethrum. The economic progress within the area was restricted due to lack of easy access with the overseas markets that was navigated through the sea. Tutsi possess several cattle within the region where the natives resort to rearing of cattle, shepherds and goats. The area has considerable amount of Cassiterite and wolframite minerals that are extracted in greater extent with the production of natural gas within the region of Lake Kivu. The industries that are placed within this region are textiles, chemicals, and cement. Basic consumer goods are even found within the region, which mainly deals with processed food, beverages (particularly beer), clothing, and footwear industry. Foodstuffs, machinery, motor vehicles, fuel, construction materials are chiefly imported especially concentrating on goods like coffee, casseritite, wolframite, tea, pyrethrum, and hides.