Rwanda, a captivating landlocked country nestled south of the Equator in east-central Africa. Renowned for its stunning landscapes, Rwanda is frequently called le pays des mille collines (French: “land of a thousand hills”). The capital is Kigali, nestled in the heart of the country along the banks of the Ruganwa River.

Similar to its southern neighbor, Burundi, Rwanda is a compact nation boasting one of the highest population densities in sub-Saharan Africa. Rwanda shares a rich and intriguing history of monarchical rule with Burundi. In contrast to the situation in Burundi, the fall of the Rwandan monarchy unfolded through a grassroots uprising led by the Hutu people, taking place prior to the nation’s independence in 1962. The tensions between the majority Hutu and minority Tutsi factions reached a critical point in 1994. The civil war and genocide during that period devastated Rwanda’s economy and social structure. (Explore the events of the 1994 Rwanda genocide.) The years that followed have been marked by rebuilding and the journey towards harmony among diverse communities.
Terrain

Rwanda is surrounded by Uganda to the north, Tanzania to the east, Burundi to the south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Kinshasa) along with Lake Kivu to the west.

Respite
The scenery evokes the charm of a tropical Switzerland. The landscape is defined by a breathtaking chain of mountains, rugged and majestic, stretching from north to south and forming a vital part of the Congo-Nile divide. From the towering volcanoes of the Virunga Mountains in the northwest, where Karisimbi soars to 14,787 feet, the landscape dramatically descends to the lush, swampy Kagera River valley in the east, sitting at 4,000 feet. The interior highlands feature undulating hills and valleys, leading to a gentle dip west of the Congo-Nile divide by the shores of Lake Kivu.

Water management

Aside from the Ruzizi, where the waters of Lake Kivu flow into Lake Tanganyika, the majority of the country’s rivers are located on the eastern side of the Congo-Nile divide. The Kagera, the prominent river in the east, delineates much of the border between Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania.

Earthy terrains
The finest soils, shaped by volcanic lavas and alluvium, can be discovered in the northwest and along the lower stretches of the expansive river valleys. In other regions, the predominantly metamorphic bedrock has resulted in soils that are typically of low quality. The interplay of steep slopes, plentiful rainfall, deforestation, and intensive farming has sparked a dramatic process of soil erosion that demands a significant commitment of time and energy to address.

The climate in Rwanda is shaped by its elevation, leading to pleasantly mild temperatures that hover around 70 °F (21 °C) throughout the year, particularly in the interior highlands like Kigali. There are notable differences, though, between the volcanic region in the northwest, where intense rainfalls meet cooler average temperatures, and the warmer, drier interior highlands. The typical yearly precipitation in the latter reaches around 45 inches (1,140 millimeters), primarily occurring during two distinct rainy seasons (approximately February to May and October to December).