Eastern Africa · Africa

Rwanda

Discover Rwanda - from mountain gorilla treks in misty volcanoes to Kigali's spotless streets, a nation that rebuilt itself into Africa's most surprising success story.

Where Is Rwanda?

Rwanda is a country in Eastern Africa. Its capital is Kigali.

Where Rwanda isEastern Africa · Capital Kigali

Capital Kigali
Population 14.6M
Area 26,338 km²

Rwanda is called the Land of a Thousand Hills, and that barely does it justice. This tiny country, roughly the size of Maryland, is a corrugated landscape of steep green hills, volcanic peaks, and mist-shrouded forests where roughly half the world's remaining mountain gorillas live. But what makes Rwanda truly extraordinary is not just its geography - it's the story of what happened here and what came after.

Three decades after the devastating 1994 genocide, Rwanda has undergone one of the most remarkable transformations in modern history. Kigali is now one of the cleanest cities in Africa, with a ban on plastic bags that predated Europe's by over a decade. The country has near-universal health insurance, some of the fastest economic growth rates on the continent, and a parliament with the world's highest percentage of women. Whether you come for the gorillas in Volcanoes National Park, the chimpanzees of Nyungwe Forest, or simply to witness a nation that refused to be defined by its darkest chapter, Rwanda leaves an impression that is impossible to shake.

At a glance

Language

Kinyarwanda, English & French

Currency

Rwandan Franc (RWF)

Calling Code

+250

Drives On

Right

Internet

.rw

Timezone

CAT (UTC+2)

Script

Latin

Government

Presidential Republic

Independence

1962

By population

Largest cities in Rwanda

Kigali

Capital city spread across multiple hills and valleys, famous for being Africa's cleanest city with immaculate streets and a booming tech scene

1,200,000

Butare (Huye)

Intellectual capital and home to Rwanda's oldest university, with the excellent National Museum of Rwanda

110,000

Gisenyi (Rubavu)

Lakeside resort town on Lake Kivu with sandy beaches and views of the volcanic Virunga mountains

100,000

Musanze

Base town for gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park, nestled at the foot of the Virunga volcano chain

95,000

People

Famous people from Rwanda

Paul Kagame
Politics
President since 2000 who led Rwanda's transformation from post-genocide devastation to one of Africa's fastest-growing economies
Dian Fossey
Science
American primatologist who spent 18 years studying mountain gorillas in Rwanda's Virunga Mountains, murdered in 1985 for her anti-poaching work
Immaculee Ilibagiza
Literature
Genocide survivor who hid for 91 days in a bathroom with seven other women, her memoir Left to Tell became an international bestseller
Adrien Niyonshuti
Sport
Rwanda's first Olympic cyclist who lost six brothers in the genocide, became a symbol of national healing through sport

Food

Traditional cuisine of Rwanda

Brochettes: Grilled goat meat skewers seasoned with spices and served with fried plantains, found at every roadside grill and bar in Rwanda
Ugali: Dense cassava flour porridge served alongside stews and vegetables, the carbohydrate backbone of every Rwandan meal
Isombe: Mashed cassava leaves cooked with palm oil, onions, and sometimes dried fish - a distinctly Rwandan green that appears at every family dinner
Ibihaza: Fried pumpkin served as a snack or side dish, a simple but beloved comfort food across the countryside
Ikivuguto: Traditional fermented milk similar to yogurt, a protein-rich drink that has been part of Rwandan pastoral culture for centuries

Nature

Nature and landmarks in Rwanda

Volcanoes National ParkNational Park: Misty volcanic peaks home to roughly half the world's mountain gorillas, where Dian Fossey conducted her legendary research
Nyungwe Forest National ParkNational Park: One of Africa's oldest montane rainforests with 13 primate species including chimpanzees, plus a canopy walkway 50 meters above the forest floor
Lake KivuLake: One of Africa's Great Lakes shared with DR Congo, with methane-rich depths and palm-fringed shores that feel more like the Mediterranean than Central Africa
Akagera National ParkNational Park: Rwanda's Big Five safari park in the east, where lions and rhinos were reintroduced after being wiped out during the genocide's aftermath

Sport

Sports in Rwanda

Football: The Amavubi have competed in AFCON qualifiers and the domestic league is growing, with Kigali's Amahoro Stadium hosting international matches
Cycling: Tour du Rwanda is one of Africa's premier cycling races, and Team Rwanda has sent riders to the Olympics and World Championships
Basketball: Rwanda hosted the 2021 Basketball Africa League's inaugural season and has invested heavily in becoming a basketball hub

Facts

Did you know?

Rwanda bans plastic bags nationwide - one of the first countries to do so - and holds mandatory community cleaning days called Umuganda on the last Saturday of every month
Rwanda's parliament has the highest percentage of women representatives in the world, with women holding over 60% of seats
Mountain gorilla trekking permits in Volcanoes National Park cost $1,500 per person, making it one of the most expensive wildlife experiences on Earth
Kigali is considered Africa's cleanest city, with public spaces so well-maintained that visitors often express shock
Lake Kivu holds enough dissolved methane gas to power the country for decades - Rwanda is already extracting it for electricity
Rwanda has only two seasons: rainy and dry. The temperature in Kigali stays around 20-27 degrees Celsius year-round thanks to its high altitude

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