The Republic of Rwanda is a small landlocked

sovereign country A sovereign state or sovereign country, is a political entity represented by one central government that has supreme legitimate authority over territory. International law defines sovereign states as having a permanent population, defined terr ...

located in the

Great Lakes region The Great Lakes region of North America is a binational Canadian–American region that includes portions of the eight U.S. states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin along with the Canadian p ...

of east-central

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, bordered by

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The sou ...

, Burundi, the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

and

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...

. Home to approximately 10.1 million people, Rwanda supports the densest population in continental Africa, with most of the population engaged in subsistence agriculture. A verdant country of fertile and hilly terrain, the small republic bears the title "Land of a Thousand Hills". The country attracted international concern for the infamous

Rwandan genocide The Rwandan genocide occurred between 7 April and 15 July 1994 during the Rwandan Civil War. During this period of around 100 days, members of the Tutsi minority ethnic group, as well as some moderate Hutu and Twa, were killed by armed H ...

of 1994. The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Rwanda:

General reference

Pronunciation Pronunciation is the way in which a word or a language is spoken. This may refer to generally agreed-upon sequences of sounds used in speaking a given word or language in a specific dialect ("correct pronunciation") or simply the way a particular ...

: or * Common English country name(s): Rwanda * Official English country name(s): of Rwanda * Common endonym(s): * Official endonym(s): * Adjectival(s): Rwandan * Demonym(s): * International rankings of Rwanda *

ISO country codes ISO 3166-1 (''Codes for the representation of names of countries and their subdivisions – Part 1: Country codes'') is a standard defining codes for the names of countries, dependent territories, and special areas of geographical interest. It ...

: RW, RWA, 646 *

ISO region codes ISO 3166-2 is part of the ISO 3166 standard published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and defines codes for identifying the principal subdivisions (e.g., provinces or states) of all countries coded in ISO 3166-1. The ...

: See ISO 3166-2:RW *

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...

country code top-level domain A country code top-level domain (ccTLD) is an Internet top-level domain generally used or reserved for a country, sovereign state, or dependent territory identified with a country code. All ASCII ccTLD identifiers are two letters long, and all ...

: .rw

Geography of Rwanda

* Rwanda is: a

landlocked country A landlocked country is a country that does not have territory connected to an ocean or whose coastlines lie on endorheic basins. There are currently 44 landlocked countries and 4 landlocked de facto states. Kazakhstan is the world's largest ...

* Location: ** Southern Hemisphere and Eastern Hemisphere **

***

Central Africa Central Africa is a subregion of the African continent comprising various countries according to different definitions. Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo ...

*** East Africa **

Time zone A time zone is an area which observes a uniform standard time for legal, commercial and social purposes. Time zones tend to follow the boundaries between countries and their subdivisions instead of strictly following longitude, because it ...

: Central Africa Time ( UTC+02) ** Extreme points of Rwanda *** High:

Mount Karisimbi Mount Karisimbi is an active stratovolcano in the Virunga Mountains on the border between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. At , Karisimbi is the highest of the eight major mountains of the mountain range, which is a part of Albertine ...

*** Low:

Ruzizi River The Ruzizi (also sometimes spelled Rusizi) is a river, long, that flows from Lake Kivu to Lake Tanganyika in Central Africa, descending from about to about above sea level over its length. The steepest gradients occur over the first , where h ...

** Land boundaries: 893 km :: 290 km :: 217 km :: 217 km :: 169 km :* Coastline: ''none'' * Population of Rwanda: 9,725,000 – 82nd most populous country * * Area of Rwanda: 26,798 km² * Atlas of Rwanda

Environment of Rwanda

* Climate of Rwanda * Ecoregions in Rwanda * Geology of Rwanda * Wildlife of Rwanda ** Fauna of Rwanda *** Birds of Rwanda ***

Mammals of Rwanda Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur or ...

Natural geographic features of Rwanda

* Glaciers in Rwanda: noneThe only glaciers in Africa are on Mt Kenya (in Kenya), on Kilimanjaro (in Tanzania), and in the Ruwenzori Mountains (which are located in

and the

). Se
Proceedings of the Riederalp Workshop, September 1978; Actes de l'Atelier de Riederalp, septembre 1978): IAHS-AISH Publ. no. 126, 1980.
/ref> * Lakes of Rwanda * Mountains of Rwanda ** Volcanoes in Rwanda * Rivers of Rwanda * World Heritage Sites in Rwanda: None

Regions of Rwanda

Ecoregions of Rwanda

List of ecoregions in Rwanda * Ecoregions in Rwanda

Administrative divisions of Rwanda

Administrative divisions of Rwanda *

Provinces of Rwanda The provinces of Rwanda (Kinyarwanda: ''intara'') are divided into districts (''akarere'') and municipalities (''umujyi''). Prior to January 1, 2006, Rwanda was composed of 12 provinces. The Rwandan government decided to establish new provinc ...

Districts of Rwanda The five provinces of Rwanda are divided into 30 districts (Kinyarwanda: ''uturere'', sing. ''akarere''). Each district is in turn divided into sectors (Kinyarwanda: ''imirenge'', sing. ''umurenge''), which are in turn divided into ''cells'' (Ki ...

= Provinces of Rwanda

= Districts of Rwanda

Demography of Rwanda

Demographics of Rwanda

Government and politics of Rwanda

Politics of Rwanda The politics of Rwanda reflect Belgian and German civil law systems and customary law takes place in a framework of a semi-presidential republic, whereby the President of Rwanda is the head of state with significant executive power, with the Pr ...

* Form of government: * Capital of Rwanda: Kigali *

Elections in Rwanda Elections in Rwanda take place within the framework of a multi-party democracy and a presidential system. The President and majority of members of the Chamber of Deputies are directly elected, whilst the Senate is indirectly elected and partly ap ...

Political parties in Rwanda This article lists political parties in Rwanda. Rwanda is a one-party-dominant state with the Rwandan Patriotic Front in power. Opposition parties are allowed, but are widely considered to have no real chance of gaining power. Active parties P ...

Branches of the government of Rwanda

Government of Rwanda The politics of Rwanda reflect Belgian and German civil law systems and customary law takes place in a framework of a semi-presidential republic, whereby the President of Rwanda is the head of state with significant executive power, with the Pr ...

Executive branch of the government of Rwanda

Head of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...

President of Rwanda This article lists the presidents of Rwanda since the creation of the office in 1961 (during the Rwandan Revolution), to the present day. The president of Rwanda is the head of state and head of executive of the Republic of Rwanda. The presi ...

, *

Head of government The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presides over a cabinet, ...

Prime Minister of Rwanda This article lists the prime ministers of Rwanda since the formation of the post in 1961 (during the Rwandan Revolution), to the present day. The prime minister of Rwanda is the head of government of the Republic of Rwanda. The prime minister ...

, * Cabinet of Rwanda

Legislative branch of the government of Rwanda

Parliament of Rwanda The Parliament of Rwanda ( French: ''Parlement du Rwanda''; Kinyarwanda: ''Inteko Ishinga Amategeko y’u Rwanda'') has consisted of two chambers since 2003: *The Senate (French: ''Sénat''; Kinyarwanda: ''Sena'') (Upper Chamber) *The Chamb ...

( bicameral) **

Upper house An upper house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house.''Bicameralism'' (1997) by George Tsebelis The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smaller and often has more restric ...

Senate of Rwanda The upper house of the Parliament of Rwanda ( rw, Inteko Ishinga Amategeko; french: Parlement) is the Senate (''Sena''/''Sénat''). The Senate has 26 members elected or appointed for eight-year terms: 12 elected by provincial councils, eight appoi ...

** Lower house: House of Commons of Rwanda

Judicial branch of the government of Rwanda

Court system of Rwanda *

Supreme Court of Rwanda The Supreme Court of Rwanda is the highest court of Rwanda, as defined by Article 143 of the 2003 Constitution of Rwanda The Constitution of Rwanda was adopted by referendum on May 26, 2003. It replaced the older Constitution of 1991. The Const ...

Foreign relations of Rwanda

Foreign relations of Rwanda Rwanda has been the center of much international attention since the war and genocide of 1994. International memberships Rwanda is a member of the United Nations, African Union, Commonwealth of Nations since November 2009; and the East Afric ...

* Diplomatic missions in Rwanda * Diplomatic missions of Rwanda

International organization membership

The Republic of Rwanda is a member of: *

African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group of States The Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) is a group of countries in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific that was created by the Georgetown Agreement in 1975. Formerly known as African, Caribbean and Pacific Group ...

(ACP) * African Development Bank Group (AfDB) * African Union (AU) * African Union/United Nations Hybrid operation in Darfur (UNAMID) * Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) *

Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the ...

East African Community The East African Community (EAC) is an intergovernmental organisation composed of seven countries in the Great Lakes region of East Africa: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the United Republic of Tanzania, the Republics of Kenya, Burun ...

(EAC) *

East African Development Bank The East African Development Bank (EADB) is a development finance institution with the objective of promoting development in the member countries of the East African Community. Overview EADB plays a threefold role of lender, adviser, and developm ...

(EADB) *

Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries The Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries (ECGLC) (in French CEPGL - ''Communauté Économique des Pays des Grand Lacs'') is a sub-regional organization with multiple purposes created by the signing of the Agreement of Gisenyi in Rwanda o ...

(CEPGL) *

Food and Agriculture Organization The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)french: link=no, Organisation des Nations unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture; it, Organizzazione delle Nazioni Unite per l'Alimentazione e l'Agricoltura is an intern ...

(FAO) * Group of 77 (G77) * International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) * International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) *

International Civil Aviation Organization The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international a ...

(ICAO) * International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) * International Development Association (IDA) * International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRCS) *

International Finance Corporation The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is an international financial institution that offers investment, advisory, and asset-management services to encourage private-sector development in less developed countries. The IFC is a member of ...

(IFC) * International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) *

International Labour Organization The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and o ...

(ILO) *

International Monetary Fund The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster glo ...

(IMF) *

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...

(IOC) *

International Organization for Migration The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is a United Nations agency that provides services and advice concerning migration to governments and migrants, including internally displaced persons, refugees, and migrant workers. The IOM w ...

(IOM) *

International Organization for Standardization The International Organization for Standardization (ISO ) is an international standard development organization composed of representatives from the national standards organizations of member countries. Membership requirements are given in Art ...

(ISO) (correspondent) * International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (ICRM) *

International Telecommunication Union The International Telecommunication Union is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for many matters related to information and communication technologies. It was established on 17 May 1865 as the International Telegraph Unio ...

(ITU) *

International Telecommunications Satellite Organization The International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (ITSO) is an intergovernmental organization charged with overseeing the public service obligations of Intelsat, which was privatized in 2001. It incorporates the principle set forth ...

(ITSO) *

International Trade Union Confederation The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC); german: Internationaler Gewerkschaftsbund (IGB), link=no; es, Confederación Sindical Internacional (CSI), link=no. is the world's largest trade union federation. History The federation w ...

(ITUC) * Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) *

Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) is an international financial institution which offers political risk insurance and credit enhancement guarantees. These guarantees help investors protect foreign direct investments against ...

(MIGA) * Nonaligned Movement (NAM) *''

Organisation internationale de la Francophonie The (OIF; sometimes shortened to the Francophonie, french: La Francophonie , but also called International Organisation of in English-language context) is an international organization representing countries and regions where French is a ...

'' (OIF) *

Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is an intergovernmental organisation and the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), which entered into force on 29 April 1997. The OPCW, with its 193 member ...

(OPCW) *

Permanent Court of Arbitration The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) is a non-UN intergovernmental organization located in The Hague, Netherlands. Unlike a judicial court in the traditional sense, the PCA provides services of arbitral tribunal to resolve disputes that aris ...

(PCA) *

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

(UN) *

United Nations Conference on Trade and Development The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is an intergovernmental organization within the United Nations Secretariat that promotes the interests of developing countries in world trade. It was established in 1964 by the ...

(UNCTAD) * United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) *

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integrati ...

(UNHCR) *

United Nations Industrial Development Organization The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) (French: Organisation des Nations unies pour le développement industriel; French/Spanish acronym: ONUDI) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that assists countries in ...

(UNIDO) *

United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei The United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) is a United Nations peacekeeping force in Abyei, which is contested between the Republic of Sudan and the Republic of South Sudan. UNISFA was approved on 27 June 2011 by the United Nat ...

(UNISFA) *

United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad The United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT) was a United Nations peacekeeping mission established by the United Nations Security Council on September 25, 2007 to provide a multidimensional presence of up to 350 po ...

(MINURCAT) *

United Nations Mission in the Sudan The United Nations Mission in the Sudan (UNMIS) was established by the UN Security Council under Resolution 1590 of 24 March 2005, in response to the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the government of the Sudan and the Suda ...

(UNMIS) *

United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (, MINUSMA) is a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali. MINUSMA was established on 25 April 2013 by United Nations Security Council Resolution 2100 to stabilise ...

(MINUSMA) *

Universal Postal Union The Universal Postal Union (UPU, french: link=no, Union postale universelle), established by the Treaty of Bern of 1874, is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) that coordinates postal policies among member nations, in addition to ...

(UPU) *

World Confederation of Labour The World Confederation of Labour (WCL) was an international labour organization founded in 1920 and based in Europe. Totalitarian governments of the 1930s repressed the federation and imprisoned many of its leaders, limiting operations until the ...

(WCL) *

World Customs Organization The World Customs Organization (WCO) is an intergovernmental organization headquartered in Brussels, Belgium. The WCO works on customs-related matters including the development of international conventions, instruments, and tools on topics su ...

(WCO) *

World Federation of Trade Unions The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) is an international federation of trade unions established in 1945. Founded in the immediate aftermath of World War Two, the organization built on the pre-war legacy of the International Federation o ...

(WFTU) *

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of ...

(WHO) *

World Intellectual Property Organization The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO; french: link=no, Organisation mondiale de la propriété intellectuelle (OMPI)) is one of the 15 specialized agencies of the United Nations (UN). Pursuant to the 1967 Convention Establishi ...

(WIPO) *

World Meteorological Organization The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for promoting international cooperation on atmospheric science, climatology, hydrology and geophysics. The WMO originated from the Intern ...

(WMO) *

World Tourism Organization The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is the United Nations specialized agency entrusted with the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism. Its headquarters are in Madrid, Spain. UNWTO is the leading internati ...

(UNWTO) *

World Trade Organization The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization that regulates and facilitates international trade. With effective cooperation in the United Nations System, governments use the organization to establish, revise, and ...

(WTO)

Law and order in Rwanda

Law of Rwanda *

Constitution of Rwanda The Constitution of Rwanda was adopted by referendum on May 26, 2003. It replaced the older Constitution of 1991. The Constitution provides for a presidential system of government, with separation of powers between the three branches. It condemns ...

* Human rights in Rwanda **

LGBT rights in Rwanda Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people living in Rwanda face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. While neither homosexuality nor homosexual acts are illegal, homosexuality is considered a taboo topic, and th ...

* Law enforcement in Rwanda

Military of Rwanda

Military of Rwanda * Command ** Commander-in-chief: *** Ministry of Defence of Rwanda * Forces ** Army of Rwanda **

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...

of Rwanda: None ** Air Force of Rwanda

Local government in Rwanda

History of Rwanda

History of Rwanda *Current events of Rwanda *

Great Lakes refugee crisis The Great Lakes refugee crisis is the common name for the situation beginning with the exodus in April 1994 of over two million Rwandans to neighboring countries of the Great Lakes region of Africa in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide. Many ...

* Kingdom of Rwanda ** Kings of Rwanda *

Rwandan Civil War The Rwandan Civil War was a large-scale civil war in Rwanda which was fought between the Rwandan Armed Forces, representing the country's government, and the rebel Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) from 1October 1990 to 18 July 1994. The war aro ...

Culture of Rwanda

Culture of Rwanda * Cuisine of Rwanda * Languages of Rwanda * Media in Rwanda * National symbols of Rwanda ** Coat of arms of Rwanda ** Flag of Rwanda ** National anthem of Rwanda * Prostitution in Rwanda * Public holidays in Rwanda * Religion in Rwanda ** Hinduism in Rwanda ** Islam in Rwanda ** Sikhism in Rwanda * World Heritage Sites in Rwanda: None

Art in Rwanda

* Literature of Rwanda *

Music of Rwanda The music of Rwanda encompasses Rwandan traditions of folk music as well as contemporary East African Afrobeat and Congolese ndombolo, and performers of a wide variety of Western genres including hip-hop, R&B, gospel music and pop ballads. T ...

Sports in Rwanda

Sports in Rwanda * Football in Rwanda * Rwanda at the Olympics

Economy and infrastructure of Rwanda

Economy of Rwanda * Economic rank, by nominal GDP (2007): 148th (one hundred and forty eighth) * Banking in Rwanda ** National Bank of Rwanda * Communications in Rwanda ** Internet in Rwanda * Companies of Rwanda * Currency of Rwanda:

Franc The franc is any of various units of currency. One franc is typically divided into 100 centimes. The name is said to derive from the Latin inscription ''francorum rex'' (King of the Franks) used on early French coins and until the 18th centu ...

** ISO 4217: RWF *

Energy in Rwanda Energy use in Rwanda is undergoing rapid change at the beginning of the 21st century. Electricity Network The extent of grid electricity is limited and mainly concentrated near Kigali. Most of the country uses firewood as its main energy source. ...

* Health care in Rwanda * Mining in Rwanda *

Rwanda Stock Exchange The Rwanda Stock Exchange Limited was incorporated on 7 October 2005 with the objective of carrying out stock market operations. The Stock Exchange was demutualized from the start as it was registered as a company limited by shares. The company ...

* Tourism in Rwanda *

Transport in Rwanda The transport system in Rwanda centres primarily around the road network. Paved roads lie between the capital, Kigali, and most other major cities and towns in the country. Rwanda is also linked by road with other countries in the African Great Lak ...

Airports in Rwanda This is a list of airports in Rwanda, sorted by location. __TOC__ List Airport names shown in bold have scheduled commercial airline service. See also * Transport in Rwanda * Rwandan Air Force The Rwandan Air Force (french: Force aér ...

** Rail transport in Rwanda *

Water supply and sanitation in Rwanda Water supply and sanitation in Rwanda is characterized by a clear government policy and significant donor support. In response to poor sustainability of rural water systems and poor service quality, in 2002 local government in the Northern Byu ...

Education in Rwanda

References

Kira Salak Kira Salak (born September 4, 1971) is an American writer, adventurer, and journalist known for her travels in Mali and Papua New Guinea. She has written two books of nonfiction and a book of fiction based on her travels and is a contributing edi ...

's 2006 Articl
"> "PLACES OF DARKNESS"
appearing in

National Geographic Adventure Nat Geo People was an international pay television channel owned by National Geographic Partners, a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (73%) and the National Geographic Society (27%). Targeted at female audiences, with programming fo ...

Photos
from National Geographic Journalist

's 2006 Article "PLACES OF DARKNESS" appearing in

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rwanda Rwanda 1