Ruhengeri, also known as Musanze or Muhoza, is the third largest city in
Rwanda
Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by ...
and the capital of
Musanze District
Musanze is a Districts of Rwanda, district in the Northern Province, Rwanda, Northern Province of Rwanda. Its capital city is Ruhengeri.
Geography and tourism
Musanze is Rwanda's most mountainous district, containing the largest part of the Vol ...
in the
Northern Province of Rwanda. The city has a population of 153,368 as of the 2022 census.
Name
Some sources now refer to the city itself as Musanze, after the district in which it lies within. This has to do with the adopted policy of renaming Rwanda cities, which was done to eliminate memories of the past and to install new administrations in the country.
Geography
Ruhengeri lies near the twin lakes of
Lake Burera and
Lake Ruhondo
Lake Ruhondo is a lake of northwestern Rwanda. It is located near Lake Bulera on the outskirts of Musanze. It is located at the base of Rwanda's largest volcano, the Kalisimbi Volcanic mountain.
Lake Ruhondo and is one of two lakes formed out of ...
and is the gateway city to
Volcanoes National Park and the famous
mountain gorilla
The mountain gorilla (''Gorilla beringei beringei'') is one of the two subspecies of the eastern gorilla. It is listed as endangered by the IUCN .
There are two populations: One is found in the Virunga Mountains, Virunga volcanic mountains of C ...
s in the north-western part of the country.
The city's proximity to the
Volcanoes National Park has made it a popular tourist destination with several restaurants and hotels mainly aimed at visitors to the national park.
Climate
Notable institutions
Ruhengeri is also home to the
Institute of Applied Sciences (INES-Ruhengeri). INES-Ruhengeri was established in 2003 in collaboration with the Catholic Diocese of Ruhengeri.
The city is served by the
Ruhengeri Airport.
Notable people
*
Protais Zigiranyirazo, former governor of the Ruhengeri prefecture and accused war criminal
References
Northern Province, Rwanda
Populated places in Rwanda
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