Southern Province (; ; ) is one of
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 ...
's five
provinces
A province is an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outside Italy. The term ''provi ...
. It was created in early January 2006 as part of a government decentralization program that re-organized the country's local government structures.
Southern Province comprises the former provinces of
Gikongoro
Gikongoro is a city in Nyamagabe district, Southern Province, Rwanda.
It was previously part of Gikongoro Province, which has been disestablished. Gikongoro province was founded by the newly independent Rwandan state shortly after it gained fr ...
,
Gitarama
Muhanga (former Gitarama, renamed in 2006) is a city in Rwanda, in the Muhanga District, in Southern Province. The city is situated above sea level.
Though officially part of the Southern Province, Muhanga is geographically located in central ...
, and
Butare
Butare (), also known as Huye and formerly known as Astrida, is a city with a population of 62,823 (2022 census) in the Southern Province of Rwanda and the capital of Huye district. It is the seventh largest town in Rwanda by population.
Histo ...
, and is divided into the districts of
Huye,
Ruhango,
Nyamagabe,
Gisagara,
Muhanga
Muhanga (former Gitarama, renamed in 2006) is a List of cities in Rwanda, city in Rwanda, in the Muhanga District, in Southern Province, Rwanda, Southern Province. The city is situated above sea level.
Though officially part of the Southern Pr ...
,
Kamonyi,
Nyanza, and
Nyaruguru.
The capital city of Southern Province is
Nyanza.
Notes and references
External links
Southern Province official website
{{Coord, 2, 37, 19, S, 29, 36, 29, E, type:adm1st_region:RW_source:nlwiki, display=title
Provinces of Rwanda
States and territories established in 2006