Rwanda
Capital: Kigali · Eastern Africa
Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Its geography is dominated by mountains in the west and savanna in the southeast.
Photo: Emmanuelkwizera, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Sabyinyo group of mountain gorillas. Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda.
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The confluence of the Kagera and Ruvubu rivers near Rusumo Falls, Rwanda/Tanzania
Photo: SteveRwanda aka Amakuru, CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Did you know?
Hunter-gatherers settled the territory in the Stone and Iron Ages, followed later by Bantu peoples. The population coalesced first into clans, and then into kingdoms. In the 15th century, one kingdom, under King Gihanga, managed to incorporate several of its close neighbour territories establishing the Kingdom of Rwanda. The Kingdom of Rwanda dominated from the mid-eighteenth century, with its Tutsi kings conquering others militarily, centralising power, and enacting unifying policies.
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This is an image with the theme " Africa on the Move or Transport " from: Rwanda
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Original caption: Parc National des Volcans, Rwanda. August 4, 2005. Children on a Rwandan farm. Anywhere you go in Rwanda, as soon as you pull out a camera a group of…
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A hill with terraces
Photo: Peace Batuma, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
History
Modern human settlement of what is now Rwanda dates from, at the latest, the last glacial period, either in the Neolithic period around 8,000 BC, or in the long humid period which followed, up to around 3,000 BC. Archaeological excavations have revealed evidence of sparse settlement by hunter-gatherers in the late Stone Age, followed by a larger population of early Iron Age settlers, who produced dimpled pottery and iron tools. These early inhabitants were the ancestors of the Twa, aboriginal pygmy hunter-gatherers who remain in Rwanda today.
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A reconstruction of the traditional King's palace at Nyanza, Rwanda
Photo: Amakuru, CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Nyamata Memorial Site, skulls. Nyamata, Rwanda.
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This is an image with the theme " Farm to Plate " from:
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Politics and government
Rwanda is a de facto one-party state ruled by the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) and its leader Paul Kagame continuously since the end of the civil war in 1994. Although Rwanda is nominally democratic, elections are manipulated in various ways, which include banning opposition parties, arresting or assassinating critics, and electoral fraud. The RPF is a Tutsi-dominated party but receives support from other communities as well.
The constitution was adopted following a national referendum in 2003, replacing the transitional constitution which had been in place since 1994.
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VISIT RWANDA
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OLPC classroom teaching at Ecole Saint Jacob in Rwanda
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Administrative divisions
Before western colonization, the Rwandan government system had a quasi-system of political pluralism and power sharing. Despite there being a strict hierarchy, the pre-colonial system achieved an established, combined system of "centralized power and decentralized autonomous units." Under the monarch, the elected Chief governed a province that was divided into multiple districts. Two other officials appointed by head Chief governed the districts; one official was allocated power over the land while the other oversaw cattle. The king (mwami) exercised control through a system of provinces, districts, hills, and neighbourhoods.
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ishusho igaragaza uko basangiraga intango mu rwanda rwo hambere
Photo: Jacques NIYIGENA, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Ibi bikoresho byifashishwa mu birori
Photo: Endikuemmy, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Geography
Rwanda is located in East Africa, in the eastern-central part of the African continent, between 1° and 3° S latitude and between 29° and 31° E longitude. Its geography is characterized by rolling highlands, mountains, and numerous lakes. At 26,338 square kilometres (10,169 sq mi), Rwanda is the world's 144th-largest country, and the fourth smallest on the African mainland after Gambia, Eswatini, and Djibouti. It is comparable in size to Burundi, Haiti and Albania. The entire country is at a high altitude: the lowest point is the Rusizi River at 950 metres (3,117 ft) above sea level.
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Biking on the Congo Nile Trail
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An aerial view of new look of Rwanda Parliament Building in Kimihurura , Kigali on May 16, 2019. Emmanuel Kwizera
Photo: Emmanuelkwizera, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Gorillas zivuze byinshi kugihungu cyacu.
Photo: GATETE Pacifique, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Economy
Rwanda's economy suffered heavily during the 1994 genocide, with widespread loss of life, failure to maintain infrastructure, looting, and neglect of important cash crops. This caused a large drop in GDP and heavily damaged the country's ability to attract private and external investment. However, in the 2000s Rwanda witnessed an economic boom which improved the standard of living for many Rwandans.
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uko byakorwaga bacunda banabuganiza amata
Photo: Jacques NIYIGENA, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
A man walks through heavy rain under an umbrella in Kigali, Rwanda. Emmanuel Kwizera
Photo: Emmanuelkwizera, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Demographics
As of 2025, Rwanda's estimated population is around 14.6 million, although estimates vary. A decade earlier, in 2015, the estimated population was 11,262,564 (according to the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda), and the 2012 census recorded a population of 10,515,973. The population is young: as of 2024–2025, estimates of the median age ranged from 19.9 to 20.8, with 42.9% of the population under the age of 15, and 54.7% between 15 and 64. In 2015, according to the CIA World Factbook, the annual birth rate was estimated at 40.2 births per 1,000 inhabitants, and the death rate at 14.9.
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Culture
The culture of Rwanda is varied. Unlike many other countries in Africa, Rwanda has been a unified state since precolonial times, populated by the Banyarwanda people who share a single language and cultural heritage.
Music and dance are an integral part of Rwandan ceremonies, festivals, social gatherings and storytelling.
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