| Area |
26,338 sq km (10,169 sq miles). |
| Population |
8,272,000 (2002). |
| Capital |
Kigali - population 233,640 (1995). |
| Climate |
Despite its proximity to the Equator, the climate in Rwanda is cooled by the high altitude. It is warm throughout most of the country but cooler in the mountains. There are two rainy seasons: mid-January to April and mid-October to mid-December. |
| Language |
The official languages are Kinyarwanda, French and English. Kiswahili is used for trade and commerce. |
| Religion |
Anmist (50 per cent), Christian (mostly Roman Catholic) and an Islamic minority. |
| Time |
GMT + 2
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| Highlights |
The prime reason to visit this particular country is undoubtedly to enjoy the flora and fauna and in particular the mountain gorillas who live in the Volcanoes National Park. Other areas of interest include the Virunga Volcanoes, popular with climbers, the A'Kagera National Park which has a large variety of wildlife and birds, the Nyungwe National Park and Lake Kivu. The effects of the terrible genocide which put Rwanda on the world map in the mid 1990's can still be felt when travelling to the country.
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| Country Facts |
The Republic of Rwanda is a small country in central Africa - bordering with Uganda to the north, Tanzania on the east, to the south by Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo to the west. The great peaks of up to 3000m divide the country - running from north to south. The country enjoys average day temperatures of 30ºC with a possible maximum of 34ºC, except in the highlands where it is usually 15ºC cooler. In the north-east where volcanoes are swathed by rainforest - there tends to be more frequent and heavy rains. |