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At a glance

Capital: Kigali

Official language: Kinyarwanda

Currency: franc

Continent: East Africa

Rwanda trip

Land of a thousand hills. Rwanda is a young tourist destination.

However, the small East African country has everything to offer that makes the hearts of nature lovers and ecotourists beat faster. The expansion of the infrastructure, the opening of the third national park in the Nyungwe region, the construction of further lodges and a new boat on Lake Kivu are the latest highlights in Rwanda.

After the civil wars in the 1990s, the country was systematically rebuilt and is now one of the safest countries in Africa. In addition to a stable government, tourist highlights and the cordial nature of the Rwandans ensure prosperous tourism. The Rwandan people are known for dancing and singing. Several genocide memorials commemorate dark times in the country’s history.

According to Countryaah, the East African interior is densely populated and borders on Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Tanzania. In the country, the main African watershed runs between the catchment areas of the Nile and Congo rivers .

The Rwandan capital Kigali has an international airport and several international hotels. The remaining cities are more rural.

Gorilla baptism

The last mountain gorillas live on the slopes of the volcanic chain (Virunga) in the north of the country, alongside their conspecifics from Uganda. In the Volcanoes National Park there are wild gorilla groups that are used to humans and that can be visited by a limited number of tourists in their natural environment under certain conditions. Of course, under the strictest conditions and only in the company of guides and scientists. The gorilla baptism “Kwita Izina” is a unique experience, in which the newly born gorillas of a year are symbolically baptized. Kwita Izina takes place as part of a festival lasting several days. A visit to this ceremony is an unforgettable experience because it clearly shows how closely the Rwandan people are connected to nature and the last living mountain gorillas.

National parks, cloud forests, Kivu Lake

In just a few hours’ drive from the capital Kigali, the Nyungwe National Park with the largest connected cloud forests in Africa and impressive populations of chimpanzees and other primates can be reached. Bird lovers are particularly interested in the extraordinarily high density of sometimes rare bird species. Since 2010 it has also been possible to enjoy the breathtaking panorama of the volcanic landscape in northern Rwanda with a tour boat on Lake Kivu.

Climate and travel time

Due to the altitude, the humid highland climate is rather mild despite the proximity to the equator. The hot equatorial daytime climate is overlaid by the seasonal East African climate and tempered by the high altitude. The mean daytime temperature is 18 ° C. There are no major temperature fluctuations over the year, but the temperatures vary with the altitude: in western Rwanda, on Lake Kiwu, it is mild and moderate, in the highlands it is cool.

Rainy season

There are two rainy seasons corresponding to the East African monsoon rains, the small rainy season umuhindo between September and December and the large rainy season itumba between February and early June. Between March and May, 40% of the annual
rainfall falls. However, the climate and especially the rainfall show great irregularities.

Best travel time

The best time to travel to Rwanda is the large and small dry season, between June and mid-September and between December and January. However, due to the altitude, traveling is pleasant all year round.

Important facts

Capital: Kigali

Official language: Kinyarwanda

Currency

Currency (sub-unit)

Franc (100 centimes)

ISO 4217 code

RWF / 646

Geography

Continent: Africa

Region: east

Geo coordinates: S -1 ° -56′-25 “E 29 ° 52 ’26”

Highest mountain: Vulcan Karisimbi (4,519 m)

Total area: 26,338 km²

Mainland: 24,948 km²

National border: 893 km

Politics

Dependency: Belgium until 1962 (UN mandate)

UN member since: 1962

Other political affiliation: African Union

Form of government: Presidential Republic

Economy

Export goods: Coffee, tin, tea

BSP: $ 2,467,000,000

GDP: $ 2,516,000,000

GDP purchasing power parity: $ 13,820,000,000

Economic growth: 5.7%

GDP share of agriculture: 39.3%

GDP share of industry: 23.4%

GDP share of services: 37.3%

Inflation rate: 8.4%

State budget revenue: $ 587,000,000

State budget expenditure: $ 719 billion

Export: $ 112,000,000

Import: $ 258,000,000

Gold and currency reserves: $ 389,000,000

Electricity consumption: 195 million KWh

Gas reserves: 56,630 million m³

Oil consumption: 8,000 million m³

Cultivation area: 56.14%

Bovine: 864,000 pieces

Sheep: 289,000 pieces

Fishing: 8,000 t

Demographic data

Residents: 8,648,300

Residents in cities: 1,454,400

Average age: 18.6 years

0-14 years: 41.9%

15-64 years: 55.6%

> 65 years: 2.5%

Population growth: 2.43%

Birth rate: 40.37 / 1,000 residents

Death rate: 16.09 / 1,000 residents

Ratio men / women: 0.99

Fertility: 5.43 children / woman

Infant mortality: 89.61 ‰

Life expectancy men: 46.26 years

Life expectancy women: 48.38 years

Country codes and abbreviations

ISO 3166 Alpha 2: RW

ISO 3166 Alpha 3: RWA

ISO 3166 numeric: 646

Top Level Domain: rw

IOC country code: RWA

UN / LOCODE: RW

Source: Abbreviationfinder

Communication

Telephone connections: 33,700

Cell Phones: 298,000

TV: 116,000

Computer: 44,000

Internet users: 59,000

Transportation

Paved roads: 1,606 km

Cars: 31,000

Health

Number of doctors: 350

Daily food intake: 2.110 kcal / resident

HIV- infected people: 310,000

Education

Illiteracy: 28%

History

Foundation: 1962

Last sovereign since: 1962

Religion

Main religious group: Christians

Military

Armed forces (troop strength): 51,000

Defense Spending: $ 56.7 million