Rwanda
Updated: Sep 18, 2022
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Country Name
Rwanda, formerly Ruanda, or officially the Republic of Rwanda.
Location
Rwanda is located in Central Africa. Rwanda is a landlocked country bordered by Uganda to the north, Tanzania to the east, Burundi to the south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west.
Capital
Kigali.
The reason for naming the country
The Belgians and Germans referred to the territory as "Rwanda." Rwanda translates as "the land of a thousand hills." And it was given that name because of the vast number of hills in it.
Due to its "republican" type of governance, it was officially named "the Republic of Rwanda" after winning independence in 1962 AD.
Flag
Rwanda's flag was adopted on October 25, 2001, and it consists of three uneven horizontal bands of blue, yellow, and green. A yellow sun appears in the upper right corner of the blue stripes; the blue color indicates peace and happiness, the yellow color represents economic progress, the green color reflects the country's wealth and natural resources, and the yellow sun represents enlightenment.
Because the old flag was similar to the flag of Guinea, Rwanda was compelled to add the capital letter R to its flag.
Language
Rwandans mostly speak three languages: Kinyarwanda, French, and English, these three languages are also officially recognized.
Kinyarwanda is Rwanda's official language and the only ethnic language spoken by the Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa people. The language is the most commonly spoken in the country, with around 93 percent of the people speaking it, and it is used in the media, administration, commerce for daily business, and schools. The second official language is French.
Religion
With over half of the Rwandan people belonging to the faith, Roman Catholic Christianity is the largest Christian denomination and the most popular religion. Protestant Christianity is the country's second-largest Christian sect and religion; all other types of Christianity combine to become Rwanda's third-largest religious belief. The Jehovah's Witnesses are the most influential group in Rwanda, outnumbering all other forms of Christianity.
Although Islam is the fourth most popular religious belief in Rwanda, it is practiced by just a small percentage of the people. The majority of Muslims in the nation practice Sunni Islam. Although just a few individuals in Rwanda embrace African folk beliefs, numerous other faiths in the nation include certain traditional components in their practices.
Currency
Rwandan franc (RWF).
Time Zone
+02:00 GMT.
Government Regime
Unitary dominant-party parliamentary constitutional republic.
Climate
In Rwanda, the "land of a thousand hills" the climate is pleasantly warm all year round, with cool nights, because of the altitude. Most of the country is located on a plateau, around 1,500 meters (5,000 feet) above sea level. The altitude decreases below a thousand meters (3,300 feet) only in the westernmost part, along the Rusizi River, which marks the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and which is, therefore, the only area where it can get hot, and the temperature can sometimes reach 35 °C (95 °F).
The rainy season is from September to May and the dry season is from June to August.
Of the two rainy seasons, the most intense is the one going from March to May, and the rainiest months are usually April and May.
The best time to visit Rwanda runs from June to August, since it is the driest of the year. June and July are the best months, while by the second half of August, the rains usually start to get a bit more frequent.