Rwanda Guide

January 31, 2021 findjobdescriptions

Rwanda – country information

Country name	Rwanda
Official name	Republic of Rwanda
Capital	Kigali
continent	Africa
Area	26,338 km
Population	10 537 222 (2012)
Foundation of a state	1. 7. 1962
The highest mountains	Mt. Karisimbi 4507 m (Virunga)
Longest rivers	Nyawarungu (Kagera) 350 km
State system	transitional government
The biggest cities	Kigali (capital) 260,000
Official language	Rwandan, French
Ethnicity/National Composition	Hutus about 90%, others about 10%
Religious affiliation	Roman Catholic 65%, Traditional Faith 17%, Protestant 9%, Muslim 9%
Currency	1 Rwandan franc (RF) = 100 centimes
gross domestic product (GDP)	US$1,441 (2012)
Average life expectancy of the population	47.30 let (2006)

Rwanda – Neighboring States

State	Capital	Area	Populace
Burundi	Bujumbura	27,834 km	10 163 000
Democratic Republic of the Congo	Kinshasa	2,344,860 km	67 514 000
Tanzania	Dodoma	945,087 km	44 928 923
Uganda	Kampala	241,038 km²	35 357 000

Country overview

According to Abbreviationfinder, the Republic of Rwanda is a landlocked country located in Central East Africa, bordering Uganda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania. Located in the Great Lakes region, the state is nicknamed the ” Land of a Thousand Hills ” due to its mountainous surface. The lowest place is the Ruzizi River with an altitude of 950 masl. The western border with the Democratic Republic of Congo is formed by Lake Kivu and the valley of the Ruzizi River. With an area of 26,798 km ², Rwanda ranks among the smallest countries on the African continent.

The surface of Rwanda consists of grassy plains that are widely used by farmers. From the northwest, the country is crossed by the Virunga volcanic mountain range with the 4,519-meter-high Karisimbi volcano. The border between the Congo and Nile basins stretches from north to south at an average height of around 2,700 meters above sea level. From the western slopes of the ridge, the landscape drops sharply to Lake Kiwu, forming part of the Great Trench Basin. The eastern part of the mountain divide is milder and gradually descends into the area of highlands, swamps and lakes on the eastern border of the territory. In 2006, a British expedition announced that they had discovered the main source of the Nile in Nyungwe National Park.

Country data

Location: Central Africa

Time zone: CET + 1 (during summer time: CET)

Total area: 26,338 km²

Land area: 24,668 km²

Water area: 1,670 km²

Length of the state border: 893 km

Bordering countries:
Burundi: 290 km
Congo, Democratic Rep.: 217 km
Tanzania: 217 km
Uganda: 169 km

Coastline: 0 km

Capital: Kigali

Provinces: 5
Est (East), Kigali, North (North), Ouest (West), Sud (South)

Telephone code: 00 250 (Source: Allcitycodes)

Highest point: Volcan Karisimbi 4,519 m

Population

Population: approx. 12.3 million residents (Countryaah, 2021)

Population growth: 2.6% per year

Population density (residents per km²): 467

Life expectancy: 58 (male), 61 (female)

Official language: English, French, Kinyarwanda

Religions:

50% Roman Catholic
39% Protestants
11% other

Climate

From December to January and from June to September hardly any rain falls. In the remaining months, short, heavy rain showers can fall continuously.

In the highlands the humidity is higher than in the low regions.

The daytime temperature is around 20 ° C with slight fluctuations over the year.

Currency / finance

Currency unit: Rwandan Franc (RWF)

Classification: 1 Franc = 100 Centimes

ATMs: Only available in Kigali, but rarely accept foreign cards.

International credit cards: Only accepted in a few hotels and restaurants in the capital.

Regulations: There is no limit to the amount of foreign currencies that can be imported (mandatory declaration). The export is limited to the amount of the declared import.

The import and export of the local currency is limited to 5,000 RWF.

As a foreign currency, it is recommended to bring US dollars with you.

Since it is almost impossible to exchange the local currency back, you should only change the amounts you actually need.

Customs regulations

The following may be carried duty-free:

200 cigarettes or up to 400g of other tobacco products
2 liters of alcoholic beverages

(Information applies to people aged 18 and over)

Tourists and people in transit can bring items of personal use with them duty-free.

Hunting trophies may only be exported with a permit from the Rwandan Tourist Board.

There is an import ban for:

Drugs of all kinds
Plastic packaging and bags
all kinds of pornographic material
weapons

Travel advice

Travel to the border regions to Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo that is not absolutely necessary should be avoided due to the local situation.