Geography |
The Rwandese Republic, located in east central Africa, is bounded on the north by Uganda, on the east by Tanzania, on the south by Burundi and on the west by Lake Kivu and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It has an area of 26 338 km2 and lies between latitudes 1° 05´ and 2° 50´ S and longitudes 28° 50´and 30° 25´ E.
The following geographic regions can be distinguished, starting from Lake Kivu in the east (which lies at an altitude of 1 460 m and forms the frontier with the Democratic Republic of the Congo) and moving westwards:
- The north-south ridge of the watershed between the Zaire and the Nile, with peaks rising to between 2 400 and 3 000 m. The country's last remnants of closed forest, the Nyungwe, Gishwati and Mukura Forests in particular, are found on this ridge;
- Highlands that are an extension of those in Uganda and form the centre of the country between the Zaire-Nile ridge in the west and the eastern zone, and decrease in altitude from west to east;
- A large eastern zone of hills and swampy lakes at altitudes between 1 400 and 1 700 m, a large section of which lies within the Kagera National Park.
A group of volcanoes in the far north-west should also be noted, covering a large portion of the Birunga National Park, with the highest (Karisimbi) reaching 4 507 m.
The climate is equatorial montane in type, with mild stable temperatures (an average annual temperature of 20° C) and relatively moderate rainfall spread fairly evenly throughout the year (under 1 000 mm in the east, between 1 000 and 1 250 mm in the centre, and between 1 250 and 2 400 mm in the west, depending on altitude).
The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.