Rwanda

Rwanda is a presidential republic in central Africa with 10.1 million inhabitants. Neighboring countries are the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Tanzania and Burundi. In the center there is a plateau with savannas and many rivers. There are many green hills around it. Lake Kivu is located in the west. Northwestern lies the habitat of the great apes: the steep volcanic Virunga massif. The Kagera River flows to the east and creates an area with lakes, swamps and forests. There is a tropical climate. The capital Kigali has 850,000 inhabitants. This city was the scene of the Rwandan genocide in 1994, in which about a million Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed by Hutu militias (interahamwe) and soldiers of the Rwandan army. Many Tutsi refugees have returned and have rebuilt the city. Other cities are Butare, Byumba, Cyangugu, Gisenyi, Gitarama, Kibungo, Kibuye and Ruhengeri. Sights include the national parks of Kagera, Birunga and Nyungwe Forest, the mountain gorillas, the grave of Dian Fossey, the national monuments for the victims of the Gisozi genocide and in Nyamata and Ntarama, the National Museum of Rwanda in Butare and the Twa pygmies .