Rwanda
Pictures
Kigali street scene, Rwanda ©
Fast Facts
- 26,338 square kilometres, about 10% of the size of the UK
- 8.6 million people, with an average life expectancy of 47 years
- Official languages are French, English and Kinyarwanda
- 5.1% of the adult population is HIV-positive
- 60% of the population lives below the local poverty line
- Only 0.4% are internet users, and 3.3% own a mobile phone
- 14,008km of roads, 19% of them paved
Lay of the land
Rwanda is a small country. Ewan and Charley could drive across it in five hours, although the roads are not well maintained. It is known as the Land of a Thousand Hills. Most of the land is cultivated, and even the sheerest slopes feature numerous and ingenious terraces.
And on the way...
The genocide memorial church in Kibuye, western Rwanda - commemorates 11,000 victims of the Rwandan genocide who were massacred there in April 1994. Across Rwanda, 800,000 mainly Tutsi people were killed in 100 days.
Other highlights
Lake Burera and its surrounding areas - at the base of Mount Muhabura and close to the border with Uganda.
Parc National des Volcans - a chain of seven volcanoes that are home to a multitude of mountain gorillas. They were made famous in the 1988 film Gorillas in the Mist, which explored the work of conservationist and anthropologist Dian Fossey.
Gisenyi - relaxed and stylish beach resort with views over Lake Kivu and Nyiragongo, an active volcano.
Lake Kivu - lies on the border between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, surrounded by impressive mountains.
The people
Rwanda is divided into a majority of Hutu, a minority Tutsi, and a small number of Twa (Pygmy). In the genocide of 1994, Hutu militias and ordinary Hutus murdered 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus.
Comments
Comments 1 - 3 of 3
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At 12:34:22 PM on 12/06/2007, TIm Ellis (Ruhengeri) wrote:
Community Project Rwanda
Charley, we met outside your house once in London - you were wheeling your bike out to head down to Goodwood. I am based in Cape Town, running a small adventure travel company. We travel a lot in Uganda & Rwanda, specifically supporting local community projects. It would be great to show you some of the great work going on around Ruhengeri (base for Gorilla Tracking in Rwanda).
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At 11:22:05 PM on 10/07/2007, Kerry Pearson (Dundee) wrote:
Kigali and hospital
Hi there, My husband and I worked at a hospital in at Kibogora on thye banks of lake kivu in Rwanda last summer for 2 months as part of our course training to be doctors. It was absolutely amazing! The People are fantastic, despite what many of them have been through during the genocide and many have stories to tell. The hospital is mission funded and the administratir is british. They do a lot of good work. In Kigali Hotel Chez Lando is a must for dinner...they do an amazing BBQ tilapia fish. Ooooo...its just mouthwatering! Gorillas in Ruhengeri also a must when visiting this beautiful country. Have a fantastic time!!
At 02:41:41 PM on 24/05/2007, Mirca (Gisenyi) wrote:
Rwanda
Hope you enjoy Rwanda as much as i did. I stayed in Gisenyi working in a beautiful hotel called Regina. It was an colonial private residence but in the 60s it got turned into a hotel. I would say me favourite part of Gisenyi was the lake front. Good luck on whole trip.
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