The most interesting facts about Rwanda, from the Land of a Thousand Hills to one of the world’s most gender-equal countries.
Fast facts
Official name: Republic of Rwanda
Capital city: Kigali
Population: 13,623,302
Area: 26,338 sq km
Major languages: Kinyarwanda, French, English, Swahili
Major religions: 95.9% Christianity (57.7% Protestant, 38.2% Roman Catholic)
Time zone: UTC+2 (Central Africa Time)
Interesting facts about Rwanda
1. Rwanda is a landlocked country in Central Africa, bordered by The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Uganda and Burundi. Landlocked countries are completely surrounded by land with no access to the sea.
2. Rwanda was initially inhabited by the Twa, a Pygmy hunter-gatherer people known for their short stature. They were typically around 1.5m (5ft) tall.
3. The Hutu people migrated to the region sometime between the 5th and 11th centuries, followed by the Tutsi people beginning in the 14th century.
4. In 1858, British explorer Hanning Speke became the first European to visit what would later become Rwanda.
5. Rwanda was occupied by Germany from 1890 and then by Belgian forces from 1916.
6. Rwanda is known as Le Pays des Mille Collines (Land of a Thousand Hills) because of its many mountains.
7. From 1946 to 1962, Rwanda was part of a UN trust territory governed by Belgium called Ruanda-Urundi which included present-day Rwanda and Burundi.
8. In 1962, Belgium withdrew, and Rwanda – along with Burundi – became a separate, independent country.
9. In the 1990s, Rwanda endured a horrific genocide which, at its climax, saw an estimated 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus killed in the space of just 100 days in 1994.
10. Paul Kagame has effectively run Rwanda since his rebel army ended the genocide in 1994. He was vice-president and defense minister from 1994 but was widely regarded as the real leader. In 2000, the country’s parliament elected him president and he has since won elections in 2003, 2010 and 2017.
11. Coffee, tea and pyrethrum (a plant-based insecticide) were considered major cash crops in Rwanda, grown for their commercial value. Over the last 30 years or so, the agriculture sector has transformed, and plenty more grains, cereals, flowers, nuts, fruits and vegetables are now cash commodities.
11. Rwanda’s flag is horizontally striped blue-yellow-green with a yellow sun with 24 rays in its upper-right corner. The design represents Rwanda’s lush vegetation, bathed in the yellow light of the sun as promoting national unity, respect for work, heroism and self-assurance.
13. Rwanda is one of only two Commonwealth members without historic ties to the United Kingdom. The other is Mozambique.
14. Since 2003, Rwanda has continuously held the record for the highest percentage of female parliamentarians globally. As of 2022, 61.25% of its lower house is female. Additionally, four of Rwanda’s seven Supreme Court justices are women.
15. This has significantly contributed to Rwanda becoming the world’s twelfth most gender-equal and one of Africa’s top two most gender-equal countries, following Namibia, according to the Global Gender Gap Report 2023.
16. Rwanda is Africa’s most densely populated country. As of 2023, there are estimates of 582 people per square kilometer.
17. Rwanda is known for its music and dance culture. Their most famous dance is played on the drums and made up of the “intore”, or dance of heros, performed by the men, and the “umushagiriro”, or cow dance, performed by the women.
18. Lake Kivu, which lies between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), is also known as a “killer lake” due to the massive amounts of carbon dioxide and methane accumulating in the waters after thousands of years of volcanic activity. Gas can be extracted from the lake and used as a form of electricity.
19. Rwanda’s capital, Kigali, has been hailed as one of Africa’s greenest and cleanest cities after a number of measures were introduced over the last decade to clean up the city following a population boom.
20. In 2008, Rwanda became one of the first countries to ban single-use plastic bags and bottles. The country is aiming to be the world’s first plastic-free nation.
21. Rwandan citizens are required to perform a day of community work called “umuganda” on the last Saturday of every month. These workdays focus on activities such as clearing land for community gardens, collecting rubbish, and building new roads, classrooms, or residential toilets for households that lack them.
22. Rwanda has one of the lowest CO2 emissions in the world—contributing just 0.003% to global greenhouse gas emissions in 2015. As Africa remains vulnerable to climate change impacts, Rwanda pledges to cut its net greenhouse gas emissions by 38% by 2030.
23. Since 2018, Rwanda has used drones to deliver blood and medical equipment. Doctors in rural areas can order such supplies by text message and have them delivered by a drone.
24. The region is home to the endangered mountain gorilla—only 1,063 are estimated to still exist in the wild. Mountain gorillas are found in just two areas: the Virunga volcanoes spanning the borders of Rwanda, Uganda, and the DRC, and the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda.
25. The Virunga National Park, a UNESCO site, has a range of habitats, with eight volcanoes (Volcanoes National Park) and the Monts Rwenzori, the largest glacial region and only true alpine mountain chain in Africa. It is also the top national park for biological diversity in Africa.
26. The Virunga Mountains are home to Mount Karisimbi, the highest peak in Rwanda (14,787 feet [4,507 m]).
27. Rwanda has registered notable economic growth in recent years. It was considered the second easiest place to do business in Africa and ranked 38th overall in the 2020 World Bank Doing Business Index report.
28. In 2018, Rwanda paid £30m GBP to sponsor the Arsenal football club’s football strip. Rwanda’s President Kagame is an avid fan and insisted that having his nation’s name on the shirt’s sleeve would pay for itself by generating tourism.
29. It is possible to observe the famous big five game animals of lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and buffalo in the Akagera National Park in Rwanda following a massive conservation effort that has seen animals reintroduced after some species were eradicated due to poaching.
30. Like many African countries, Rwanda has a low obesity rate, with only 1.84% of males and 8% of females classified as obese.
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Caitriona Maria is an education writer and owner of The Facts Institute. A teacher for seven years, she has been committed to providing students with the best learning opportunities possible, both domestically and abroad. Dedicated to unlocking students' potential, Caitriona has taught English in several countries and continues to explore new cultures through her travels.