Rwanda -- Geography
Area
10,169 square miles (26,338 square
kilometers).
Location
Rwanda is located in east-central
Africa, between latitudes 10 and
30 South, and longitudes 290 and
310 East; it is bordered on the
north by Uganda, on the east by
Tanzania, on the south by Burundi,
and on the west by Zaire. Rwanda
is a landlocked country, bordered
by Uganda to the north, Tanzania
to the east, Burundi to the south,
and Zaire to the west. The national
boundaries have remained essentially
unchanged since they were drawn
by the European colonial powers
in 1910. The northern boundary
with Uganda extends due east for
105 miles from a tripoint where
the country touches the Congo
(Kinshasa); this point is located
on Sabino Peak in the Virunga
Mountains. From the Congo (Kinshasa)
to the eastern Tanzania tripoint
at the juncture of the Kakitumba
and Kagera Rivers, the boundary
is clearly marked either by streams
or by pillars. In the east, the
border separating Rwanda and Tanzania
originally divided two internal
administrative regions in German
East Africa. This borderline was
retained through the periods of
Belgium's League of Nations Mandate
and the United Nations Trusteeships
for Ruanda-Urundi; it became a
national boundary when Ruanda-Urundi
and Tanganyika gained independence
between 1961 and 1962 as Rwanda,
Burundi, and Tanganyika (now Tanzania).
The boundary extends from northeastern
Rwanda southward through the swamps
and lakes of the Kagera River
Valley. This 135-mile boundary
was partly established in 1920,
when the former German East Africa
was divided into separate mandates.
Much of the land straddled by
the border is sparsely populated
land covered by swamp; for this
reason, no important roads cross
the boundary in this area.
A
de facto boundary existed between
Rwanda and Burundi during the
period of German control up to
World War I. When Rwanda and Burundi
became independent states in 1962,
they accepted the border as it
was defined in the European statutes.
Much of this 180-mile boundary
follows rivers; these include
(from east to west) the Kagera,
Alkanyaru, and Luhwa rivers. In
the eastern area, the border traverses
the Rugwero and Cyohoha lakes.
The southern boundary also traverses
many swamps. In other regions,
especially to the west, Rwanda's
borders cross sharply eroded ridges
and valleys. The west-central
section crosses the Nile-Congo
Divide at an elevation of 8,700
feet. The present boundary with
the Congo was also defined by
the 1910 European agreements.
It has remained essentially unchanged
and it now divides the modern
nations of Congo (Kinshasa), Uganda,
Rwanda, and Burundi.
Physical
Description Rwanda's land is typically
hilly, though there are also swamps
and extensive mountainous areas.
The country can be divided into
six topographical regions. From
west to east, these are the narrow
Great Rift Valley, which slopes
sharply to Lake Kivu; the volcanic
Virunga Mountains, whose highest
peak, the snowcapped Mount Karisimbi
(14,870 feet), towers over the
high northwestern lava plains;
the steep north-south rise of
the Zaire-Nile Divide, whose width
averages 40 (25 miles) kilometers;
the ridge of the Zaire-Nile Divide,
with an average elevation of 2,750
(9,000 feet) meters; the central
plateaus east of the mountains,
which are covered by rolling hills;
and the savannas and swamps of
the eastern and southeastern border
areas, which cover one-tenth of
the nation's land area and include
the vast Kagera National Park.
Most of Rwanda is at least 900
meters (3,000 feet) above sea
level; the central plains have
an average elevation of 1,932
meters (4,400 feet). Southeastern
Rwanda has a desert-like terrain.
Climate
Rwanda's high altitude, averaging
5,600 feet in the central plateau
uplands, accounts for its pleasant
tropical highland climate. Daily
temperatures typically range as
much as 25 C. The sun shines nearly
all year round, and, whatever
the season, the mean daily temperature
is close to 24 C (76F). Most of
the country has minimum night
temperatures of around 10C (50F)
and maximum daytime temperatures
of around 34C (94F). There are
two wet seasons and two dry seasons.
The October-November wet season
is known as "the short rains."
The main rainy season, lasting
from mid-March to the end of May,
sees beautiful clear skies alternate
with heavy rainstorms. During
the dry seasons, which last from
December to mid-March and from
June to the end of August, frequent
light cloud cover yields a pleasant,
never stifling, temperature. Kigali,
the capital and largest city,
is located on Rwanda's central
plateau; its average temperature
is 190C (660F) with 40 inches
of rainfall annually.
Soils
Rwanda's soils contain many of
the metal compounds found in laterite
soils, but are generally lighter,
more fertile, more workable, and
less troublesome to farmers than
true laterite soils. In some areas,
especially in the northwest, soils
are of volcanic origin and are
quite fertile. About 30% of Rwanda's
land is suitable for farming,
and another 30% for grazing. Most
of the farming and grazing areas
were developed when the forests
covering the area were felled
by Hutu farmers during the last
500 years. Except where the land
is seriously eroded or leached
by heavy farming, the soils have
good humus content and fertility;
they compare favorably with soils
found in many African regions.
Intensive food crop production,
often on steep slopes, has led
to serious soil erosion. Pastureland
has been overgrazed in many areas.
Population pressure on the richer
lands is sufficiently intense
that soil damage, which is due
to leaching, erosion, and intensive
farming without adequate fertilizing,
is an increasingly serious problem.
Lakes
Rwanda has 28 lakes of significant
size. Six among the largest are
entirely within the national territory:
Ruhondo, Muhazi, Mugasera, Ihema,
Rwanye and Burera. Three others,
Rugwero, Cyohoha and Kivu, are
shared with neighboring countries.
The largest and most spectacular
is Lake Kivu, so large as to seem
almost like a sea to the landlocked
inhabitants. On the border with
Zaire, it lies in western Rwanda
at the foot of the Virunga Volcanoes,
which have been known since the
time of the ancient Greeks as
the `Mountains of the Moon.' Lake
Kivu drains into Lake Tanganyika
by the swiftly descending Ruzizi
River. The central uplands are
drained by the Nyabarongo River
and its main tributaries, the
Lukarara, Mwogo, Biruruma, Mukungwa,
Base, Nyabugogo, and Akanyaru
rivers. Rwanda's eastern border
is formed by the Akagera River
on its way to Lake Victoria.
Forests
Most of Rwanda's surviving forests,
which now cover only 3% of the
nation's land, are either atop
the Congo-Nile Ridge, on the volcanic
mountains of the northwest, or
on Wahu Island in Lake Kivu. Natural
tree cover once included a wide
variety of temperate and tropical
zone trees, shrubs, and bushes,
both evergreen and deciduous.
Vestiges of the ancient forests
remain in other areas, and there
are scattered savanna woodlands
in the eastern provinces. Forests
at high altitudes, which are now
protected by law, tend to be located
in inaccessible areas where exploitation
would be difficult.
Wildlife
Many animal species are native
to Rwanda. These include lions,
elephants, buffaloes, zebras,
gorillas, hippopotami, warthogs,
rhinoceroses, and many varieties
of gazelle, snakes, and fish.
