At 26,338 square kilometres (10,169 sq mi), Rwanda is the world's 149th-largest country.[2] It is comparable in size to Haiti or the state of Massachusetts in the United States.[3][4] The entire country is at a high altitude: the lowest point is the Rusizi River at 950 metres (3,117 ft) above sea level.[3]
The Kagera and Ruvubu rivers, part of the upper NileEnlargeable, detailed map of Rwanda
The watershed between the major Congo and Niledrainage basins runs from north to south through Rwanda, with around 80 percent of the country's area draining into the Nile and 20 percent into the Congo via the Rusizi River.[7] The country's longest river is the Nyabarongo, which rises in the south-west, flows north, east, and southeast before merging with the Akanyaru to form the Kagera; the Kagera then flows due north along the eastern border with Tanzania. The Nyabarongo-Kagera eventually drains into Lake Victoria, and its source in Nyungwe Forest is a contender for the as-yet undetermined overall source of the Nile.[8]
Mountains dominate central and western Rwanda. These mountains are part of the Albertine Rift Mountains that flank the Albertine branch of the East African Rift. This branch runs from north to south along Rwanda's western border.[12] The highest peaks are found in the Virunga volcano chain in the northwest; this includes Mount Karisimbi, Rwanda's highest point, at 4,507 metres (14,787 ft).[13]
Rain in Kigali (January 2020)
This western section of Rwanda, which lies within the Albertine Rift montane forests ecoregion,[12] has an elevation of 1,500 metres (4,921 ft) to 2,500 metres (8,202 ft).[14] The centre of the country is predominantly rolling hills, while the eastern border region consists of savanna, plains and swamps.[15]
Rwanda has a temperatetropical highland climate, with lower temperatures than are typical for equatorial countries due to its high elevation.[5] Kigali, in the centre of the country, has a typical daily temperature range between 12 °C (54 °F) and 27 °C (81 °F), with little variation through the year.[16] There are some temperature variations across the country; the mountainous west and north are generally cooler than the lower-lying east.[17]
There are two rainy seasons in the year. The first runs from February to June and the second from September to December. These are separated by two dry seasons: the major one from June to September, during which there is often no rain at all, and a shorter and less severe one from December to February.[18] Rainfall varies geographically, with the west and northwest of the country receiving more precipitation annually than the east and southeast.[19]
Political geography
Rwanda borders Burundi for 290 km, the Democratic Republic of the Congo for 217 km, Tanzania for 217 km, and Uganda for 169 km. projections in East Africa shows that temperatures are predicted to rise and be between 1.8-4.3° higher than the 1980-99 mean by 2100.[20]
Physical geography
Rwanda has an area of 26 thousand square kilometers, of which 3 percent is water.
The use of land in Rwanda is largely for arable land, and other purposes. 40 km2 of land in Rwanda is irrigated. The table below describes the land use in Rwanda, as of 2011.
Land use
Use
Percentage of Area
arable land
46.32
permanent crops
9.49
other
44.19
Environment
Natural hazards in Rwanda include periodic droughts and the volcanic activity of the Virunga Mountains, located in the northwest of the country, along the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Current issues
Current issues concerning the environment in Rwanda include: the result of uncontrolled deforestation for fuel, overgrazing, soil exhaustion and widespread poaching.
International agreements
Rwanda is a party to the following international agreements:
