Rwanda
Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is highly elevated, giving it the soubriquet "land of a thousand hills", with its geography dominated by mountains in the west and savanna to the southeast, with numerous lakes throughout the country. The climate is temperate to subtropical, with two rainy seasons and two dry seasons each year. It is the most densely populated mainland African country; among countries larger than 10,000 km2, it is the fifth-most densely populated country in the world. Its capital and largest city is Kigali.
Some of the key events about Rwanda
- 1894Rwanda became a German colony, marking the beginning of European colonization
- 1916Belgian forces occupied Rwanda during World War I, replacing German colonial rule
- 1959Violent clashes erupted between Hutu and Tutsi groups, leading to thousands of deaths and mass displacement
- 1962Rwanda gained independence from Belgium
- 1962Rwanda gained independence from Belgium, but ethnic tensions continued to simmer
- 1973A military coup overthrew the civilian government, establishing a one-party state
- 1990The Rwandan Civil War began when Tutsi exiles invaded from Uganda
- 1994The Rwandan Patriotic Front ended the Rwandan genocide
- 1994The Rwandan Genocide occurred, resulting in the deaths of an estimated 500,000 to 1,000,000 people
- 1996Nearly two million Hutu refugees fled to neighboring countries, creating a humanitarian crisis
- 1997Thousands of refugees were killed when camps in the Democratic Republic of Congo were attacked
- 2000Vision 2020, a long-term development strategy, was launched
- 2000President Bizimungu resigned, further consolidating power under the Rwandan Patriotic Front
- 2003A new constitution was adopted, promoting reconciliation and unity
- 2006The country banned plastic bags, becoming an environmental leader in Africa
- 2008Rwanda joined the East African Community, boosting regional integration
- 2009Rwanda became a member of the Commonwealth of Nations
- 2012Rwanda was elected to the UN Security Council as a non-permanent member
- 2018Rwanda became the first country to pilot blood delivery by drone
- 2020The country achieved universal health coverage
Disclaimer: This material is written based on information taken from open sources, including Wikipedia, news media, podcasts, and other public sources.
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