Satellite image of Rwanda, generated from raster graphics data supplied by The Map Library

Satellite image of Rwanda

Rwanda's countryside is covered by grasslands and small farms extending over rolling hills, with areas of rugged mountains that extend southeast from a chain of volcanoes in the northwest. The divide between the Congo and Nile drainage systems extends from north to south through western Rwanda at an average elevation of almost 9,000 feet. On the western slopes of this ridgeline, the land slopes abruptly toward Lake Kivu, one of the Great Lakes, and the Ruzizi River valley, which form the western boundary with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) and constitute part of the Great Rift Valley. The eastern slopes are more moderate, with rolling hills extending across central uplands at gradually reducing altitudes, to the plains, swamps, and lakes of the eastern border region. map of Rwanda, converted directly from CIA World Factbook GIF File links The following pages link to this file: Rwanda Geography of Rwanda Lake Kivu Categories: CIA World Factbook images ... Image File history File links Rwanda_sat. ... Image File history File links Rwanda_sat. ... Suppose the smiley face in the top left corner is an RGB bitmap image. ... Satellite image of Congo, generated from raster graphics data supplied by The Map Library. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (992x654, 1300 KB) rwanda (yellow boundary) File links The following pages link to this file: Rwanda Geography of Rwanda ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (992x654, 1300 KB) rwanda (yellow boundary) File links The following pages link to this file: Rwanda Geography of Rwanda ... Lake Kivu is one of the Great Lakes of Africa. ... The Great Lakes of Africa are a series of lakes in and around the Great Rift Valley. ... The Ruzizi River flows from Lake Kivu to Lake Tanganyika in Central Africa. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

Although located only two degrees south of the equator, Rwanda's high elevation makes the climate temperate. The average daily temperature near Lake Kivu, at an altitude of 4,800 feet (1,463 meters) is 73°F (23°C). During the two rainy seasons (February-May and September-December), heavy downpours occur almost daily, alternating with sunny weather. Annual rainfall averages 80 centimeters (31 in.) but is generally heavier in the western and northwestern mountains than in the eastern savannas. World map showing the equator in red In tourist areas, the equator is often marked on the sides of roads The equator marked as it crosses Ilhéu das Rolas, in São Tomé and Príncipe. ...

Location: Central Africa, east of Democratic Republic of the Congo A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ...

Geographic coordinates: 2°00′S, 30°00′E

Map references: Africa

Area:
total: 26,338 km²
land: 24,948 km²
water: 1,390 km²

Land boundaries:
total: 893 km
border countries: Burundi 290 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 217 km, Tanzania 217 km, Uganda 169 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Climate: temperate; two rainy seasons (February to April, November to January); mild in mountains with frost and snow possible

Terrain: mostly grassy uplands and hills; relief is mountainous with altitude declining from west to east

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Ruzizi River 950 m
highest point: Volcan Karisimbi 4,519 m The Ruzizi River flows from Lake Kivu to Lake Tanganyika in Central Africa. ... Mount Karisimbi is a dormant volcano in the Virunga Mountains of Rwanda. ...

Natural resources: gold, cassiterite (tin ore), wolframite (tungsten ore), methane, hydropower, arable land GOLD refers to one of the following: GOLD (IEEE) is an IEEE program designed to garner more student members at the university level (Graduates of the Last Decade). ... Cassiterite is a tin oxide mineral, SnO2. ... Wolframite (Fe,Mn)WO4, is an iron manganese tungstate mineral that is the intermediate between ferberite (Fe2+ rich) and huebernite (Mn2+ rich). ... Methane is a chemical compound with the molecular formula CH4. ... Undershot water wheels on the Orontes River in Hama, Syria Saint Anthony Falls Hydropower is the capture of the energy of moving water for some useful purpose. ...

Land use:
arable land: 45.56%
permanent crops: 10.25%
other: 44.19% (2005)

Irrigated land: 40 km² (1998 est)

Natural hazards: periodic droughts; the volcanic Birunga Mountains are in the northwest along the border with Democratic Republic of the Congo

Environment - current issues: deforestation results from uncontrolled cutting of trees for fuel; overgrazing; soil exhaustion; soil erosion; widespread poaching

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea Rainforests are among the most biodiverse ecosystems on earth Biodiversity is the variation of taxonomic life forms within a given ecosystem, biome or for the entire Earth. ... UNFCCC logo. ... This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... The Siberian Tiger, a subspecies of tiger. ... The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) bans all nuclear explosions in all environments, for military or civilian purposes and was opened for signature in New York on 24 September 1996, when it was signed by 71 States, including the five nuclear weapon states at the time (which did not... Admiralty law (usually referred to as simply admiralty and also referred to as maritime law) is a distinct body of law which governs maritime questions and offenses. ...

Geography - note: landlocked; predominantly rural population, most people live inland A landlocked country is one that has no coastline. ...

See also

• Rwanda