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Rwanda Geography Profile

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LocationCentral Africa, east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, north of Burundi
Geographic coordinates2 00 S, 30 00 E
Map referencesAfrica
Areatotal: 26,338 sq km

land: 24,668 sq km

water: 1,670 sq km
Area - comparativeslightly smaller than Maryland
Land boundariestotal: 930 km

border countries (4): Burundi 315 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 221 km, Tanzania 222 km, Uganda 172 km
Coastline0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claimsnone (landlocked)
Climatetemperate; two rainy seasons (February to April, November to January); mild in mountains with frost and snow possible
Terrainmostly grassy uplands and hills; relief is mountainous with altitude declining from west to east
Elevation extremeshighest point: Volcan Karisimbi 4,519 m

lowest point: Rusizi River 950 m

mean elevation: 1,598 m
Natural resourcesgold, cassiterite (tin ore), wolframite (tungsten ore), methane, hydropower, arable land
Land useagricultural land: 74.5% (2018 est.)

arable land: 47% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 10.1% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 17.4% (2018 est.)

forest: 18% (2018 est.)

other: 7.5% (2018 est.)
Irrigated land96 sq km (2012)
Total renewable water resources13.3 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)
Natural hazards

periodic droughts; the volcanic Virunga Mountains are in the northwest along the border with Democratic Republic of the Congo

volcanism: Visoke (3,711 m), located on the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is the country's only historically active volcano

Geography - notelandlocked; most of the country is intensively cultivated and rugged with the population predominantly rural

Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021

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