Rwanda vs. Tanzania
Geography
| Rwanda | Tanzania | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Central Africa, east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, north of Burundi | Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Kenya and Mozambique |
| Geographic coordinates | 2 00 S, 30 00 E | 6 00 S, 35 00 E |
| Map references | Africa | Africa |
| Area | total: 26,338 sq km land: 24,668 sq km water: 1,670 sq km | total: 947,300 sq km land: 885,800 sq km water: 61,500 sq km note: includes the islands of Mafia, Pemba, and Zanzibar |
| Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Maryland | more than six times the size of Georgia; slightly larger than twice the size of California |
| Land boundaries | total: 930 km border countries (4): Burundi 315 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 221 km, Tanzania 222 km, Uganda 172 km | total: 4,161 km border countries (8): Burundi 589 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 479 km, Kenya 775 km, Malawi 512 km, Mozambique 840 km, Rwanda 222 km, Uganda 391 km, Zambia 353 km |
| Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) | 1,424 km |
| Maritime claims | none (landlocked) | territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
| Climate | temperate; two rainy seasons (February to April, November to January); mild in mountains with frost and snow possible | varies from tropical along coast to temperate in highlands |
| Terrain | mostly grassy uplands and hills; relief is mountainous with altitude declining from west to east | plains along coast; central plateau; highlands in north, south |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Volcan Karisimbi 4,519 m lowest point: Rusizi River 950 m mean elevation: 1,598 m | highest point: Kilimanjaro (highest point in Africa) 5,895 m lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m mean elevation: 1,018 m |
| Natural resources | gold, cassiterite (tin ore), wolframite (tungsten ore), methane, hydropower, arable land | hydropower, tin, phosphates, iron ore, coal, diamonds, gemstones (including tanzanite, found only in Tanzania), gold, natural gas, nickel |
| Land use | agricultural 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.) | agricultural land: 43.7% (2018 est.) arable land: 14.3% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 2.3% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 27.1% (2018 est.) forest: 37.3% (2018 est.) other: 19% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 96 sq km (2012) | 1,840 sq km (2012) |
| 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 | flooding on the central plateau during the rainy season; drought volcanism: limited volcanic activity; Ol Doinyo Lengai (2,962 m) has emitted lava in recent years; other historically active volcanoes include Kieyo and Meru |
| Environment - current issues | deforestation results from uncontrolled cutting of trees for fuel; overgrazing; land degradation; soil erosion; a decline in soil fertility (soil exhaustion); wetland degradation and loss of biodiversity; widespread poaching | water polution; improper management of liquid waste; indoor air pollution caused by the burning of fuel wood or charcoal for cooking and heating is a large environmental health issue; soil degradation; deforestation; desertification; destruction of coral reefs threatens marine habitats; wildlife threatened by illegal hunting and trade, especially for ivory; loss of biodiversity; solid waste disposal |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Geography - note | landlocked; most of the country is intensively cultivated and rugged with the population predominantly rural | Kilimanjaro is the highest point in Africa and one of only three mountain ranges on the continent that has glaciers (the others are Mount Kenya [in Kenya] and the Ruwenzori Mountains [on the Uganda-Democratic Republic of the Congo border]); Tanzania is bordered by three of the largest lakes on the continent: Lake Victoria (the world's second-largest freshwater lake) in the north, Lake Tanganyika (the world's second deepest) in the west, and Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) in the southwest |
| Total renewable water resources | 13.3 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) | 96.27 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Population distribution | one of Africa's most densely populated countries; large concentrations tend to be in the central regions and along the shore of Lake Kivu in the west as shown in this population distribution map | the largest and most populous East African country; population distribution is extremely uneven, but greater population clusters occur in the northern half of country and along the east coast as shown in this population distribution map |
Source: CIA Factbook
