Often called the “land of a thousand hills”, Rwanda is a mountainous country with a moist, temperate year-round climate
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Rwanda is a tiny landlocked country surrounded by Uganda to the north, Tanzania to the east, Burundi to the south, and the Democratic Republic of Congo to its west and northwest.
The country lies on the East African plateau, with the divide between the water systems of the Nile and Congo rivers passing in a north-south direction through the western part of the country. To the west of the divide, the land drops sharply to Lake Kivu in the Great African Rift Valley; to the east, the land falls gradually across the central plateau — its grassy highlands are the core areas of settlement of Rwanda's population — to the swamps and lakes on the country's eastern border.
Most of Rwanda is 3,000 ft above sea level, with much of the central plateau being higher than 4,700 ft. In the northwest, on the border with Congo, are the volcanic Virunga Mountains; the highest peak, Mount Karisimbi (14,870 ft) is snowcapped. Lake Kivu, 4,700 feet above sea level, drains into Lake Tanganyika, through the sharply descending Ruzizi River. The Kagera River, which forms much of Rwanda's eastern border, flows into Lake Victoria.
Often called the “land of a thousand hills”, Rwanda is a mountainous country with a moist, temperate year-round climate. Its main and enduring attraction is its primate population, in particular its mountain gorillas: one of the most awesome wildlife viewing experiences in the world. The main tourism destinations are the Parc National des Volcans in the Virunga volcanoes, which is home to the mountain gorillas to whom Dian Fossey dedicated her life. Nyungwe Forest, one of the largest mountainous forests in central Africa, is renowned for its large troops of Colobus monkeys and rich variety of orchids. Akagera National Park is a savannah park with elephants, hippo and crocodile. Lake Kivu is a beautiful inland sea enclosed by steep terraced hillsides where there is a tremendous variety of birdlife.
The country carries the burden of history following an infamous civil war — but today visitors to Rwanda are openly amazed at how far the country has come and how willing its people are to talk about and regret the past. Political and social stability returned to Rwanda in 1999 with the new Government of National Unity.
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