Newest Blog Map: Rwanda

A new and detailed map of RWANDA on the GeoFact of the Day Blog provides locations of cities/towns, features, and country borders. This map is available on the Rwanda post (↗). To tell me what you think about this map, feel free to comment down below or send an email! What country, territory, place, island, etc. should be the focal point of my next map?

Independence Day in Rwanda

People all across RWANDA celebrate their country's independence today. Straddling the East African Rift just like its southerly neighbor Burundi, Rwanda shares another characteristic with Burundi — both countries achieved independence from Belgium in 1962, being once joined together as a territory called Ruanda-Urundi. Happy Independence Day!

Rwanda is Known for...

●    Being the headwater source of the Nile River
●    Gorillas in the mist
●    Its location along the Great Rift Valley
●    Le pays des milles collines – The country of a thousand hills
●    Primus beer
●    The 1994 genocide, unfortunately
●    Virunga volcanoes

Most items were listed in The Africa Book; the MLA citation is below. What are other "trademarks" of this African country? Feel free to share your thoughts with a comment!

Phillips et al. The Africa Book: A Journey through Every
          Country in the Continent. Lonely Planet, 2007.

— #AfricaWeek —

Rwanda Exports

According to National Geographic MapMaker (mapmaker.nationalgeographic.org), the following items are major exports of RWANDA: animal hides, bananas, beans, beverages, bran, cassiterite (tin ore), clothing and textiles, coffee, coffee, construction materials, footwear, furniture, gemstones, gold, mattresses, niobium, potatoes, pyrethrum (insecticide made from chrysanthemums), rice, salt, scrap iron, sorghum, tantalum, tea, vanadium, wolframite (tungsten ore), and zirconium. According to the International Monetary Fund (data.imf.org), countries and territories buying and importing most of those exports (February 2017 statistics) include the Democratic Republic of the Congo (top importer), Kenya, the United Arab Emirates, Belgium, Burundi, Singapore, the United States, Uganda, Malaysia, Sweden, Tanzania, Ethiopia, the Netherlands, South Africa, Hong Kong, Finland, Malawi, Austria, Italy, and the United Kingdom.

Rwanda's Largest Lake

The largest lake in RWANDA, a relatively small Central African country and republic, is Lake Kivu. The lake's French name is Lac Kivu. Part of a string of lakes straddling the Great Rift Valley, Lake Kivu — and the Ruzizi River flowing from the lake's southern tip — forms Rwanda's western border with D.R. Congo. Multiple small islands in Lake Kivu are located in the Rwandan portion, but they are far smaller than Île Idjwi in the D.R. Congo. Named islands in Rwanda include Bugarura, Gakoyi, Gishamwana, Ishwa, Iwawa (Wahu), Kabuhongo, Mbabara, Ngarwa, Nkombo, Ntumba (Dumba), Nyamirundi, Nyantima, Nyarugwa, Tembabagoye, and Udushivire. Lakeside residents travel about 50 miles and 80 kilometers in order to reach the nation's capital, Kigali. Coastal communities in Rwanda include Bwerankoli, Cyangugu, Gisenyi, Kagano (Nyamasheke), Kibuye, Kigufi, Rugaragara, and Rushaka. Ferry services carry people to and from Gisenyi and Bukava (D.R. Congo).

Political Parties of Rwanda

Quick GeoFact: Political parties in RWANDA include the following ones: Centrist Democratic Party, Democratic Green Party, Democratic Union of the Rwandan People, Ideal Democratic Party, Liberal Party, Party for Progress and Concord, Prosperity and Solidarity Party, Rwandan Patriotic Front (Front Patriotique Rwandais in French; dominant party), Rwandan Socialist Party, Social Democratic Party, Social Party Imberakuri, and United Democratic Forces of Rwanda.

Later in the evening, stay up-to-date with the GeoFact of the Day Facebook page for U.S. presidential election results!

Rwanda Endangered Species

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ for RWANDA in Central Africa lists 1 extinct species (Barbus microbarbis fish), 1 extinct-in-the-wild species (Nymphaea thermarum water lily*), 10 critically endangered species, and 17 endangered species. Barbus ruasae fish, Chiloglanis ruziziensis fish, Hill's Horseshoe Bats, Hooded Vultures, Hook-Lipped Rhinoceroses, Rueppell's Griffon birds, Varicorhinus platystoma fish, Varicorhinus ruandae fish, White-Backed Vultures, and White-Headed Vultures are critically endangered in Rwanda. Endangered species include the Cape Hunting Dog, Common Aldrovanda, Common Chimpanzee, Grauer's Rush Warbler, Lemara Shrew, Malagasy Pond Heron, Mountain Gorilla, Southern Crowned Crane, and Victoria Stonebasher fish.

* Colloquially known as the Pygmy Rwandan Water Lily by the Kew Royal Botanic Gardens (United Kingdom), Nymphaea thermarum plants only grew near a hot spring in southwestern Rwanda and are only living at botanical gardens. These water lilies are the smallest water lilies in the world — with lily pads as small as one centimeter in diameter.

Country Flags with Suns

Various countries have suns on their flags. They are ANTIGUA and BARBUDA, ARGENTINA, KAZAKHSTAN, KIRIBATI, KYRGYZSTAN, MALAWI, NAMIBIA, NEPAL, NORTH MACEDONIA (known as Macedonia or FYROM in 2015), The PHILIPPINES, RWANDA, and URUGUAY. Comprised of a main island and smaller islands, TAIWAN (Republic of China) is not exactly a country but it also has a sun on its flag. The sun on Taiwan's flag is featured in the top-left corner on top of a blue rectangle. The flags of BANGLADESH and JAPAN both feature a central red circle representing the sun. PALAU's yellow circle actually represents the moon!

Dr. Paul Farmer, Making the World Healthier

If you read Mountains Beyond Mountains, written by Tracy Kidder, you would become familiar with the charitable work of one of the world's most generous and caring doctors. He is Dr. Paul Farmer, who dedicated a lot of his time to work in HAITI, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. He started caring for people in Haiti many years before the country, on the western part of Hispaniola island, was severely devastated by earthquakes in 2010. While still improving medical care for some in Haiti, he has since spread medical generosity to other parts of the world. Partners In Health is a nonprofit medical organization that he co-founded. As seen under the Where We Work tab on the PIH website, Partners in Health and Dr. Farmer also operate in LESOTHO, MALAWI, MEXICO, PERU, RUSSIA, RWANDA, the UNITED STATES (including the Navajo Nation), and other countries. Keep up the good work, Dr. Farmer and Partners in Health! It is greatly appreciated for those wanting to strive for a healthy and happy Earth!

Lake Kivu

In comparison to nearby Lake Victoria, Lake Kivu is a smaller lake and is situated on the border between the DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO and RWANDA. Idjwi is the largest island in the lake and belongs to the Dem. Rep. of the Congo; Kashofu is a town on the southern shore. Surrounding towns and cities include Bugaza, Bukavu, Goma, and Kabare in the Dem. Rep. of the Congo and Cyangugu, Gisenyi, and Kibuye in Rwanda.

Rwanda

RWANDA is a geographically small country situated in Central Africa along the Great Rift Valley. There are 4 bordering countries: Burundi to the south, Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) to the west, Tanzania to the east and southeast, and Uganda to the north and northeast. Rwanda also borders Lake Kivu. The capital and most-populated city is Kigali. Other cities include Butare, Byumba, Cyangugu, Gikongoro, Gisenyi, Kibungo, Kibuye, and Ruhengeri. There was a very deadly conflict in 1994 between the Tutsi and the Hutu groups. Fortunately, the country and its citizens are now peaceful overall. The currency is the Rwandan Franc, and its ISO 4217 currency code is RWF.

Nile River

The Nile River is sometimes known as the longest river in the world — contending with the Amazon River for the longest river designation. The Nile River stretches for more than 4,100 miles and almost 6,600 miles long! The Nile and its major tributaries — the Blue Nile (east) and White Nile (south) — runs through 11 countries in Africa: Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. The northern and main portion of the Nile is found in Egypt and Sudan. The Blue Nile predominantly flows through Ethiopia and Sudan. The White Nile is especially wide in South Sudan, Sudan, and Uganda.