Population and Settlement
Senior 1 · Geography
Population and Settlement
Lesson 2 of 5
22 min
The map below colours each of Rwanda's 416 sectors by how crowded it is. Before reading on, find the three darkest patches and the lightest areas. Which physical features (lakes, volcanoes, forests, lowlands) can you link to them?
Definition
Population distribution: the way people are spread out over an area: where they are crowded together and where they are few. It is usually shown on a map. Example: crowded in Kigali and the north-west, few in the national parks and parts of the east.
Definition
Population density: the average number of people living on each square kilometre of land. , in people per km². Example: Rwanda's density in 2022 was 503 people per km².
Definition
Densely and sparsely populated: an area is densely populated when many people live on each km², and sparsely populated when few do. Example: Kicukiro District (2,944 per km²) is densely populated; Kayonza District (338 per km²) is much more sparsely populated.
Worked example 1: Rwanda's population density
The 2022 census counted 13,246,394 people. Rwanda's area is 26,338 km². Find the density.
Check. NISR's census report gives exactly this figure, 503. In 1978 it was 183, so the density has almost tripled in 44 years.
Figure 1. Population density by province, 2022. Drawn by Ganzaa from NISR census data.
| District | Province | Population (2022) | Density (people per km²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kicukiro | City of Kigali | 491,731 | 2,944 |
| Nyarugenge | City of Kigali | 374,319 | 2,830 |
| Rubavu | Western | 546,683 | 1,614 |
| Musanze | Northern | 476,522 | 1,157 |
| Nyaruguru | Southern | 318,126 | 409 |
| Nyagatare | Eastern | 653,861 | 373 |
| Kayonza | Eastern | 457,156 | 338 |
Source: NISR, Census 2022, Table 1 (selected districts).
Worked example 2: finding an area from the density
Rubavu has 546,683 people at 1,614 per km²; Kayonza has 457,156 people at 338 per km². Find the area of each district. Rearrange the formula:
Answer. Rubavu has more people than Kayonza on about a quarter of the land. Rubavu's fertile volcanic soils, reliable rain, lake and border trade with Goma attract people; Kayonza is drier, and much of its area lies in or near Akagera National Park.
| Factor | Encourages dense settlement | Discourages settlement |
|---|---|---|
| Relief | Gentle slopes and hilltops that are easy to build on and farm | Very steep slopes and high volcanoes (the Virunga summits) |
| Climate | Reliable rain and mild temperatures (the north-west and centre) | Drier areas with unreliable rain (parts of the east) |
| Soils | Fertile volcanic soils around Musanze and Rubavu | Thin, poor or waterlogged soils |
| Water | Lakes, rivers and springs (Lake Kivu shore) | Areas far from reliable water |
| Protected land | National parks: Nyungwe, Akagera, Volcanoes, Gishwati-Mukura | |
| Jobs and services | Towns with work, schools, hospitals and markets (Kigali) | Remote areas with few services |
| Transport | Main roads, junctions and border posts (Rubavu–Goma) | Areas far from roads |
Warning
Density is not population. Nyagatare has the largest population of any district outside Kigali (653,861 people), yet one of the lowest densities (373 per km²), because it is very large. "Most people" and "most crowded" are different questions. Always check whether a question asks for the number of people or the number per km².
Important
Case study: one of the most crowded countries in Africa
At about 500 people per km², Rwanda is among the most densely populated countries in sub-Saharan Africa. There are three main patterns. Kigali (2,401 per km²) is crowded because it has the jobs and services. The north-west (Rubavu 1,614, Musanze 1,157) is crowded because of its fertile volcanic soils, reliable rain and cool climate. The east (Kayonza 338, Nyagatare 373) is the least crowded because it is drier and much of it is savanna or park, although it has grown fast as people moved there for land (lesson 5). Crowding brings problems: small farms divided between children, pressure on steep slopes (Unit 11) and on forests and wetlands.
Why do some places have a greater population density than others?, by Mr Gedge's Geography Channel (4 min). List his physical and human factors, then find a Rwandan example of each in the table above.
Rubavu is five times as crowded as Kayonza. Should the government encourage families to move from the north-west to the east? Give one argument for and one against, using the factors in the table.
Tip
Density triangle. Cover the quantity you want: population = density × area; density = population ÷ area; area = population ÷ density. And always write the unit: people per km².
Practice
Remember
Sources and credits
The lesson text, chart, tables, worked examples and practice are written by Ganzaa.
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
