Where Rwanda is, and who we are

20 min

Reading the map

Every place on Earth can be described in two ways: by its exact position on a grid of lines, and by what lies around it. Study the map.

Analysing the map. Rwanda lies just south of the Equator, roughly between latitudes 1°S and 3°S and longitudes 29°E and 31°E. More precisely, its territory runs from about 1.05°S to 2.84°S and from 28.86°E to 30.90°E. It shares borders with four countries and has no coast: the nearest sea is the Indian Ocean, more than 1,000 km to the east.

Definition

Absolute location: the exact position of a place, given by its latitude and longitude. Example: Kigali is at about 1°57′S, 30°04′E.

Relative location: the position of a place described in relation to other places. Example: Rwanda lies between Lake Kivu and Lake Victoria, south of Uganda.

Latitude: distance north or south of the Equator, in degrees. Longitude: distance east or west of the Prime Meridian at Greenwich, in degrees.

Region: a group of neighbouring countries that share features, such as East Africa or the Great Lakes region.

Identity: the sense of who you are and where you belong, shaped by your family, community, nation and region.

Rwanda's location in facts

Feature	Fact	What it means
Hemisphere	Southern and eastern hemispheres, just south of the Equator	Two rainy seasons and two dry seasons; altitude keeps the climate mild
Neighbours	Uganda (north), Tanzania (east), Burundi (south), DR Congo (west)	Trade, culture and security are shared with four countries
Area	26,338 km²	One of the smallest countries in mainland Africa
Coast	None: Rwanda is landlocked	Sea trade passes through Kenya or Tanzania (Lesson 2)
Regions	East Africa, the African Great Lakes region, the heart of the continent	Rwanda belongs to several regional organisations at once (Lesson 3)
Time zone	Central Africa Time, two hours ahead of Greenwich (UTC+2)	One hour behind Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania (UTC+3)

Understanding yourself through your location

Where you live shapes who you are. A pupil in Rubavu belongs to a family and a village (umudugudu), to a district, to Rwanda, to East Africa, to Africa and to the world, all at once. The diagram shows these circles of belonging.

Shared languages. Rwanda has four official languages: Kinyarwanda, English, French and Kiswahili. Kinyarwanda is closely related to Kirundi, spoken in Burundi, and Kiswahili is spoken across East Africa.
Shared history. Rwanda and its neighbours share colonial history, trade routes and the experience of refugees moving across borders.
Shared environment. Lake Kivu, the Virunga volcanoes and the Akagera and Nile basins cross borders, so they must be protected together.
Shared responsibility. As a citizen you have duties at each level: to your family and community, to Rwanda, and as an East African and African.

Worked example: absolute and relative location

Question: Describe the location of Rwanda using (a) absolute location and (b) relative location. (4 marks)

(a) Rwanda lies between about 1°S and 3°S and between about 29°E and 31°E, just south of the Equator. (2 marks)

(b) It is a landlocked country in East Africa, bordered by Uganda to the north, Tanzania to the east, Burundi to the south and the DR Congo to the west, with Lake Kivu on its western border. (2 marks)

Discuss

Which circle of belonging is most important to you, and why? Is it possible to be a proud Rwandan and a proud East African at the same time?

Tip

Latitude comes first. When giving a position, write latitude before longitude, and always say N or S and E or W: "1°57′S, 30°04′E". A position without the letters is wrong, because 30°E and 30°W are on different continents.

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Practice

Name Rwanda's four neighbours and give the direction of each.
What is the area of Rwanda?
Define absolute location and relative location.
Name the four official languages of Rwanda.
Rwanda uses UTC+2 and Kenya uses UTC+3. When it is 10:00 in Kigali, what time is it in Nairobi?
Explain one way in which Rwanda's position near the Equator affects its climate.
Give two examples of things Rwanda shares with its neighbours, and explain why each must be managed together.
Explain how understanding Rwanda's location can help you understand your own identity.

Show answersHide answers

Uganda to the north, Tanzania to the east, Burundi to the south, DR Congo to the west.
26,338 km².
Absolute location is the exact position given by latitude and longitude; relative location describes a place in relation to other places.
Kinyarwanda, English, French and Kiswahili.
11:00, one hour later.
Near the Equator, the sun is high all year, so temperatures vary little between seasons and there are two rainy and two dry seasons; high altitude keeps temperatures mild.
For example: Lake Kivu, shared with DR Congo, whose water and fish must be protected by both countries; the Virunga volcanoes and their gorillas, shared with Uganda and DR Congo.
Location places you in several circles at once: your family and community, Rwanda, East Africa and Africa. You share languages, history and environment with people in each circle, and have duties towards each.

Sources and credits

Map: country boundaries and lakes from Natural Earth, public domain, drawn by Ganzaa. Rwanda's extent from geoBoundaries (source: Open Data Rwanda), CC BY 4.0.
Area: National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR), statistics.gov.rw.
Photo: "Kivu, Goma and Rubavu On Rwanda Side", Ericnkurunziza, 2021, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Text, table, diagrams and worked example written and drawn by Ganzaa.

This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.

1Reading the map

2Rwanda's location in facts

3Understanding yourself through your location

4Discuss

Reading the map

Rwanda's location in facts

Understanding yourself through your location

Discuss