Our Country
Primary 6 · Social and Religious Studies
Our Country
Lesson 1 of 4
13 min
At a school camp in Kigali, Keza from Rusizi and Mugisha from Nyagatare meet for the first time. "I come from the far west, near Lake Kivu," says Keza. "I come from the far north-east, near Uganda and Tanzania," says Mugisha. Their teacher smiles and unrolls a map. "Show me," she says.
To show where you live, you need to know how Rwanda is divided. That is what you will learn today.
Since 1 January 2006, Rwanda has been divided into four provinces (in Kinyarwanda, intara) and the City of Kigali (Umujyi wa Kigali). Before 2006 the country had 12 smaller provinces. The new provinces are bigger, and they are named after the directions of the compass.
| Province or City | Kinyarwanda name | Headquarters | Districts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Province | Amajyaruguru | Musanze | 5 |
| Southern Province | Amajyepfo | Nyanza | 8 |
| Eastern Province | Iburasirazuba | Rwamagana | 7 |
| Western Province | Iburengerazuba | Karongi (the town of Kibuye) | 7 |
| City of Kigali | Umujyi wa Kigali | Nyarugenge | 3 |
Add up the last column: 5 + 8 + 7 + 7 + 3 = 30 districts in the whole country.
Did you know? Some old maps mark Byumba as the centre of the Northern Province. Today the province's offices are in Musanze. Maps can go out of date, so always check when a map was made.
The provinces are not the same size, and they do not hold the same number of people. Look at these figures from the 2022 census:
| Province or City | Area (km²) | People (2022) |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern Province | 9,458 | 3,563,145 |
| Southern Province | 5,963 | 3,002,699 |
| Western Province | 5,883 | 2,896,484 |
| Northern Province | 3,276 | 2,038,511 |
| City of Kigali | 730 | 1,745,555 |
A good map has five parts. Remember them whenever you draw one:
To draw Rwanda, sketch the outline lightly in pencil first. Then divide it into the four provinces and Kigali, colour each part, label it and add your title, key and north arrow.
Tip
Read the map like a clock. North is at 12 o'clock, East at 3, South at 6 and West at 9. The City of Kigali sits near the middle, like the pin that holds the clock's hands.
Answer: Rwamagana.
Answer: The Southern Province, with 8.
Answer: The Western Province, because Lake Kivu lies along Rwanda's western side.
Answer: Because its people live on a much smaller area, only 730 km², so there are far more people on each square kilometre.
Answer: Title, key, north arrow, scale and frame.
What you learned today
Sources and credits
The Northern Province headquarters were checked against the province's own service charter (northernprovince.gov.rw). The rest of the lesson is written by Ganzaa.
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Quick check
Mugisha's aunt works at the headquarters of the Eastern Province. In which town does she work?
