Transport and Communication
Primary 6 · Social and Religious Studies
Transport and Communication
Lesson 2 of 4
25 min
Let's begin
Ishimwe gets a new bicycle for his birthday. The label says it was made in a factory far across the ocean.
But Rwanda has no sea coast. No ship can sail to Kigali. So how did the bicycle get here?
Today you will follow the routes that link Rwanda to the sea.
A landlocked country has no coast on the sea or ocean. Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi and South Sudan are all landlocked.
The nearest sea ports to Rwanda are on the Indian Ocean: Mombasa in Kenya and Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. Ships unload goods there. Then the goods travel on land, mostly by lorry, for many days to reach Rwanda.
The Northern Corridor is the transport route from the port of Mombasa through Kenya and Uganda to Rwanda, Burundi, eastern DR Congo and South Sudan.
It is more than one road. It includes roads, railways, lake transport, inland container depots (places where containers are stored and checked away from the coast) and an oil pipeline.
In 1985 Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda signed an agreement to make transit on this route easier. DR Congo joined the next year, and South Sudan joined later. Lorries on this route usually enter Rwanda at the Gatuna border post.
The second route is the Central Corridor. It starts at the port of Dar es Salaam and crosses Tanzania, partly on Tanzania's Central Line railway. Lorries on this route enter Rwanda at Rusumo.
Having two routes is wise. If one is blocked or too costly, traders can use the other.
Here is a surprise: Rwanda drives on the right side of the road, but Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania drive on the left.
Worked example
Ishimwe's bicycle.
Step 1 It is loaded onto a ship at a port far away.
Step 2 The ship crosses the ocean to the port of Mombasa.
Step 3 A lorry carries it along the Northern Corridor through Kenya and Uganda.
Step 4 The lorry enters Rwanda at Gatuna and drives on to Kigali.
Step 5 A shop sells the bicycle to Ishimwe's family.
Every step adds cost. That is one reason imported goods cost more in a landlocked country.
Tip
Two ports, two corridors
Mombasa is at the start of the Northern Corridor. Dar es Salaam is at the start of the Central Corridor.
If you mix them up, picture the map: Kenya is north of Tanzania, so Kenya's port starts the Northern route.
Answer each one, then tap Show answer to check.
What does landlocked mean?
Answer: a country with no coast on the sea or ocean.
Name the two sea ports that Rwanda's imports usually come through.
Answer: Mombasa (Kenya) and Dar es Salaam (Tanzania).
Which corridor passes through Uganda?
Answer: the Northern Corridor.
Why do imported goods often cost more in Rwanda than in Kenya?
Answer: they travel a long way by land from the sea port, and every kilometre and border adds cost.
What you learned today
Sources and credits
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Quick check
Match each place to its part in Rwanda's routes to the sea.
Tap one on the left, then its partner on the right.
