Rwanda Overview

The Republic of Rwanda is a landlocked country in the central part of Africa. The name of the country comes from the local word "kwanda" in the sense of growing and developing. Due to the rugged structure of the country, it is also called "Mille Colonies" which means a country with a thousand hills. The country has a total border of 893km and these borders intersect with 230km Burundi, 217km Dominican Congo Republic, 217km Tanzania, and 168km Uganda. Rwanda is the most densely populated country in Africa per square kilometer, with a population of over 10 million and a population of 450 per square kilometer.

A Brief History of Rwanda

The Twas, a small minority today, is thought to be the first settlers in the region where the country was established. In the 13th century, the Kingdom of Rwanda, which would turn into the present Rwanda Republic, was established. Although the ruling dominant group of the Kingdom of Rwanda is Tutsis, the Hutu ethnic group constituted the majority in terms of population. From 1890 until the end of World War I, Rwanda, which had spent the first part of the exploitation period as a part of German East Africa, started coffee cultivation and export in this period in 1913-14. Rwanda, which was a Belgian colony from the end of World War I until 1962, gained its independence on July 1, 1962.

Geography in Rwanda

Rwanda is a landlocked country in the middle of the African Continent, with an area of ​​26338 km2. It is a highland country with an average height of 1500m, cut by deep valleys in places. The highest point in the country is Mount Karisimbi, a volcanic mountain. Rwandan rainforests Nyungwe Forests have been declared a national park as a wildlife and wildlife reserve since 2012.

Climate in Rwanda

Although Rwanda is close to the Equator line, it has a mild and humid climate due to the elevation of the country. As the hot equatorial climate prevails in the region overlaps with the seasonal east African climate, the climate is softened with the effect of the elevations. Although the average temperature throughout the year varies depending on the altitude, there are no major changes in temperature values. Annual temperature values ​​are experienced at the lowest 15 ° C and the highest 26 ° C. Rwanda has rainy seasons twice a year. Monsoon rains occur in the country in the period of September-December, which is called umuhindo and 27% of the annual precipitation falls, while the monsoons called itumba fall in the February-June period. In this second period, 40% of the annual precipitation occurs in March-May. Irregularities in annual precipitation and the subsequent drought and heavy rainfalls have a negative effect on agricultural products and may cause famine from time to time.

Coffee Production in Rwanda

Coffee cultivation, which started in the German Colonial period in the early 1900s, became internationally commercialized during the Belgian Colonial period. Today, it has become a sector that provides close to 40% of the employment in the country where coffee is produced with mostly small-scale farmers. Arabica coffee is produced on almost all of the 42000 hectares. Although most of them are bourbon varieties, they are produced from Harrar, cattura, and catuai types.