www.gov.rw
Government: Paul Kagame serves as Rwanda’s president and has since 2000 (elections are held every 7 years). Rwanda is a presidential republic, which means the president is head of state and head of government. Over 70% of government officials are women. Rwanda gained independence from Belgium in 1962.

Population:   12,187,400
Size:  10,187 sq. miles
Location:  Rwanda is  a landlocked country lying south of the Equator in east-central Africa. bounded to the north by Uganda, to the east by Tanzania, to the south by Burundi, and to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Kinshasa) and Lake Kivu.
Nicknames:  Land of a Thousand Hills (mountainous area; Virunga Mts. Peak = 15,000’ high)
Capital:  Kigali, the econ, cultural, and transport hub of Rwanda, has a population of 1,745,555. The Ruganwa River flows through the city.
Rivers:  Both the Congo and the Nile Rivers flow through Rwanda. 
Diet:  Common ingredients in Rwandan dishes include bananas, plantains, sweet potatoes, and beans. Fish dishes, especially ones with tilapia, are popular with Rwandans living near lakes. Most Rwandans eat meat only a few times a month.
Economy:  Fueled mostly by agricultural cash crops:  bananas, coffee, tea, and tobacco. More than 90% of the people make their living producing food crops or through industrial work processing crops. Tourism is on the rise because visitors want to see mountain gorillas in their natural habitat and experience other African wildlife on safaris.  Gross national income per capita is $1,954 in international dollars ($780 in USD) in 2018.  Rwanda is among the 20 poorest countries in the world.
Ecology:  Very diverse, including tropical rainforests, mountain ranges, and volcanoes, Rwanda is home to about a third of Africa’s birds, 40 percent of its mammals, and 20 percent of continent’s amphibians and plants. 
Weather:  For an African country, Rwanda’s temperatures are very mild, neither too hot nor too cold.  The average temperature is 70 degrees year-round. 
What to see in Rwanda:  The country’s national parks are amazing, home to over a dozen primates. Chimpanzees and several types of monkeys live in Nyungwe and Gishwati Mukura National Parks. Volcanoes National Park is home to about one third of the world’s mountain gorilla population as well as five of the eight volcanoes in the Virunga Mountains, a mountain range that stretches across East Africa. The country’s remaining national park, Akagera National Park, is home to black rhinos, hippos, elephants, giraffes, and Rwanda’s national bird, the gold-crested crane. Rwanda is lush and green in many areas. Other areas are being reforested.