Rwanda

Home - Independent Countries - Rwanda
Rwanda

Rwanda lies in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and South-East Africa meet. The country is often referred to as the "land of a thousand hills". It is dominated by mountains in the west, savannah in the southeast and numerous lakes across the country. Back in prehistoric times, one third of what is now Rwanda was covered by montane forests. Today, most of the natural vegetation is confined to the three national parks, while terraced agriculture dominates the rest of the country. The largest remaining forest area, Nyungwe, has 200 species of trees, plus orchids and begonias. The Volcanoes National Park is mostly bamboo and swamp grassland with small areas of forest. Akagera, in contrast, has a savanna ecosystem dominated by acacia. The largest diversity of big mammals is concentrated in the three national parks, which are designated as conservation areas. Akagera is home to typical savannah animals such as giraffes and elephants, while Volcanoes is home to a third of the world's Mountain Gorilla population. The Nyungwe Forest has thirteen primate species, among them the Common Chimpanzee and the Ruwenzori Colobus Arboreal Monkeys. Rwanda has 670 species of birds, varying between the east and west. In the western Nyungwe Forest, 280 bird species have been recorded, 26 of which are endemic to the Albertin Rift. Among the endemic species are the Rwenzori Turaco and the Handsome Spurfowl. In contrast, eastern Rwanda is home to savannah birds such as the Black-Headed Gonolek, as well as birds associated with swamps and lakes, including storks and cranes.