World Factbook
Rwanda
Republika y'u Rwanda
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Area
land
24,668 sq km
water
1,670 sq km
total
26,338 sq km
Climate
temperate; two rainy seasons (February to April, November to January); mild in mountains with frost and snow possible
Terrain
mostly grassy uplands and hills; relief is mountainous with altitude declining from west to east
Land use
other
0% (2023 est.)
forest
24.5% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
76.3% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 47% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 13.7% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 15.6% (2023 est.)
Location
Central Africa, east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, north of Burundi
Coastline
0 km (landlocked)
Elevation
lowest point
Rusizi River 950 m
highest point
Volcan Karisimbi 4,519 m
mean elevation
1,598 m
Irrigated land
96 sq km (2012)
Map references
Africa
Land boundaries
total
930 km
border countries
Burundi 315 km; Democratic Republic of the Congo 221 km; Tanzania 222 km; Uganda 172 km
Maritime claims
none (landlocked)
Natural hazards
periodic droughts; the volcanic Virunga Mountains are in the northwest along the border with Democratic Republic of the Congo volcanism: Visoke (3,711 m), on the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is the country's only historically active volcano
Geography - note
landlocked; most of the country is intensively cultivated and rugged, with the population predominantly rural
Natural resources
gold, cassiterite (tin ore), wolframite (tungsten ore), methane, hydropower, arable land
Area - comparative
slightly smaller than Maryland
Geographic coordinates
2 00 S, 30 00 E
Population distribution
one of Africa's most densely populated countries; large concentrations tend to be in the central regions and along the shore of Lake Kivu in the west, as shown in this population distribution map
Major lakes (area sq km)
fresh water lake(s)
Lake Kivu (shared with Democratic Republic of Congo) - 2,220 sq km
Major watersheds (area sq km)
Atlantic Ocean drainage
Congo (3,730,881 sq km), (Mediterranean Sea) Nile (3,254,853 sq km)
Major rivers (by length in km)
Nile river source (shared with Tanzania, Uganda, South Sudan, Sudan, and Egypt [m]) - 6,650 km note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth