Geography of Rwanda

Rwanda is a land locked nation in the eastern part of Africa (kind of in the middle) and one of the smallest countries in Africa. It sits well above sea level. Kigali is the largest city, by far, in Rwanda and is located in the center of the country.  It is also the capital city. The land is very green and mountainous. The Albertine Rift Mountains are the countries largest mountain range. Rwanda is also known for its volcanoes. In some portions of the country there are rolling hills along with savannas, plains and swamps. The majority of the country consists of mountains. Mount Karisimbi is Rwanda's highest peak sitting at staggering 14,787 ft! It is part of the Virunga volcanic chain and sits in the northwest portion of the country. The countries longest river is the Nyaborongo river, which eventually drains into Lake Victoria. The Nile River also runs through Rwanda. The largest lake in Rwanda is Lake Kivu. Lake Kivu is also one of the deepest lakes in the world. The climate in Rwanda is warm most of the year. The average temperature is a high of 81 and a low of 54. As far as agriculture goes, terraced agriculture is an important farming technique in Rwanda. Coffee and tea are two of the major crops in Rwanda. Rwanda's past is what shaped the country into what it is today. Agriculturally, early tribes began to clear the forrest in Rwanda to farm. I think that what the early tribes did by clearing some of the forrest was helpful to the nation. This allowed the people to grow and sell different crops they were growing. Diseases in Rwanda have been a common problem. HIV/AIDS and Malaria are two of the major diseases that have affected Rwanda. In recent years Rwanda's health care has improved.