What is the capital of Rwanda?

What is the capital of Rwanda? Kigali is the capital and largest city of Rwanda.

Kigali is located near the geographic centre of Rwanda, a country known for its rolling hills and deep valleys. The modern city is generally considered to have been founded in 1907, when German administrator and explorer Richard Kandt established an administrative headquarters there. At the time, Kigali was a relatively small settlement.

During the Belgian administration of Ruanda-Urundi, Kigali remained an important local centre, although the territory’s wider colonial administration was based in Usumbura, now Bujumbura in Burundi. Kigali became Rwanda’s national capital when the country gained independence in 1962, replacing the colonial administrative focus associated with Astrida, now called Huye.

The city’s name can cause confusion because Rwanda also has historic centres such as Nyanza and Huye. Kigali, however, is the country’s political, economic, and administrative heart. It is also a province-level administrative unit divided into the districts of Gasabo, Kicukiro, and Nyarugenge.