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Kigali

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: African Geography

                    Kigali, Rwanda
   Kigali, Rwanda
   Kigali, Rwanda
   Map of Rwanda showing the location of Kigali.
   Map of Rwanda showing the location of Kigali.
          Coordinates: 1°56′38″S, 30°03′34″E
       Province     Kigali City
        Mayor       Aisa Kirabo Kacyira
         Area
        - City      km²
      Population
     - City (2005)  851,024
        - Urban     851,024
                    estimated
      Time zone     CAT ( UTC+1)
    - Summer ( DST) none ( UTC+1)
          Website: http://www.kigalicity.org

   Kigali, population 851,024 ( 2005), is the capital and largest city of
   Rwanda. It is situated in the centre of the nation, and has been the
   economic, cultural, and transport hub of Rwanda since it became capital
   at independence in 1962. The main home and offices of the Rwandan
   president, Paul Kagame, are located in the city, as are the government
   ministries. The city is coterminous with the province of Kigali City,
   which was enlarged in January 2006 as part of local government
   reorganisation in the country.

History

   Kigali was founded in 1907 under German colonial rule, but did not
   become the capital until Rwandan independence in 1962. The traditional
   capital was the seat of the mwami (king) in Nyanza, while the colonial
   seat of power was in Butare, then known as Astrida. Butare was
   initially the leading contender to be the capital of the new
   independent nation, but Kigali was chosen because of its more central
   location. Since then the city has grown very quickly and is now the
   major political, economic and cultural centre of Rwanda.

   Beginning on April 7, 1994, Kigali was the scene of the Rwandan
   Genocide — the slaughter of approximately one million Tutsis and
   moderate Hutus by Hutu militias ( interahamwe), and some members of the
   Rwandan army — and of fierce fighting between the army (mostly Hutu)
   and Tutsi-dominated Rwandese Patriotic Front. Although damaged, the
   city's structure has recovered.

Geography

   Satellite image of Kigali
   Enlarge
   Satellite image of Kigali
   Graphic of Weather in Kigali
   Enlarge
   Graphic of Weather in Kigali

   The city is built in hilly country, sprawling across about four ridges
   and the valleys in between. The city centre is located on one of these
   ridges, with the main government area on another. The tops of the
   ridges have an average elevation of 1,600m (5,246ft) while the valleys
   are around 1,300m (4,270ft). The bigger houses and office buildings
   tend to be on the tops of the ridges, while the poorer people live in
   the valleys. The city is ringed most of the way round by higher hills,
   with some suburban sprawl rising up these. The highest of these is Mt.
   Kigali, with an elevation of 1,850m (6,075ft) above sea level.

Economy

   Tin ore ( cassiterite) is mined nearby, and the city built a smelting
   plant in the 1980s. Business in Rwanda is growing, and many new
   buildings are emerging across the city, including the BCDI tower and
   the Centenary House office block. Tourism and expatriate NGO workers
   provide important input into the economy also.

Transportation

   A row of minibus share taxis waiting to depart in Kigali, Rwanda
   Enlarge
   A row of minibus share taxis waiting to depart in Kigali, Rwanda

Airports

   Kigali International Airport
   Enlarge
   Kigali International Airport

   The city is home to an international airport, Kigali International
   Airport, with passenger connections daily to Nairobi and less
   frequently to Addis Ababa, Brussels, Bujumbura and Johannesburg. There
   are also weekly cargo flights to Amsterdam. There is also one domestic
   air route from Kigali, to Cyangugu in the far south-west. The airport
   is somewhat limited by its location on the top of a hill, and a brand
   new one is being considered in the Nyamata area, some 40km from Kigali.

International

   There are several daily coach services which depart from Kigali to
   destinations in East Africa. Most leave from the Nyabugogo bus station.
   These services include:
     * Jaguar Executive Coaches, which connects Kigali to Kampala, the
       Ugandan capital, via Gatuna or via Kayonza and Kagitumba.
     * Regional Coach Services, which runs services to Kampala (8 hours),
       Nairobi, Kenya (20 hours) and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (36 hours).
       These buses are usually air-conditioned.
     * Onatracom Express - a Rwandan government service using quite basic
       buses, running between Kigali and Kampala.
     * Yahoo Car Express - A minibus service running between Kigali and
       Bujumbura, Burundi.

   In addition the national express share taxi services to Gisenyi and
   Cyangugu often cross the DRC border to carry passengers to Goma and
   Bukavu respectively.

National

   Kigali is the hub of the Rwanda transport network, with hourly express
   bus routes to all major towns in the country. The major nationwide
   companies are Okapi Car, Atraco, Stella, Omega (minibuses), and
   Onatracom, which offers a big bus service, while Volcano Express (to
   Butare), Virunga Express (to Ruhengeri), Muhabura Express (to Ruhengeri
   and Gisenyi) serve specific destinations. There are also taxi minibus
   services ( matatus) leaving from Kigali, which also go through to the
   major towns, but which stop frequently along the route to pick people
   up and set them down. These services do not run to a fixed timetable,
   and one often has to wait an hour or more for them to fill up before
   departing.

Local

   Public transport within Kigali is exclusively by taxi minibus (
   matatu), with a number of different routes, connecting the main hubs of
   Mu Mujyi (the city centre), Nyabugogo, Kacyiru, Kimironko and Remera.
   Similar to the national taxi minibuses, these services wait to fill up
   before setting off from the terminus, then pick up and drop off
   frequently en route. Most routes within the city operate on a flat fare
   of 150 FRW (about US $0.25).

Private hire

   Kigali has many taxis (known as 'special hire' or 'taxi voiture'),
   which are generally white with an orange stripe down the side. Fares
   vary from 1000 FRW ($1.75) up to 2500 FRW ($4.50) for a journey right
   across the city. There are also motorbike taxis ('taxi moto'), which
   offer a service similar to a taxi, but for lower prices, typically in
   the range 200-1000 FRW.

Points of Interest

   The Mille Collines hotel
   Enlarge
   The Mille Collines hotel

   The city now has three international class hotels, built as part of the
   country's bid to increase tourism and better support business
   travellers:
     * The Mille Collines in the Kiyovu area. This hotel became a refugee
       centre during the genocide, as famously depicted in the film Hotel
       Rwanda (although the hotel shown in the film is in fact in South
       Africa). It is also the setting for the famous novel Un dimanche à
       la piscine à Kigali, by Quebecer Gil Courtemanche, and its movie
       adaptation Un dimanche à Kigali.
     * The Novotel Umumbano in the Kacyiru area. This was formerly a Le
       Meridien hotel, then known as Le Meridien Umumbano. It was bought
       by Novotel after the genocide.
     * The InterContinental Kigali. Formerly a Belgian-owned hotel, known
       then as Les Diplomates, this splendid and original Hotel was also -
       albeit briefly - portrayed in the second half of Hotel Rwanda. It
       was later bought by the InterContinental Hotels group, and
       extensively remodelled in 2003.

   There are also several memorials, museums, and centers dedicated to the
   Rwandan Genocide including the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre.

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kigali"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
