Kigali
Capital of Rwanda, 80 km/50 mi east of Lake Kivu, and just south of the Equator; population (2001 est) 327,700. It is an important centre for trade in local produce, including coffee, cattle, cassiterite (tin ore), and tungsten. Manufacturing industries include textiles, chemicals, tin-processing, paints, and cigarettes.
History
Kigali was part of German East Africa 1890–1916, when it was captured by allied forces during World War I. As part of the former Ruanda-Urundi territory, it came in trust under Belgian control 1919–62, when the independent states of Rwanda and Burundi were created. Kigali was heavily involved in ethnic violence between the Hutu and Tutsi peoples in 1994, and in July of that year was bombarded before being captured by the Tutsis. As a result the population of the city decreased by over 100,000.
| Kigali is served by an international airport, and is connected by trunk roads to Uganda to the north and Burundi to the south. It is home to a technical college. |
