Back to photostream

Rwanda / Ruanda

known as the Land of a Thousand Hills, is a landlocked country located in the Great Lakes region of eastern-central Africa, bordered by Uganda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania.

Although close to the equator, the country has a cool temperate climate due to its high elevation. The terrain consists mostly of grassy uplands and gently rolling hills. Abundant wildlife, including rare mountain gorillas, have resulted in tourism becoming one of the biggest sectors of the country's economy.

Rwanda has received considerable international attention due to its 1994 genocide, in which an estimated 800,000 people were killed. Since then the country has made a recovery and is now considered as a model for developing countries. In 2009 a CNN report labeled Rwanda as Africa's biggest success story, having achieved stability, economic growth (average income has tripled in the past ten years) and international integration.The government is widely seen as one of the more efficient and honest ones in Africa. Fortune magazine published an article recently titled "Why CEOs Love Rwanda." The capital, Kigali, is the first city in Africa to be bestowed with the Habitat Scroll of Honor Award in the recognition of its "cleanliness, security and urban conservation model." In 2008, Rwanda became the first country to elect a national legislature in which a majority of members were women. Rwanda is, as of November 2009, a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, making the country one of only two in the Commonwealth without a British colonial past.

 

History

Please go to

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Rwanda

 

Geography

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Rwanda

 

Other info

Oficial Name:

Republika y'u Rwanda

 

Independence:

July 1, 1962

 

Area:

26.338 km2

 

Inhabitants:

7.500.000

 

Languages:

English [eng] 300 in Rwanda (2004). Classification: Indo-European, Germanic, West, English

More information.

 

French [fra] 2,300 in Rwanda (2004). Classification: Indo-European, Italic, Romance, Italo-Western, Western, Gallo-Iberian, Gallo-Romance, Gallo-Rhaetian, Oïl, French

More information.

 

Rwanda [kin] 6,491,700 in Rwanda (1998). Population total all countries: 7,275,292. Also spoken in Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda. Alternate names: Ruanda, Kinyarwanda, Ikinyarwanda, Orunyarwanda, Urunyaruanda. Dialects: Igikiga (Kiga, Tshiga), Bufumbwa, Hutu (Lera, Ululera, Hera, Ndara, Shobyo, Tshogo, Ndogo), Rutwa (Twa). Intelligible with Rundi. Classification: Niger-Congo, Atlantic-Congo, Volta-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantoid, Southern, Narrow Bantu, Central, J, Rwanda-Rundi (J.60)

 

Capital city:

Kigali

 

Meaning country name:

From the name of the people Vanyaruanda, a word of unknown origin, but obviously cognate to the name of Rwanda. Also known fondly as "Land of a Thousand Hills" (Pays des milles collines).

 

Description Flag:

The new flag of Rwanda was adopted on October 25, 2001.

The flag has four colours: blue, green, and two forms of yellow (standard yellow for the middle band and what the Pantone system calls "sun yellow" for the sun); the difference between the two yellows is barely noticeable.

The blue band represents happiness and peace, the yellow band symbolizes economic development, and the green band symbolizes the hope of prosperity. The sun represents enlightenment.

The flag was designed by Alphonse Kirimobenecyo

 

Coat of arms:

The current Coat of arms of Rwanda was restyled in 2001 to match the color scheme of the new national flag. The text reads "Republic of Rwanda-Unity, Work, Patriotism" in Kinyarwanda. The central tribal devices are surmounted on a cog wheel and encircled by a square knot.

The previous arms dated from the 1960s-the colors green, yellow and red represented peace; the nation's hope for future development; and the people. The arms and the flag itself were changed because they had become associated with the brutality of the Rwandan Genocide.

 

Motto:

" Ubumwe, Umurimo, Gukunda Igihugu "

 

National Anthem: Rwanda Nziza

 

KINYARWANDA LYRICS

 

Rwanda nziza gihugu cyacu

Wuje imisozi, ibiyaga n'ibirunga

Ngobyi iduhetse gahorane ishya.

Rekatukurate tukuvuge ibigwi

Wowe utubumbiye hamwe twese

Abanyarwanda uko watubyaye

Berwa, sugira, singizwa iteka.

 

Horana Imana murage mwiza

Ibyo tugukesha ntibishyikirwa:

Umuco dusangiye uraturanga

Ururimi rwacu rukaduhuza

Ubwenge, umutima, amaboko yacu

Nibigukungahaze bikwiye

Nuko utere imbere ubutitsa.

 

Abakurambere b'intwari

Bitanze batizigama

Baraguhanga uvamo ubukombe

Utsinda ubukoroni na mpatsebihugu

Byayogoje Afurika yose

None uraganje mu bwigenge

Tubikomeyeho uko turi twese.

 

Komeza imihigo rwanda dukunda

Duhagurukiye kukwitangira

Ngo amahoro asabe mu bagutuye

Wishyire wizane muri byose

Urangwe n'ishyaka, utere imbere

Uhamye umubano n'amahanga yose

Maze ijabo ryawe riguhe ijambo.

 

FRENCH LYRICS

 

Rwanda, notre beau et cher pays

Paré de collines, de lacs et de volcans

Mère patrie, sois toujours comblée de bonheur

Nous tous tes enfants : Abanyarwanda

Chantons ton éclat et proclamons tes hauts faits

Toi, giron maternel de nous tous

Sois à jamais admiré, prospère et couvert d’éloges.

 

Précieux héritage, que Dieu te protège

Tu nous as comblé de biens inestimables

Notre culture commune nous identifie

Notre unique langue nous unifie

Que notre intelligence, notre conscience et nos forces

Te comblent de richesses diversifiées

Pour un développement sans cesse renouvelé.

 

Nos valeureux aïeux

Se sont donnés corps et âmes

Jusqu’à faire de toi une grande nation

Tu as eu raison du joug colonialo-impérialiste

Qui a dévasté l’Afrique tout entière

Et te voici aise de ton indépendance souveraine

Acquis que sans cesse nous défendrons.

 

Maintiens ce cap, Rwanda bien-aimé

Debout nous nous engageons pour toi

Afin que la paix règne dans tout le pays

Que tu sois libre de toute entrave

Que ta détermination engage le progrès

Qu’excellent tes relations avec tous les pays

Et qu’enfin ta fierté te vaille estime.

 

ENGLISH TRANSLATION

 

Rwanda, our beautiful and dear country

Adorned of hills, lakes and volcanoes

Motherland, would be always filled of happiness

Us all your children: Abanyarwanda

Let us sing your glare and proclaim your high facts

You, maternal bosom of us all

Would be admired forever, prosperous and cover of praises.

 

Invaluable heritage, that God protects to you

You filled us priceless goods

Our common culture identifies us

Our single language unifies us

That our intelligence, our conscience and our forces

Fill you with varied riches

For an unceasingly renewed development.

 

Our valorous ancestors

Gave themselves bodies and souls

As far as making you a big nation

You overcame the colonial-imperialistic yoke

That has devastated Africa entirely

And has your joy of your sovereign independence

Acquired that constantly we will defend.

 

Maintain this cape, beloved Rwanda,

Standing, we commit for you

So that peace reigns countrywide

That you are free of all hindrance

That your determination hires progress

That you have excellent relations with all countries

And that finally your pride is worth your esteem.

 

Internet Page: www.gov.rw

www.republicofrwanda.com

www.rwandatourism.com

www.rwandagateway.org

 

Rwanda in diferent languages

 

eng | afr | bre | cat | ces | cor | cym | dan | fra | hat | jav | jnf | lin | mlt | nld | nor | oci | pol | que | rup | slk | sme | swa | swe | wln | zza: Rwanda

ast | dsb | eus | fao | fin | gla | glg | hrv | hsb | hun | ina | ita | lat | lav | lit | lld | roh | ron | scn | slv | smg | spa | sqi | srd | tet | tur: Ruanda

aze | bos | crh | kaa | mol | slo | tuk | uzb: Ruanda / Руанда

arg | est | por | vor: Ruanda; Rwanda

deu | ltz | nds: Ruanda / Ruanda

frp | nrm: Rouanda

kin | run: Urwanda

bam: Uruwanda

epo: Ruando

fry: Rûanda

fur: Ruande

gle: Ruanda / Ruanda

glv: Rooandey

hau: Ruwanda

ind: Ruwanda / رواندا

isl: Rúanda

kmr: Rûanda / Р’уанда / ڕووئاندا

kur: Rûanda / رووئاندا

mlg: Roanda

msa: Rwanda / رواندا

rmy: Rwanda / र्वान्दा

smo: Ruanata

som: Ruwaanda; Ruwaandha

vie: Ru-an-đa

vol: Ruandän

wol: Ruwandaa

abq | alt | bul | che | chm | kir | kjh | kom | krc | kum | mkd | mon | rus | tyv | udm | ukr: Руанда (Ruanda)

bak | bel | srp | tat: Руанда / Ruanda

chv: Руандӑ (Ruandă)

kaz: Руанда / Rwanda / رۋاندا

kbd: Руандэ (Ruandă)

oss: Руандӕ (Ruandä)

tgk: Руанда / روؤنده / Ruanda

ara: رواندا (Ruwāndā)

fas: روآندا / Ruândâ; رواندا / Ruvândâ

prs: رواندا (Rūāndā)

pus: رواندا (Rūāndā); روندا (Ruwandā)

uig: رۇئاندا / Ruanda / Руанда

urd: روانڈا (Rūānḋā)

div: ރުވާންޑާ (Ruvānḋā)

heb: רואנדה (Rûʾandah)

lad: רואנדה / Ruanda

yid: רואַנדאַ (Ruanda)

amh: ሩዋንዳ (Ruwanda)

ell: Ρουάντα (Royánta)

hye: Ռուանդա (Ṙouanda)

kat: რუანდა (Ruanda)

hin: रवांडा (Ravāṁḍā); रूआण्डा (Rūāṇḍā)

ben: রুয়ান্ডা (Ruyānḍā)

pan: ਰਵਾਂਡਾ (Rvā̃ḍā)

kan: ರ್ವಾಂಡ (Rvāṁḍa)

mal: റുവാണ്ട (Ṟuvāṇṭa)

tam: ருவாண்டா (Ruvāṇṭā)

tel: రవాండా (Ravāṁḍā)

zho: 盧安達/卢旺达 (Lúwàngdá)

jpn: ルワンダ (Ruwanda)

kor: 르완다 (Reuwanda)

mya: ရဝမ္ဒာ (Ẏáwãda)

tha: รวันดา (Rawândā)

khm: រវ៉ាន់ដា (Rovandā); រ្វ៉ាន់ដា (Rvandā)

 

82,505 views
5 faves
4 comments
Uploaded on March 11, 2010