Rwanda

[ roo-ahn-duh ]

noun

1. a republic in central Africa, E of the Democratic Republic of the Congo: formerly comprising the N part of the Belgian trust territory of Ruanda-Urundi; became independent 1962. 10,169 sq. mi. (26,338 sq. km). : Kigali.

Rwanda

/ rʊˈændə /

noun

1. a republic in central Africa: part of German East Africa from 1899 until 1917, when Belgium took over the administration; became a republic in 1961 after a Hutu revolt against the Tutsi (1959); fighting between the ethnic groups broke out repeatedly after independence, culminating in the genocide of Tutsis by Hutus in 1994. Official languages: Kinyarwanda, English, French, and Swahili. Religion: Roman Catholic, African Protestant, Muslim, and animist. Currency: Rwanda franc. Capital: Kigali. Pop: 12 012 589 (2013 est). Area: 26 338 sq km (10 169 sq miles) Former name (until 1962)Ruanda

Rwanda

1. Republic in central Africa bordered by Uganda to the north, Democratic Republic of Congo to the west, Burundi on the south, and Tanzania on the east. Its capital is Kigali.

Notes

It has long been marked by ethnic strife between majority Hutus and dominant Tutsis. When its president died in a suspicious plane cash in 1994, Hutu militia massacred at least 500,000 Tutsis in an act of genocide .

Rwanda gained its independence from Belgium in 1962.

Other Words From

• Rwandan adjective noun

Example Sentences

In Rwanda, as we watched the young fathers hold their babies, we saw a contented look in their eyes.

From The Daily Beast

There were stories of distant strife, in Bosnia, Rwanda, and Northern Ireland, and those stories had the whiff of a different era.

From The Daily Beast

These formations streamed from Rwanda with the same hopeless shuffle as they did from Bosnia and now as they do from Syria.

From The Daily Beast

Who can watch the movie Hotel Rwanda and not wish it had a different outcome?

From The Daily Beast

This was in the wake of the genocidal Hutu-Tutsi war in neighboring Rwanda.

From The Daily Beast