Rwanda

American

[roo-ahn-duh] / ruˈɑn də /

noun

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 British

/ rʊˈændə /

noun

Former name (until 1962): Ruanda. 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)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Rwanda Cultural

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.

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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 Word Forms

Rwandan

adjective

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Rwanda

A 65-year-old doctor has appeared in court, the first person in the UK to be charged over the genocide in Rwanda in 1994.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

Brown is a medical doctor who qualified in Rwanda in the 1980s.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

Rwanda confirmed in August it had opened "preliminary" talks on the subject with unnamed European countries.

From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026

The partner country or countries have not been disclosed, but Uganda and Rwanda in particular are seen as possibilities.

From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026

We picked a UN refugee camp near Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, where many of my people have been displaced due to conflict in Congo.

From "How Dare the Sun Rise" by Sandra Uwiringiyimana

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023