| Kigali | |
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  Kigali
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| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| Province | Kigali City |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Aisa Kirabo Kacyira |
| Population (2005) | |
| - City | 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. Central Africa Time, or CAT, is a time zone used in central and southern Africa. UTC+1 is used in the following locations Central European Time West Africa Time Western European Summer Time Daylight saving time ( DST UTC+1 is used in the following locations Central European Time West Africa Time Western European Summer Time The Republic of Rwanda (ruːˈændə or /rəˈwɑːndə/ in English ɾwanda or in Kinyarwanda is a small Landlocked country in the 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. Paul Kagame (born October 23, 1957) came to prominence as the leader of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF whose invasion of Rwanda is often cited as the 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. ImageRwanda Provinces 2006png|left|300px poly 211 66 216 74 223 76 230 102 262 85 306 169 296 177 277 166 247 178 241 188 209 179 193 160 176 155 172 127 167 123 140 119 131 107 153
Contents |
History
Kigali was founded in 1907 under German colonial rule, but did not become the capital until Rwandan independence in 1962. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Decolonization refers to the undoing of Colonialism, the establishment of governance or authority through the creation of settlements by another country or jurisdiction 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. Nyanza (also known as Nyabisindu) is a town located in Nyanza (district in the Southern Province of Rwanda. Butare is a city (population 77000 as of August 2002 in the South Province of Rwanda and capital of Huye district. 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 6, 1994, Kigali was the scene of the Rwandan Genocide — the slaughter of approximately one million Tutsi and moderate Hutu 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. Events 46 BC - Julius Caesar defeats Caecilius Metellus Scipio and Marcus Porcius Cato in the Battle of Thapsus Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass killing of hundreds of thousands of Rwanda 's minority Tutsis and the moderates of its Hutu majority The word million In standard English, the -lli- in million is pronounced with an l-sound followed by a The Tutsi are one of three native Peoples of the nations of Rwanda and Burundi in central Africa, the other two being the Twa The The The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary Citizens to provide defense emergency law enforcement or Paramilitary service The Interahamwe ( Kinyarwanda meaning "those who stand together" or "those who work together" or "those who fight together" or "those who attack The The Tutsi are one of three native Peoples of the nations of Rwanda and Burundi in central Africa, the other two being the Twa The Rwandan Patriotic Front (also translated as Rwandese Patriotic Front; or referred to as Patriotic Front of Rwanda) abbreviated as RPF (also often Although damaged, the city's structure has recovered
Geography and history
The city is built in hilly country, sprawling across about four ridges and the valleys in between. A ridge is a geological feature that features a continuous elevational crest for some distance 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. Tin is a Chemical element with the symbol Sn (stannum and Atomic number 50 Cassiterite is a Tin Oxide Mineral, SnO2. It is generally opaque but is translucent in thin crystals 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
Kigali is a relatively easy town to drive yourself around in if you have a car. Other transportation options are mini-vans, taxis and moto taxis. The minivans are jammed full of up to 18 people at any time and generally do not leave until completely full. They are cheap but inherently unsafe because of the overcrowding, bald tires, poor maintenance, and seeming lack of any sort of training by the drivers. Taxis are convenient if you are starting from the city center, but due to the lack of street names and/or addresses the taxis are hard, if not impossible, to call to pick you up from a residential area. They are also generally unavailable after 9PM or on Sundays. The cost to get almost anywhere in the city is about $8. Moto taxis are inexpensive but completely unsafe.
Airports
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. An airport is a location where Aircraft such as airplanes, Helicopters and blimps take off and land Kigali International Airport, formerly known as Gregoire Kayibanda International Airport, is the primary airport serving Kigali, the capital of Rwanda Nairobi (naɪˈroʊbɪ is the capital and largest city of Kenya. Addis Ababa (sometimes spelled Addis Abeba, the spelling used by the official Ethiopian Mapping Authority Amharic Brussels (Bruxelles pronounced; Brussel pronounced) officially the Brussels Capital-Region, is Bujumbura (ˌbuːdʒəmˈbuːrə is the Capital city of Burundi. Johannesburg ( Pronounced /jō-hān'ĭs-bûrg'/ is the largest city in South Africa. There are also weekly cargo flights to Amsterdam. Amsterdam (pronounced) is the capital and largest city of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland in the west There is also one domestic air route from Kigali, to Cyangugu in the far south-west. Cyangugu is a city and capital of the Rusizi district of West Province, Rwanda. 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. Kampala is the Capital city of Uganda. With a population of 1208544 (2002 it is the largest city in Uganda The Republic of Uganda is a Landlocked country in East Africa. Gatuna is a boarder town in the Kabale District of Uganda bordering Rwanda. Kayonza is a small town in Kayonza district, East Province, Rwanda.
- Regional Coach Services, which runs services to Kampala (8 hours), Nairobi, Kenya (24 hours) and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (36 hours). Nairobi (naɪˈroʊbɪ is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia to the north Somalia to the northeast Tanzania to the south Dar es Salaam (دار السلام "Abode of Peace" Dār as-Salām) formerly Mzizima, is the largest city in Tanzania. Tanzania ˌtænzəˈniːə officially the United Republic of Tanzania (Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya 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. Bujumbura (ˌbuːdʒəmˈbuːrə is the Capital city of Burundi. Burundi (buˈɾundi officially the Republic of Burundi, is a small country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa bordered by Rwanda
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. Gisenyi is a city in Rubavu district in the West Province of Rwanda. Cyangugu is a city and capital of the Rusizi district of West Province, Rwanda. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (République démocratique du Congo often referred to as DR Congo, DRC or RDC, and formerly known or referred to Goma is a City in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the northern shore of Lake Kivu, next to the Rwandan city of Gisenyi Bukavu is a city in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC lying at the extreme south-eastern extent of Lake Kivu, west of Cyangugu in
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 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 and follow a set schedule. Ruhengeri is a city in Musanze district in the North Province of Rwanda. Gisenyi is a city in Rubavu district in the West Province of Rwanda. There are also taxi minibus services (matatus) leaving from Kigali, which also go through to the major towns, but some of them stop frequently along the route to pick people up and set them down. Types of vehicle Share taxis come in various Vehicle types including Minibuses Midibuses covered Pickup trucks Station wagons Generally,these services run to a fixed timetable, however, in rare cases one would wait few minutes 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. Types of vehicle Share taxis come in various Vehicle types including Minibuses Midibuses covered Pickup trucks Station wagons 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 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. The Hôtel des Mille Collines is a large hotel in Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda. 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). Hotel Rwanda is a Historical drama film about the hotelier Paul Rusesabagina (played by Don Cheadle) during the Rwandan Genocide 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. A Sunday at the pool in Kigali (original French title Un dimanche à la piscine à Kigali) is the first Novel by Montreal author Quebec (kwɨˈbɛk A Sunday in Kigali (original French title Un dimanche à Kigali) is a 2006 Canadian feature film set during the Rwandan genocide
- The Novotel Umubano in the Kacyiru area. See Adam Green for the song of the same name Novotel is one of a number of hotel chains owned by the French hotel group Accor. This was formerly a Le Meridien hotel, then known as Le Meridien Umubano. Le Méridien is an international hotel brand with a European perspective formerly headquartered in the United Kingdom, with 130 properties It was bought by Novotel after the genocide.
- The KIGALI SERENA HOTEL Formerly InterContinental Kigali. InterConinental is a brand of upscale luxury Hotels originally founded by Pan Am, under Juan Trippe, and now owned by InterContinental Hotels Group Formerly a Belgian-owned hotel, known then as 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. The Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre, in Kigali, Rwanda, commemorates the Rwandan genocide in 1994.
Sister cities
Notes of interest
The city hosts since the We Are the Future center, a child care center giving children a chance to live their childhoods and develop a sense of hope. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The center is managed under the direction of the mayor’s office, and the international NGO Glocal Forum serves as the fundraiser and program planner and coordinator for the WAF child center in each city. Purpose The Glocal Forum was created in 2001 to emphasize the role of local authorities in the world governance system Each WAF city is linked to several peer cities and public and private partners to create a unique international coalition. Launched in 2004, the program is the result of a strategic partnership between the Glocal Forum, the Quincy Jones Listen Up Foundation and Mr. Quincy Delight Jones Jr (born March 14, 1933) also known as Q, is an American Music Impresario, conductor Hani Masri, with the support of the World Bank, UN agencies and major companies. The World Bank is an internationally supported Bank that provides financial and technical assistance to developing countries for development programs (e The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security
External links
- Satelite Image of Kigali from Google Earth.
- Kigali Independent University
- Website of Hotel Des Mille Collines
- Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre
- Kigali Public Library
- Photo tour of Kigali from RwandaTourism.com
- Kigali institute of Education
References
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