Kigali Tourist

Kigali (Kinyarwanda: [kiɡɑɾí]) is the capital and largest city of Rwanda. It is near the nation’s geographic centre. The city has been Rwanda’s economic, cultural, and transport hub since it became capital at independence in 1962. The city hosts the main residence and offices of the President of Rwanda and government ministries.

The city is within the province of Kigali City, which was enlarged in January 2006, as part of local government reorganisation in the country. Kigali’s city limits cover the whole province; it is consolidated. The city’s urban area covers about 70% of the municipal boundaries.

The city of Kigali was founded in 1907 by German administrator and explorer Richard Kandt. Rwanda and neighbouring Burundi had been assigned to Germany by the Berlin Conference of 1884, and Germany established a presence in the country in 1897 with the formation of an alliance with the king, Yuhi V Musinga. Kandt arrived in 1899, exploring Lake Kivu and searching for the source of the Nile. When Germany decided in 1907 to separate the administration of Rwanda from that of Burundi, Kandt was appointed as the country’s first Resident.