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Rwanda is located in Central Africa and is said to be "the heart of Africa". Bordered by Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda is about 10,000 square miles, and thus slightly larger than the size of Wales (8,000 square miles). The population of Rwanda of approximately 8 million people (around 3 times the population of Wales), makes it the most over-populated country, per square metre, in Africa. The ethnic mix of the population is approximately 15% Tutsi, 83% Hutu, and 2% Twa (Pigmy). 60% of the population is under 20 years old; of these, an estimated 400,000 are orphans, 20% of which head their household.

The flag has four colours: blue, green, and two shades of yellow. The blue band represents happiness and peace, the yellow band symbolizes economic development, the green band symbolizes the hope of prosperity and the sun represents enlightenment.

The flag was adopted in 2001 to represent national unity, respect for work, heroism, and confidence in the future.

The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass murder of an estimated 800,000 people. It was the culmination of longstanding ethnic competition and tensions between the minority Tutsi, who had controlled power for centuries, and the majority Hutu people, who had come to power in the rebellion of 1959 - 1962 and overthrown the Tutsi monarchy.

Genocide Memorial	Memorial Rose Garden

Vice-President of the NURC (National Unity and Reconciliation Commission), Mr Antoine Rurtayisire, said in 1999:  “Reconciliation is not just one of the many options for us Rwandese, it is rather a non-negotiable obligation; an obligation to give ourselves hope for our old age; an obligation to leave to our children a better Rwanda to grow and live in.”

Rwandan religion is mainly dominated by Christianity, with 65% of the total population being Roman Catholics and 9% being Protestant. After Christianity, the religious scenario is dominated by Muslims, which comprise of about 1% of the total population.

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Tourism is the main income resource in Rwanda, especially the National Park and the Virunga Park, with its unique gorillas and giraffes.

Rwanda is well known for its traditional dance, passed down from generation to generation.