Kigali -> Intro

Intro

 

Founded under German rule in 1907, the city Kigali became the capital only after Rwanda gained independence in 1962. It has a population of 330,000 (1997) and is located at 1° 57.245' S, 30° 3.570' E. The city nestles among hills and dales with the lower parts at roughly 4700 feet (1433 m), and the higher hills over 5400 feet (1645 m) in elevation. The city suffered a lot of damages from the Rwandan Genocide that began on April 7, 1994. It witnessed fierce fighting between the army (mostly Hutu) and Tutsi-dominated Rwandese Patriotic Front and the massacre of millions of Tutsis by Hutu militias and the Rwandan army.

Kigali is the commercial centre of Rwanda and has large deposits of Tin ore (cassiterite). The city built a smelting plant in the 1980s.