Kigali

Few people travel to Rwanda without passing through Kigali, the country’s largest and capital city. Located in the geographic centre of Rwanda, Kigali has been the economic and cultural hub since it became the capital in 1962.

Kigali was founded under German colonial rule in 1907. It was chosen as the country’s capital because of its central location after Rwanda achieved independence. Kigali came to international attention as a result of the Rwandan Genocide of 1994 which saw the slaughter of approximately one million Tutsi and moderate Hutu by Hutu militia as well as some members from the Rwandan army. The city was greatly affected by this tragedy but has worked hard to recover. The Kigali Memorial Centre opened on the tenth anniversary of the Rwandan Genocide and has been built on a site where over 250,000 people are buried.