This map of Rwanda shows the capital, Kigali, the main cities, with national parks, rivers and international airports.
Neighbouring countries (land border): Burundi, Uganda, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania.
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Key: red star = capital ; blue dot = destination covered by a Destination de Voyage guide ; blue italic name = region or island with a guide ; grey dot = other city ; plane = international airport (IATA code) ; brown triangle = summit (elevation) ; green areas = national parks (green square = national park located by a point) ; thick orange line = expressway, light orange = main road ; black-and-white line = main railway ; grey dashes = regional boundaries ; blue = rivers and lakes ; shading = terrain ; grid = latitude and longitude.
Sources: base map, cities, roads, railways, airports, administrative boundaries, rivers, lakes and hillshading: Natural Earth 1:10m (public domain). National parks: Wikidata. Summits and elevations: Wikidata and Natural Earth. Places missing from Natural Earth: Wikipedia coordinates. Map produced by Destination de Voyage.
Regions and destinations on the map of Rwanda
| Region | Our guides | Other cities on the map |
|---|---|---|
| East | — | Kibungo |
| Kigali | — | Kigali |
| North | — | Ruhengeri |
| West | — | Gisenyi |
| South | — | Nyanza |
Straight-line distances between the main cities
Straight-line distances calculated from place coordinates (haversine formula). Actual journeys by road, rail, boat or plane are longer.
| Route | Straight-line distance |
|---|---|
| Kigali – Nyanza | 57 km (35 mi) |
| Kigali – Muhanga | 36 km (22 mi) |
| Kigali – Ruhengeri | 69 km (43 mi) |
| Kigali – Gisenyi | 93 km (58 mi) |
| Kigali – Butare | 80 km (50 mi) |
| Kigali – Byumba | 41 km (25 mi) |
| Kigali – Cyangugu | 141 km (88 mi) |
| Kigali – Kibuye | 79 km (49 mi) |
Terrain, national parks and airports
Main summits (elevations from Wikidata / Natural Earth): Mount Karisimbi (4,519 m / 14,826 ft), Bigugu (2,780 m / 9,121 ft), Kabuye (2,643 m / 8,671 ft), Mount Huye (2,278 m / 7,474 ft), Mount Kigali (1,852 m / 6,076 ft).
National parks shown (3): Nyungwe National Park, Akagera National Park and Volcans National Park.
International airports shown: GOM (Goma), KGL (Kigali).
Our guide
The 5 regions of Rwanda and what sets them apart
The Natural Earth base map divides Rwanda into 5 first-level subdivisions (type: Province). These are the grey dashed boundaries on the map. The table ranks them from largest to smallest, with the cities, the highest point and the international airports the map places in each.
| Region | Type | Area | Cities and guides | Highest point shown | Airport |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East | Province | 9,461 km² (3,653 sq mi) | Kibungo | — | — |
| West | Province | 6,059 km² (2,339 sq mi) | Gisenyi, Cyangugu, Kibuye | Mount Karisimbi (4,519 m / 14,826 ft) | GOM |
| South | Province | 5,818 km² (2,246 sq mi) | Nyanza, Muhanga, Butare, Gikongoro | Mount Huye (2,278 m / 7,474 ft) | — |
| North | Province | 3,240 km² (1,251 sq mi) | Ruhengeri, Byumba | Mount Karisimbi (4,519 m / 14,826 ft) | — |
| Kigali (capital) | Province | 727 km² (281 sq mi) | Kigali | Mount Jali (2,000 m / 6,562 ft) | KGL |
- Largest: East, about 9,461 km² (3,653 sq mi), or 37% of the mapped territory.
- Smallest: Kigali, about 727 km² (281 sq mi).
- Capital region: Kigali is in the Kigali subdivision.
- Highest region: West, home to Mount Karisimbi (4,519 m / 14,826 ft), the highest summit shown on the map.
- Air access: the international airports on the map are located in 2 of the 5 regions (West and Kigali).
How to read the map of Rwanda
- Extent: the mapped territory covers about 25,305 km² (9,770 sq mi), based on our calculation on the Natural Earth outline; Wikidata gives 26,338 km² (10,169 sq mi). It spans 2.83° S to 1.06° S in latitude and 28.86° E to 30.89° E in longitude, about 197 km (122 mi) north to south and 226 km (140 mi) west to east (bounding box, remote territories included).
- Outline: the perimeter of the territory on the map (land borders) measures about 822 km (511 mi). The simplified Natural Earth line smooths out small detours: the actual length of the borders is greater. Destination de Voyage calculation.
- Time zone (IANA tz database 2026b): Kigali:
Africa/Kigali(UTC+2, all year). - Terrain: shading shows the relief and brown triangles mark the summits. The highest shown are Mount Karisimbi (4,519 m / 14,826 ft), Muhavura (4,127 m / 13,540 ft), Sabyinyo (3,645 m / 11,959 ft), Gahinga (3,474 m / 11,398 ft), Bigugu (2,780 m / 9,121 ft). Wikidata gives Mount Karisimbi (4,507 m / 14,787 ft) as the highest point.
- Rivers (blue lines): Kagera (about 173 km / 107 mi traced within the territory), Rusizi. Lengths measured on the simplified Natural Earth line: Destination de Voyage calculation.
- Lakes named in Natural Earth: Kivu.
- National parks (green areas): 3 with their centre inside the territory, including Nyungwe National Park, Akagera National Park and Volcans National Park. Outlines from OpenStreetMap or position from Wikidata.
- International airports (plane icon): GOM (Goma, about 3.9 km / 2 mi from the centre of Gisenyi); KGL (Kigali, about 8.6 km / 5 mi from the centre of Kigali). Straight-line distances: Destination de Voyage calculation.
Distances between the main cities (cross table)
Straight-line distances between the capital, our destinations and the largest cities on the map, with the direction from the first city. Roads or ferries always add distance.
| Route | Straight-line distance | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| Kigali → Nyanza | 57 km (35 mi) | southwest |
| Kigali → Muhanga | 36 km (22 mi) | west |
| Kigali → Ruhengeri | 69 km (43 mi) | northwest |
| Kigali → Gisenyi | 93 km (58 mi) | west |
| Kigali → Butare | 80 km (50 mi) | southwest |
| Kigali → Byumba | 41 km (25 mi) | north |
| Nyanza → Muhanga | 31 km (19 mi) | north |
| Nyanza → Ruhengeri | 95 km (59 mi) | north |
| Nyanza → Gisenyi | 91 km (57 mi) | northwest |
| Nyanza → Butare | 27 km (17 mi) | south |
| Nyanza → Byumba | 93 km (58 mi) | northeast |
| Muhanga → Ruhengeri | 65 km (40 mi) | north |
| Muhanga → Gisenyi | 70 km (43 mi) | northwest |
| Muhanga → Butare | 58 km (36 mi) | south |
| Muhanga → Byumba | 64 km (40 mi) | northeast |
| Ruhengeri → Gisenyi | 46 km (29 mi) | southwest |
| Ruhengeri → Butare | 122 km (76 mi) | south |
| Ruhengeri → Byumba | 49 km (30 mi) | east |
Typical Rwanda itineraries from the map
- Our complete Rwanda guide: must-sees, detailed itineraries and budget
- When to go to Rwanda? Best time to visit and month-by-month climate
- To combine your trip with a neighbouring country: map of Uganda and map of Tanzania.
Frequently asked questions
What is the capital of Rwanda?
Kigali, marked by the red star on the map.
Which countries border Rwanda?
Countries sharing a land border: Burundi, Uganda, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania.
What is the highest summit shown on the map?
Mount Karisimbi, at an elevation of 4,519 m (14,826 ft) (source: Natural Earth).
Which international airports are on the map?
GOM (Goma), KGL (Kigali).
Where is Kigali on the map of Rwanda?
At 1.95° S, 30.06° E, marked by the red star, in the Kigali subdivision.
How many regions does Rwanda have?
Our map, based on Natural Earth, shows 5 first-level subdivisions (Province). Wikidata lists 5 entities of type “province of Rwanda” directly attached to the territory; the official division may differ from the map.
Where is Rwanda?
Continent: Africa (Wikidata). Rwanda lies in the southern hemisphere, east of the Greenwich meridian. Land borders: Burundi, Uganda, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania.
How large is Rwanda?
About 25,305 km² (9,770 sq mi) based on our calculation on the Natural Earth outline; Wikidata gives 26,338 km² (10,169 sq mi). The differences come from the precision of the coastline and inland waters.
Our sources
- Natural Earth 1:10m (public domain): country and subdivision boundaries, cities, airports, rivers, lakes, terrain, at naturalearthdata.com.
- Wikidata, item Q1037 (Rwanda): area, highest point, continent and subdivisions, accessed 23 October 2026.
- Wikidata: national park locations and summit elevations.
- Wikipedia (French edition): coordinates of places missing from Natural Earth.
- Destination de Voyage calculations: distances (haversine, radius 6,371 km / 3,959 mi), directions and areas (WGS84 ellipsoid, pyproj library).
- Our methodology
Updated November 2026.