subject: Why Rwanda is Developing Fast [print this page] Rwanda is a landlocked country nicknamed as the Land of a Thousand Hills. It's located in the Great Lakes Region of eastern-central Africa. The country's neighbors include Burundi, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania. The country has been the center of focus since the 1994 genocide that killed around 800,000 people. Since then the country has made major recoveries and embraced peace. It recently held peaceful elections where President Paul Kagame took the helm to steer the country again. Rwanda is one of the nations in Africa that are developing very fast. The country has a cool climate due to its high elevation and it's very close to the equator. It has a wonderful terrain that consists of grassy uplands and wonderful rolling hills. These natural resources support the wildlife, upgrading the tourism sector to be the biggest economic pacesetter. The country has an international repute of conserving the endangered Mountain Gorilla species that are situated in the Volcanoes National Park. Other primates include chimpanzees and Ruwenzori Columbus found in Nyungwe forest. Rwanda has other wonderful sites to explore like Lake Kivu and Akagera Game Reserve found on the eastern part of the country. The tourism sector has not been dampened by the last genocide, but the country can now boast as a safe tourist destination. As of 2008 over one million people had visited the country. On the same year, the country earned US$214 from the tourism sector alone. The country also performs quite well in the agricultural sector. Its major exports include coffee, tea, pyrethrum, sorghum, beans, potatoes and bananas. Coffee and tea are the major cash crops for export.
