Summary
Rwanda. The very name evokes troubling images of unparalleled violence, senseless human atrocities, and genocide. The country is best known as the scene for one of the world’s worst ethnic-based conflicts. Approximately 1 million people were killed in 100 days in 1994, and millions more fled the country, while the world looked on passively, watching the daily carnage of human butchery on television. Rwanda is a tiny, landlocked country about the size of Maryland, but has many names. Due to its mostly hilly terrain, it has been called the “Land of a Thousand Hills.” Early European travelers admiring Rwanda’s natural beauty called the country the “Pearl of Africa.” Others called it the “Switzerland of Africa” for its mountainous terrain. Native Rwandans have an even more profound name—"Rwanda Nziza," meaning "beautiful Rwanda." These many names capture different aspects of the incredible variety of natural beauty that is Rwanda. Featuring full-color photographs and maps, Rwanda explores the history, culture, geography, economy, and government of this African nation.
Specifications
Full-color photographs and maps. Facts at a glance. History at a glance. Bibliography. Further reading. Index.
About the Author(s)
Joseph R. Oppong is associate professor of geography at the University of North Texas in Denton and a native of Ghana. He is the author of Chelsea House’s Ghana, Kenya, and Democratic Republic of the Congo in the Modern World Nations series and Africa South of the Sahara found in the Modern World Cultures set.