Editing Geography of Rwanda (section)

==Major geographic features==
[[File:KageraRuvubu.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Kagera River|Kagera]] and [[Ruvubu River|Ruvubu]] rivers, part of the upper [[Nile]]|alt=Photograph of confluence of the Kagera and the Ruvubu, with the Rwanda-Tanzania border post in foreground, taken from a nearby hilltop]]
[[File:Rwanda2021OSM.png|thumb|left|Enlargeable, detailed map of Rwanda]]
The [[Congo-Nile Divide (Rwanda-Burundi)|watershed]] between the major [[Congo Basin|Congo]] and [[Nile Basin|Nile]] [[drainage basin]]s runs from north to south through Rwanda, with around 80 percent of the country's area draining into the Nile and 20 percent into the Congo via the Rusizi River.<ref>{{cite web|author=Nile Basin Initiative |year=2010 |title=Nile Basin Countries |author-link=Nile Basin Initiative |url=http://www.nilebasin.org/newsite/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=48%3Anbi-country-profiles&catid=35%3Anbi-country-profiles&Itemid=67&lang=en |access-date=2012-02-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314045831/http://www.nilebasin.org/newsite/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=48%3Anbi-country-profiles&catid=35%3Anbi-country-profiles&Itemid=67&lang=en |archive-date=2012-03-14 }}</ref> The country's longest river is the [[Nyabarongo River Wetlands|Nyabarongo]], which rises in the south-west, flows north, east, and southeast before merging with the [[Akanyaru River|Akanyaru]] to form the [[Kagera River|Kagera]]; the Kagera then flows due north along the eastern border with Tanzania. The Nyabarongo-Kagera eventually drains into [[Lake Victoria]], and its source in [[Nyungwe Forest]] is a contender for the as-yet undetermined overall [[Source (river or stream)|source]] of the [[Nile]].<ref>{{cite news |author=BBC News |date=2006-03-31 |title=Team reaches Nile's 'true source' |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/4864782.stm |access-date=2012-02-16}}</ref>

Rwanda has many lakes, the largest being [[Lake Kivu]]. This lake occupies the floor of the [[Albertine Rift]] along most of the length of Rwanda's western border, and with a maximum depth of {{convert|480|m|ft|0}},<ref>{{cite book |last=Jørgensen |first=Sven Erik |year=2005 |title=Lake and reservoir management |location=Amsterdam |publisher=Elsevier |isbn=978-0-444-51678-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pcJoaA85A48C |page=93}}</ref> it is one of the twenty [[List of lakes by depth|deepest lakes in the world]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Briggs |first1=Philip |last2=Booth |first2=Janice |year=2006 |title=Rwanda&nbsp;– The Bradt Travel Guide |edition=3rd |location=London |publisher=Bradt Travel Guides |isbn=978-1-84162-180-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L2Sq4S3P5fQC |page=153}}</ref> Other sizeable lakes include [[Lake Burera|Burera]], [[Lake Ruhondo|Ruhondo]], [[Lake Muhazi|Muhazi]], [[Lake Rweru|Rweru]], and [[Lake Ihema|Ihema]], the last being the largest of a string of lakes in the eastern plains of [[Akagera National Park]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Global Nature Fund |title=Lake Ihema |author-link=Global Nature Fund |url=http://www.globalnature.org/30036/LIVING-LAKES/National-Networks/Network-East-Africa/Ihema/02_vorlage.asp |access-date=2012-02-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140107053244/http://www.globalnature.org/30036/LIVING-LAKES/National-Networks/Network-East-Africa/Ihema/02_vorlage.asp |archive-date=2014-01-07 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Mountains dominate central and western Rwanda. These mountains are part of the Albertine Rift Mountains that flank the Albertine branch of the [[East African Rift]]. This branch runs from north to south along Rwanda's western border.<ref name="wwf">{{cite web|author=World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) |year=2001 |title=Terrestrial Ecoregions: Albertine Rift montane forests (AT0101) |author-link=World Wide Fund for Nature |url=https://secure.worldwildlife.org/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/at/at0101_full.html |access-date=2012-02-16 |location=Location and General Description |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041222014550/https://secure.worldwildlife.org/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/at/at0101_full.html |archive-date=2004-12-22 }}</ref> The highest peaks are found in the [[Virunga Mountains|Virunga]] volcano chain in the northwest; this includes [[Mount Karisimbi]], Rwanda's highest point, at {{convert|4507|m|ft|0}}.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mehta |first1=Hitesh |last2=Katee |first2=Christine |year=2005 |title=Virunga Massif Sustainable Tourism Development Plan |publisher=[[International Gorilla Conservation Programme]] (IGCP) |url=http://www.igcp.org/wp-content/themes/igcp/docs/pdf/VirungaTourismMasterPlan_%20Final%20Report.pdf |access-date=2012-02-16 |page=37 |archive-date=2014-03-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140304055030/http://www.igcp.org/wp-content/themes/igcp/docs/pdf/VirungaTourismMasterPlan_%20Final%20Report.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
[[File:A man walks through heavy rain under an umbrella in Kigali, Rwanda. Emmanuel Kwizera.jpg|thumb|left|Rain in Kigali (January 2020)]]
This western section of Rwanda, which lies within the [[Albertine Rift montane forests]] ecoregion,<ref name="wwf"/> has an elevation of {{convert|1500|to|2500|m|ft|0}}.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Munyakazi |first1=Augustine |last2=Ntagaramba |first2=Johnson Funga |year=2005 |title=Atlas of Rwanda |language=fr |location=Oxford |publisher=Macmillan Education |isbn=0-333-95451-3 |page=7}}</ref> The centre of the country is predominantly rolling hills, while the eastern border region consists of [[savanna]], plains and swamps.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Munyakazi |first1=Augustine |last2=Ntagaramba |first2=Johnson Funga |year=2005 |title=Atlas of Rwanda |language=fr |location=Oxford |publisher=Macmillan Education |isbn=0-333-95451-3 |page=18}}</ref>

Rwanda has a [[temperate]] [[Tropical climate|tropical highland]] climate, with lower temperatures than are typical for equatorial countries due to its high elevation.<ref name="state"/> Kigali, in the centre of the country, has a typical daily temperature range between {{convert|12|and|27|°C|°F}}, with little variation through the year.<ref>{{cite news |author=BBC Weather |title=Kigali |author-link=BBC Weather |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/forecast/782 |access-date=2012-02-16 |work=BBC News |location=Average Conditions}}</ref> There are some temperature variations across the country; the mountainous west and north are generally cooler than the lower-lying east.<ref>{{cite web |author=Best Country Reports |year=2007 |title=Temperature Map of Rwanda |publisher=World Trade Press |url=http://www.bestcountryreports.com/Temperature_Map_Rwanda.html |access-date=2012-02-16 |archive-date=2012-03-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310231145/http://www.bestcountryreports.com/Temperature_Map_Rwanda.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

There are two rainy seasons in the year. The first runs from February to June and the second from September to December. These are separated by two [[dry season]]s: the major one from June to September, during which there is often no rain at all, and a shorter and less severe one from December to February.<ref>{{cite book |last=King |first=David C. |year=2007 |title=Rwanda (Cultures of the World) |location=New York, N.Y. |publisher=Benchmark Books |isbn=978-0-7614-2333-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1yLx1zSuh_QC |page=10}}</ref> Rainfall varies geographically, with the west and northwest of the country receiving more precipitation annually than the east and southeast.<ref>{{cite book |last=Adekunle |first=Julius |year=2007 |title=Culture and customs of Rwanda |location=Westport, Conn. |publisher=[[Greenwood Press]] |isbn=978-0-313-33177-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g0FC40EQujwC |page=1}}</ref>