Introduction of Rwanda

 Introduction to Rwanda: 

Rwanda is the country I have chosen to learn about during my course in geology. It is located in Central Africa with Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo bordering it. Rwanda is known as the "land of a thousand hills," conducive to its mountainous terrain. The country's highest peak, Karisimbi, reaches nearly 15,000 ft among the Virunga Mountains, and at its lowest point sits the Rusizi River between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. As of 2024, Rwanda houses a population of 14,094,683 people which is steadily increasing at around 2% annually. 

Physical Map of Rwanda with state boundaries. It shows the physical features of Rwanda including terrain, major rivers, mountains, lakes, cities, and protected areas.

https://www.worldatlas.com/maps/rwanda

https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/rwanda-population/#:~:text=Rwanda%202023%20population%20is%20estimated,(and%20dependencies)%20by%20population.

https://www.britannica.com/place/Ruzizi-River

https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/geography/countries/article/rwanda#:~:text=Known%20as%20the%20“land%20of,the%20Congo%2C%20flow%20through%20Rwanda.


Differences between Natural Hazard, Disaster, and Catastrophe: 

A natural hazard is a naturally ocurrance that poses a threat to one’s life or property, a disaster happens in a shorter period of time and has specific criteria for deaths, number of people affected and requested assistance. While a catastrophe is a major event that negativley impacts a larger area for an extended period of time and takes a significant amount of funds and time to recover from being more significant than a natural hazard or disaster. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Volcanoes in Rwanda

Image
  This week we are going to be talking about Rwanda’s volcanoes and how the country minimizes their dangers. Rwanda is home to 5 volcanoes: Mount Muhabura, Mount Sabyinyo, Mount Karisimbi, Mount Bisoke and Mount Gahinga. All of these volcanoes are located inside of the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. Founded in 1925, it is the oldest national park in Africa where many tourists enjoy hiking and visiting these volcanoes.  In Rwanda, MINEMA ( Ministry in Charge of Emergency Management) has set protocols in place to help minimize risks for natural disasters throughout the country. This management agency has a published protocol that describes what to do incase of any national emergency: how to prepare for hazards, what to do in an emergency, and where to do/what to do after the fact.  Rwanda has not faced much volcanic activity of its own, but is still affected by the aftermath of volcanic activity in neighboring countries. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, there was a volcanic erupt
Read more

Rwanda's Earthquakes and Mitigations

Image
  Rwanda, being far from tectonic lines and ground movement, does not get a lot of earthquake action in its country. On average, Rwanda gets 12 earthquakes annually, with the strongest recorded at 5.9 magnitude (strongest in the last 10 years). In 2021, Rwanda had an outlier year with 34 earthquakes recorded that year. Rwanda’s most recent earthquake was recorded on Jan 19th, at a 4.5 magnitude. Although usually mind, Rwanda’s trend of earthquakes is rising in intensity and frequency which is why the Ministry in charge of Emergency Management (MINEMA) has a vision to, “ build a disaster resilient nation and ensure effective management of refugee affairs.” In Rwanda, the Ministry in Charge of Emergency Management (MINEMA) outlines a very clear order of direction for the country if a disastrous earthquake occurs. In this document they highlight all of the protocols for pre-earthquake preparation, protocols for during an earthquake, aftershocks, and how to respond after. They have also c
Read more