Getting Oriented

At 26,338 square km (10,169 square miles), Rwanda encompasses 5 volcanoes, 23 lakes, and a spectacular assortment of wildlife. Biological diversity is concentrated in three national parks: Nyungwe National Park, which has the largest mountain rain forest in Africa; Volcanoes National Park, home to the critically endangered mountain gorillas; and Akagera National Park, the largest protected wetland in Central Africa.

Uganda, Rwanda's larger northern neighbor, spans 236,040 square km (146,675 square miles), with Kenya to the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and South Sudan to the north. "The Pearl of Africa" has 10 national parks, more than 1,000 species of birds, and 13 types of primates, including mountain gorillas.