Geography and Climate
M
ountains dominate central and
western Rwanda; these mountains
are part of the East African Rift Valley.
The highest peak which is also Rwanda’s
highest point is Mount Karisimbi. The
temperature average 24-27° C (generally
30° C in the daytime and minimum 15° C
at night, though often much colder in the
mountains where snow and frost occur).
Visit Nyungwe Forest if you would like to
experience “winter” in tropical Africa. The
rainfall averages 900-1,600 mm per pa.
Rainy seasons are normally February to
April, November to January although there
have been some weather pattern changes
recently. The vegetation ranges from dense
equatorial forest in the Southwest to tropical
savannah in the east. Economically Rwanda
largely produces tea, coffee, sugar, fish and
cut flowers. It also has natural resources of
such as tin, gold, natural gas and tanzanite.
Being in the Albertan region there is a
likelihood of other natural resources that
may be in the interest of investors.
Currency
T
he national currency is Rwandan Franc (RWF). As at the end of February 2014, 1 US
Dollar (USD) was equivalent to Frw 689. The smallest-value note is a 500 RWF note,
which is the smallest note in physical size, as well. There are also notes in denominations
of 1,000, 2,000, and 5,000 RWF, with the larger notes becoming slightly larger in physical
size. There are no notes over 5,000 RWF. Since few places in Rwanda accept credit cards,
travelers need to carry cash if traveling outside of Kigali, especially if staying longer than a
few days. The smallest value coin is 1 RWF. However the commonly used smallest value coin
is 100 RWF. It is common for most businesses in Rwanda, including currency exchangers
and gas stations, to round transactions to the nearest 100 RWF. There are ATMs all over
Kigali, in every bank branch. Depending on your bank, this can be a much cheaper way to
get francs because the ATMs use a much better exchange rate than currency exchanges.
www.theeye.co.rw
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