Flag of Rwanda

What the flag means

• 🔵Blue — happiness and peace
• 🟡Yellow — economic development
• 🟢Green — prosperity
• ☀️Golden sun — enlightenment and unity (avoiding the old colors)

Design set by: ⁨Itegeko Nshinga rya Repubulika y'u Rwanda ryo mu 2003 ryavuguruwe mu 2015, Ingingo ya 9; Itegeko n° 34/2008 ryo ku wa 08/08/2008⁩ · Adopted 2001

Highlights

• 🦍 Volcanoes Park gorillas
• ⛰️ "Land of a Thousand Hills"
• 🌳 Lush Nyungwe rainforest
• ✨ Clean, safe Kigali
• ☕ Fragrant Rwandan coffee

Quick facts

Region

Africa · Eastern Africa

Population

14,569,341 people (2025)

Area

26,338 km²

Capital

Kigali

Languages

Kinyarwanda, English

Currency

Rwandan franc (RWF)

Organizations

United Nations, African Union

Neighboring countries

• Burundi
• DR Congo
• Tanzania
• Uganda

Land neighbors, approximated from simplified map outlines.

Symbols in History (1)

Coats of arms and emblems whose historic seat lies within this country’s present-day territory.

• 

  Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Rwanda

  Kingdom of Rwanda, East Africa · Royal coat of arms

  OriginThese arms belonged to the Kingdom of Rwanda in its final years, around 1959 to 1962, as the country moved from Belgian trusteeship towards independence. In place of a shield they set the royal drum at the centre: in Kinyarwanda the word ingoma means both a drum and a reign, so the instrument itself stood for kingship. The picture seen here is a modern redrawing of that design.

  DescriptionA tall golden drum laced with vertical cords fills the centre, and on it sits a crown-like headdress of white fringes spread open like a fan above a band of dark blue and white beadwork, from which small beaded pendants hang over the drum's rim. A golden lion with a brown mane rears on the left, a grey crowned crane raises its golden crest on the right, and a gold chain loops around the drum between them. The upper scroll reads INGOMA Y'U RWANDA, the drum of Rwanda, and the lower one carries the kingdom's motto, IMBAGA Y'INYABUTATU IJYAMBERE. Over the middle of that lower scroll a green laurel wreath encircles the royal monogram, an ornate gold K with a small V beside it. Two gold stars flank the headdress, while a blue enamelled cross and, beneath it, a third star hang below the scroll.

  Image source: Wikimedia Commons — Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Rwanda (1959-1962).svg · Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 · HappyHeraldist