Kigali, population 330,000 (1997), is the capital of Rwanda. Tin ore (cassiterite) is mined nearby, and the city built a smelting plant in the 1980s.

Founded in 1907 under German colonial rule, Kigali was made the capital when Rwanda gained independence in 1962. Starting on April 7, 1994, it was the scene of the Rwandan Genocide — the slaughter of approximately one million Tutsis by Hutu militias and the Rwandan army — and of fierce fighting between the army (mostly Hutu) and Tutsi-dominated Rwandese Patriotic Front

Kigali's location is at 1° 57.245' S, 30° 3.570' E.

It is built in hilly country, with the lower parts at roughly 4700 feet (1433 m), and the higher hills over 5400 feet (1645 m) in elevation.