Mount Kigali or Mont Kigali in French, is a hill in
Kigali City
Kigali () is the capital and largest city of Rwanda. It is near the nation's geographic centre in a region of rolling hills, with a series of valleys and ridges joined by steep slopes. As a primate city, Kigali has been Rwanda's economic, cultu ...
,
Rwanda, after which the city was named. Mount Kigali is located directly West of the city center in
Nyarugenge District
Nyarugenge is a district (''akarere'') in Kigali Province, Rwanda. Its heart is the city centre of Kigali (which is towards the west of the urban area and the province), and contains most of the city's businesses.
Sectors
Nyarugenge distric ...
. The majority of Nyarugenge District is located on the slopes of Mont Kigali. The western slopes of Mount Kigali end in the valley of the river
Nyabarongo
The Nyabarongo (or Nyawarungu) is a major river in Rwanda, part of the upper headwaters of the Nile. With a total length of , it is the longest river entirely in Rwanda. It is extended in Lake Rweru including a upper course of Kagera River befo ...
. At a height of , along with the taller
Mont Jali at directly to its North, it dominates over other hills in the city as they rise between 1300 and 1600 m.
As a result, Mount Kigali offers expansive views of the entire city of Kigali to the east and north, the Southern Province to the west and south, and the Eastern Province to the east and south.
History
The history of Mount Kigali goes back to the 14th Century AD. Rwandan King Cyilima I Rungwe conquered the mountain and the areas surrounding it and looking at the sprawling land, he said: “''Burya iki gihugu ni Kigali”'' (This country is vast").
References
{{Reflist
Kigali
Mountains of Rwanda