Western Province ( rw, Intara y'Iburengerazuba; french: Province de l'Ouest; nl, West-provincie) is one of Rwanda's five

provinces A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

. It was created in early January 2006 as part of a government decentralization program that re-organized the country's local government structures. Western Province comprises the former provinces of

Cyangugu Cyangugu (formerly Shangugu) is a city and capital of the Rusizi District in Western Province, Rwanda. The city lies at the southern end of Lake Kivu, and is contiguous with Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, but separated from it by th ...

Gisenyi Gisenyi, historically rendered as Kisenyi, is a city in Rubavu district in Rwanda's Western Province. Gisenyi is contiguous with Goma, the city across the border in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Overview The city features a resort on t ...

, Kibuye, and a small portion of

Ruhengeri Ruhengeri, also known as Musanze or Muhoza, is a city and capital of Musanze District in the Northern Province of Rwanda. Some sources now refer to the city itself as Musanze, after the district in which it lies within. This has to do with the a ...

. It is divided into the districts of

Karongi Karongi is a district (''akarere'') in Western Province, Rwanda. The capital being Rubengera, the district also contains Kibuye, the provincial capital and a major Rwandan lakeside resort. It is one of the districts with the least population de ...

, Nyabihu,

Rubavu Rubavu District is one of the seven districts of the country district (''akarere'') in Western Province, Rwanda. Its capital is Gisenyi, It has a large beach resort and border city. It has a total surface area of 388.3 Km2. Geography The dist ...

, Rusizi, Ngororero, Nyamasheke, and

Rutsiro Rutsiro is a district (''akarere'') in Western Province, Rwanda. Its headquarter is located in Gihango sector. About Rutsiro Rutsiro District is one of the seven Districts making up the Western Province , located 150 km the capital Kigali. I ...

. The capital city of Western Province is Kibuye.

Notes and references

External links

* Provinces of Rwanda Lake Kivu States and territories established in 2006 {{Rwanda-geo-stub