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Eastern Province Intara y'Iburasirazuba | |
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| Coordinates:1°45′S30°30′E / 1.750°S 30.500°E /-1.750; 30.500 | |
| Country | Rwanda |
| Formed | 2006 |
| Capital | Rwamagana |
| Districts | |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Pudence Rubingisa (14 December 2023-) |
| Area | |
• Province | 9,458 km2 (3,652 sq mi) |
| Population (2022 census)[2] | |
• Province | 3,563,145 |
| • Density | 376.7/km2 (975.7/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 745,935 |
| • Rural | 2,817,210 |
| Time zone | UTC+02:00 (CAT) |
| ISO 3166 code | RW-02 |
| Other settlements | Kibungo,Nyagatare,Nyamata,Gahini,Kabarore,Kagitumba |
| HDI (2023) | 0.570[3] medium ·2nd of 5 |
| Website | https://www.easternprovince.gov.rw |
Eastern Province ( inKinyarwanda:Intara y'Iburasirazuba;French:Province de l'Est;Dutch:Oostelijke Provincie) is the largest, the most populous and the least densely populated ofRwanda's fiveprovinces. It was created in early January 2006 as part of a government decentralization program that re-organized the country's local government structures.
It has seven districts:Bugesera,Gatsibo,Kayonza,Ngoma,Kirehe,Nyagatare andRwamagana. The capital city of the Eastern Province isRwamagana.
The Eastern Province comprises the former provinces ofKibungo andUmutara, most ofKigali Rural, and part ofByumba.
TheAkagera National Park is situated is this province.
It is not known when the territory of present day Rwanda was first inhabited, but it is thought that humans moved into the area following thelast ice age either in theNeolithic period, around ten thousand years ago, or in thelong humid period which followed, up to around 3000 BC.[4][5] Archaeological excavations have revealed evidence of sparse settlement byhunter gatherers in the lateStone Age, followed by a larger population of earlyIron Age settlers, who produced dimpledpottery and iron tools.[4][6][7] By the 17th century it is thought that most of Rwanda was inhabited, with a fairly even spread of population across the hills of the country.[8]
| Rank inEastern Province Districts, 2012[9] | Rank in Rwanda Districts, 2012 | District | Population 15 August 2012 | Population, 15 August 2002 | Population Change 2002-2012 (%) | Population Density 2012 (km2) | Population Density Rank, Eastern Province 2012 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Nyagatare | 466,944 | 255,104 | 83.0 | 243 | 6 |
| 2 | 3 | Gatsibo | 433,997 | 283,456 | 53.1 | 275 | 5 |
| 3 | 9 | Bugesera | 363,339 | 266,775 | 36.2 | 282 | 4 |
| 4 | 10 | Kayonza | 346,751 | 209,723 | 65.3 | 179 | 7 |
| 5 | 13 | Ngoma | 340,983 | 235,109 | 44.0 | 390 | 2 |
| 6 | 15 | Kirehe | 338,562 | 229,468 | 48.6 | 288 | 3 |
| 7 | 26 | Rwamagana | 310,238 | 220,502 | 40.7 | 455 | 1 |
| Total | - | Eastern Province | 2,660,814 | 1,700,137 | 53.0 | 275 | - |
| Geographic | |
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| Other | |
