Rwanda, a landlocked country in east-central Africa, has an area of 26,338 sq km (10,170 sq mi), extending 248 km (154 mi) NE – SW and 166 km (103 mi) SE – NW . Comparatively, the area occupied by Rwanda is slightly smaller than the state of Maryland. It is bordered on the N by Uganda, on the E by Tanzania, on the S by Burundi, and on the W and NW by the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DROC—the former Zaire), with a total boundary length of 893 km (555 mi).
Rwanda's capital city, Kigali, is located near the center of the country.