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Kigali, Rwanda
Located in Rwanda’s heartland, Kigali City comprises
of three districts: Gasabo, Kicukiro and Nyarugenge.
Founded in 1907, the City of Kigali serves as the country’s
capital, business hub and the principal gateway
to the rest of the country (REMA 2011; Kigali City
Council 2013). The population of Kigali City grew from
34,319 in 1960 to close to 1.13 million in 2010 (REMA
2011; National Institute of Statistics Rwanda 2012).
Improvements to garbage collection, the enforcement of
a ban on plastic bags, the upgrading of public transport
and sewage systems and the beautification of Kigali’s
streets, has transformed the city into one of the cleanest
in Africa (UN Habitat 2008). The Landsat images illustrate
the rapid expansion of the built up area, as well as the
growth in population density, between 1972 and 2015.
The city has encroached on to land previously used for
agriculture and forestry.