Kigali is the capital city of the central African nation of Rwanda. It is located in almost the exact center of the country. The largest city in Rwanda, it had a population of nearly 1 million in 2009 and is the nations administrative, economic, and transportation hub. The city's population is 84 percent Hutu, 15 percent Tutsi, and and 1 percent Twa (Pygmy).
Kigali was founded in 1907 under German colonial rule. The traditional capital of Rwanda was the seat of the Rwandan king (mwame) at Nyanza, and the German colonial administrative center was at Butare, then called Astrida. However, when Rwanda gained independence in 1962, Kigali was chosen as the new capital because of its central location.
Kigali was the main location of the Rwandan Genocide in 1994. Beginning in April of that year, Hutu militias and some elements of the Rwandan army slaughtered nearly 1 million Tutsis and pro-peace Hutus. The city was heavily damaged in the fighting that ensued, but has since made a full recovery.