Kingdom of Rwanda and “Tutsi” were socioeconomic, not ethnic, distinctions. In fact, one could "kwihutura", or “shed Hutuness”, by accumulating wealth and rising through the social hierarchy. Kingdom of Rwanda The Kingdom of Rwanda was a pre-colonial kingdom in East Africa beginning in c. 1081, which survived with some of its autonomy intact under German and Belgian colonial rule until its monarchy was abolished in the Rwandan Revolution. After a 1961 referendum, Rwanda became a republic and received its independence in 1962. In the 15th century, one chiefdom managed to incorporate several of its close neighbor territories establishing the Kingdom of Rwanda after
Wildlife of Rwanda Wildlife of Rwanda The wildlife of Rwanda comprising its flora and fauna, in prehistoric times, consisted of montane forest in one third the territory of present-day Rwanda. However, natural vegetation is now mostly restricted to the three National Parks and four small forest reserves, with terraced agriculture dominating the rest of the country. Rwanda is a landlocked country in Central Africa, bordered by Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, and Uganda. It measures in size, of which is land and is water. Its highest point is Volcan Karisimbi at , while it lowest point is the Rusizi River at