Rwanda has many lakes. The largest, Lake Kivu, is located in the midst of the volcanic peaks in the Virunga Mountains and forms part of the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The lake has a surface area of 2,665 square kilometers (1,025 square miles) and reaches a maximum depth of 475 meters (1,558 feet).
Despite government efforts Rwanda has one of the highest repetition efforts even in Africa, and no doubt ongoing sectarian violence has contributed to this. The school language of instruction is Kinyarwanda at primary level, and then French and English thereafter, and at University too. The period spent at primary school is nominally 6 years.
The culture of Rwanda is varied. Unlike many countries in Africa, Rwanda has been a unified state since precolonial times, populated by the Banyarwanda people who share a single language and cultural heritage.