Kinyarwanda (, ), also known as
Rwanda (Ruanda) or
Rwandan, or in Uganda as
Fumbira, is the
official language of
Rwanda and a dialect of the
Rwanda-Rundi language spoken by 12 million people in Burundi and adjacent parts of southern
Uganda. (The
Kirundi dialect is the official language of neighboring
Burundi.)
Kinyarwanda is one of the three official languages of Rwanda (along with
English and
French), and is spoken by almost all of the native population. This contrasts with most modern African states, whose borders were drawn by
colonial powers and did not correspond to ethnic boundaries or pre-colonial kingdoms.
