| Eastern Province | |
| Native Name: | Intara y'Iburasirazuba |
| Settlement Type: | Province |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Rwanda |
| Parts Type: | Districts |
| Parts Style: | list |
| P1: | 1. Bugesera |
| P2: | 2. Gatsibo |
| P3: | 3. Kayonza |
| P4: | 4. Kirehe |
| P5: | 5. Ngoma |
| P6: | 6. Nyagatare |
| P7: | 7. Rwamagana |
| Seat Type: | Capital |
| Seat: | Rwamagana |
| Leader Title: | Governor |
| Leader Name: | Pudence Rubingisa (14 December 2023-) |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 9458 |
| Population Footnotes: | [2] |
| Population Total: | 3563145 |
| Population Urban: | 745935 |
| Population Rural: | 2817210 |
| Population As Of: | 2022 census |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Blank Name Sec1: | Other settlements |
| Blank Info Sec1: | Kibungo, Nyagatare, Nyamata, Gahini, Kabarore, Kagitumba |
| Blank Name Sec2: | HDI (2021) |
| Blank Info Sec2: | 0.526 [3] · 2nd of 5 |
Eastern Province (in Kinyarwanda: Intara y'Iburasirazuba; French: Province de l'Est; Dutch; Flemish: Oostelijke Provincie) is the largest, the most populous and the least densely populated of Rwanda's five provinces. It was created in early January 2006 as part of a government decentralization program that re-organized the country's local government structures.
It has seven districts: Bugesera, Gatsibo, Kayonza, Ngoma, Kirehe, Nyagatare and Rwamagana. The capital city of the Eastern Province is Rwamagana.
The Eastern Province comprises the former provinces of Kibungo and Umutara, most of Kigali Rural, and part of Byumba.
The Akagera National Park is situated is this province.
It is not known when the territory of present day Rwanda was first inhabited, but it is thought that humans moved into the area following the last ice age either in the Neolithic period, around ten thousand years ago, or in the long humid period which followed, up to around 3000 BC.[4] [5] Archaeological excavations have revealed evidence of sparse settlement by hunter gatherers in the late Stone Age, followed by a larger population of early Iron Age settlers, who produced dimpled pottery and iron tools.[6] [7] By the 17th century it is thought that most of Rwanda was inhabited, with a fairly even spread of population across the hills of the country.[8]
| Rank in Eastern Province Districts, 2012[9] | Rank in Rwanda Districts, 2012 | District | Population 15 August 2012 | Population, 15 August 2002 | Population Change 2002-2012 (%) | Population Density 2012 (km2) | Population Density Rank, Eastern Province 2012 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align = left | 466,944 | 255,104 | 83.0 | 243 | 6 | ||||
| align = left | 433,997 | 283,456 | 53.1 | 275 | 5 | ||||
| align = left | 363,339 | 266,775 | 36.2 | 282 | 4 | ||||
| align = left | 346,751 | 209,723 | 65.3 | 179 | 7 | ||||
| align = left | 340,983 | 235,109 | 44.0 | 390 | 2 | ||||
| align = left | 338,562 | 229,468 | 48.6 | 288 | 3 | ||||
| align = left | 310,238 | 220,502 | 40.7 | 455 | 1 | ||||
| Total | - | align = left | Eastern Province | 2,660,814 | 1,700,137 | 53.0 | 275 | - |