| Official Name: | Nyamata city |
| Settlement Type: | Town and sector |
| Pushpin Map: | Rwanda |
| Pushpin Label Position: | bottom |
| Pushpin Mapsize: | 300 |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Rwanda |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Rwanda |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Eastern Province |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Name2: | Bugesera District |
| Leader Title: | Mayor: Lois Rwagaju |
| Area Total Km2: | 95 |
| Population As Of: | 2022 census |
| Population Footnotes: | [1] |
| Population Total: | 81480 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Urban: | 65107 |
| Population Blank1 Title: | Ethnicities |
| Population Blank2 Title: | Religions |
| Coordinates: | -2.1483°N 30.0907°W |
| Elevation M: | 1340 |
| Blank Name: | Climate |
| Blank Info: | Aw |
Nyamata is a town and sector in the Bugesera District, southeastern Rwanda. Nyamata literally means 'place of milk' from the two Kinyarwanda words nya- 'of' and amata 'milk'.[2] It is the location of the Nyamata Genocide Memorial, commemorating the Rwandan genocide of 1994.
It is not well known what happened in the region before 1900.[3] The area was originally part of the Kingdom of Bugesera, but was conquered by Rwanda in the late 19th century. In March 1992, the town and its surroundings were the site of anti-Tutsi massacres.
Nyamata is located in Bugesera District, Eastern Province, directly south of Kigali, the national capital and the largest city in the country. Its location is about 39km (24miles), by road, south of Kigali.[4]
Nyamata is a small town in Bugesera District, Rwanda. Since 2017, a new airport, Bugesera International Airport, is under construction, with the first phases expected to be completed in 2019.[5]
The town is the location of Nyamata Genocide Memorial, commemorating the Rwandan genocide of 1994. Located at the site where Nyamata Parish Catholic Church once stood, the memorial contains the remains of over 45,000 genocide victims, almost all of whom were Tutsi, including over 10,000 who were massacred inside the church itself.[2] [6]
According to the national population census of 15 August 2012, the population of Nyamata city consisted of 17,076 people.[7] As of 2022, it was confirmed that the numbers have since then grown to 65,107 people, making it the sixth largest town in Rwanda.[8]
Nyamata has developed into a busy town with lots of infrastructures and facilities like churches, hotels and factories.[9]
The following points of interest lie within the town limits or close to the edges of town: