Territory of Ruanda-Urundi | |||||||||||
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| 1916-1962 | |||||||||||
Ruanda-Urundi (dark green) depicted within the Belgian colonial empire (light green), c. 1935 | |||||||||||
| Status | Mandate of Belgium | ||||||||||
| Capital | Usumbura | ||||||||||
| Common languages | French (official) Also: Kinyarwanda, Kirundi and Swahili | ||||||||||
| Religion | Catholicism Also: Protestantism, Islam and others | ||||||||||
| Membership | Kingdom of Rwanda Kingdom of Burundi | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
• Belgian invasion | April 1916 | ||||||||||
• Mandate created | 20 July 1922 | ||||||||||
• Administrative merger with Belgian Congo | 1 March 1926 | ||||||||||
• Mandate becomes Trust Territory | 13 December 1946 | ||||||||||
• Rwanda gains autonomy | 18 October 1960 | ||||||||||
• Burundi gains autonomy | 21 December 1961 | ||||||||||
• Independence | 1 July 1962 | ||||||||||
| Currency | Belgian Congo franc (1916–60) Ruanda-Urundi franc (1960–62) | ||||||||||
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| Today part of | |||||||||||
Ruanda-Urundi was a part of German East Africa. Belgian troops invaded during World War I. The military occupation lasted from 1916 to 1924 when the territory came under Belgian rule. In 1964 it became the independent states of Rwanda and Burundi.