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Nyanza

Nyanza is a place name used in East Africa, derived from Swahili for “lake region.” It is applied to several areas in Kenya and Rwanda, and the term generally denotes localities near large lakes or lake-adjacent regions.

In Kenya, Nyanza Province was a former administrative division in the western part of the country, surrounding

In Rwanda, Nyanza refers to a district in the Southern Province, with Nyanza Town as its capital.

Beyond specific administrative units, Nyanza as a term is used in various contexts to indicate lake-adjacent

See also: the broader use of lake-region toponyms in East Africa and the specific administrative histories

Lake
Victoria.
Its
capital
was
Kisumu.
Following
Kenya’s
2010
constitution
and
the
reorganization
into
a
system
of
47
counties,
Nyanza
Province
was
dissolved
in
2013,
and
its
territory
was
divided
among
six
new
counties:
Kisumu,
Siaya,
Homa
Bay,
Migori,
Kisii,
and
Nyamira.
The
area
is
known
for
its
lakeside
economy,
including
fishing
and
agriculture,
and
for
Kisumu,
a
regional
urban
center.
The
district
is
predominantly
rural,
with
agriculture
as
a
major
economic
activity,
and
sits
southwest
of
the
capital,
Kigali.
Nyanza
District
is
one
of
several
administrative
divisions
created
during
Rwanda’s
post-1990s
territorial
reorganizations.
lands
in
the
Great
Lakes
region,
reflecting
the
linguistic
association
of
the
name
with
lakes
and
lacustrine
landscapes.
of
Nyanza’s
Kenyan
and
Rwandan
forms.