And second, there are bananas that are cooked and taste similar to potatoes called igitoki (pronounced ih-gee-toh-key), much like plantains.
I was surprised to see what a banana tree looks like (view the photo included). I had never really thought about it and saw that bananas grow a bunch at a time!
They used to call Rwanda, Uganda and other East African countries "Banana Republics" since they grew them so easily, which I thought was a little funny.
Banana trees live everywhere in Rwanda! There are bananas trees in the backyard of my school, along the sides of the road, in the farmlands and even down in the valleys.
It seems that banana trees need to grow in really hot environments. The countries around the equator have a lot of bananas because the climate is perfect for growing them.
Deforestation could potentially harm the growth of banana trees across Rwanda. As Rwanda develops its city more, it must lose some of its farmlands and green spaces. Rwandans do have a law in place that does not allow for building in the valleys, as that decreases the amount of oxygen that can be put into the atmosphere for healthy plant life.
