Butare, town and educational centre, southern Rwanda. Before Rwanda’s independence in 1962, the town was called Astrida. It consists of the traditional housing areas of Ngoma and Matyazo, the former colonial settlement, and a newer commercial section with a nearby airstrip. Butare, the third largest town in Rwanda, houses the National University of Rwanda, which was established in 1963, the National Museum, a teacher’s college, a national institute of scientific research, and a school of agriculture. Pop. (2002) 77,217.