 Usumbura's population exceeded 50,000 during the 1950s and was the mandate's only European-style city, while Kigali's population remained at around 6,000 until independence in 1962.Kigali become the capital upon Rwandan independence in 1962.Two other cities were considered – Nyanza, as the traditional seat of the "mwami", and the southern city of Butare (known as Astrida under the Belgians), due to its prominence as a centre of intellect and religion.