World Facts Index
 In
1959, three years before independence from Belgium, the majority ethnic group,
the Hutus, overthrew the ruling Tutsi king. Over the next several years,
thousands of Tutsis were killed, and some 150,000 driven into exile in
neighboring countries. The children of these exiles later formed a rebel group,
the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), and began a civil war in 1990. The war, along
with several political and economic upheavals, exacerbated ethnic tensions,
culminating in April 1994 in the genocide of roughly 800,000 Tutsis and moderate
Hutus. The Tutsi rebels defeated the Hutu regime and ended the killing in July
1994, but approximately 2 million Hutu refugees - many fearing Tutsi retribution
- fled to neighboring Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zaire. Since then, most of
the refugees have returned to Rwanda, but several thousand remained in the
neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC; the former Zaire) and formed
an extremist insurgency bent on retaking Rwanda, much as the RPF tried in 1990.
Despite substantial international assistance and political reforms - including
Rwanda's first local elections in March 1999 and its first post-genocide
presidential and legislative elections in August and September 2003 - the
country continues to struggle to boost investment and agricultural output, and
ethnic reconciliation is complicated by the real and perceived Tutsi political
dominance. Kigali's increasing centralization and intolerance of dissent, the
nagging Hutu extremist insurgency across the border, and Rwandan involvement in
two wars in recent years in the neighboring DRC continue to hinder Rwanda's
efforts to escape its bloody legacy.
Geography of Rwanda
|
Location:
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Central Africa, east of
Democratic Republic of the Congo |
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Coordinates:
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2 00 S, 30 00 E |
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Area:
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total: 26,338 sq km
water: 1,390 sq km
land: 24,948 sq km |
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Area comparative:
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slightly smaller than
Maryland |
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Land boundaries:
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total: 893 km
border countries: Burundi 290 km, Democratic Republic of the
Congo 217 km, Tanzania 217 km, Uganda 169 km |
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Coastline:
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0 km (landlocked) |
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Climate:
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temperate; two rainy
seasons (February to April, November to January); mild in mountains with
frost and snow possible |
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Terrain:
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mostly grassy uplands and
hills; relief is mountainous with altitude declining from west to east |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Rusizi
River 950 m
highest point: Volcan Karisimbi 4,519 m |
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Natural resources:
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gold, cassiterite (tin
ore), wolframite (tungsten ore), methane, hydropower, arable land |
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Natural hazards:
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periodic droughts; the
volcanic Virunga mountains are in the northwest along the border with
Democratic Republic of the Congo |
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Environment current issues:
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deforestation results from
uncontrolled cutting of trees for fuel; overgrazing; soil exhaustion;
soil erosion; widespread poaching |
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Geography - note:
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landlocked; most of the
country is savanna grassland with the population predominantly rural
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Population of Rwanda
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Population:
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10,186,063 (July 2008 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 41.9% (male 1,817,998/female 1,802,134)
15-64 years: 55.6% (male 2,392,778/female 2,417,467)
65 years and over: 2.5% (male 87,325/female 130,546) |
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Median age:
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18.6 years |
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Growth rate:
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2.43% |
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Infant mortality:
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89.61 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 47.3 years
male: 46.26 years
female: 48.38 years |
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Fertility rate:
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5.43 children born/woman |
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Nationality:
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noun: Rwandan(s)
adjective: Rwandan |
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Ethnic groups:
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Hutu 84%, Tutsi 15%, Twa (Pygmoid) 1% |
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Religions:
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Roman Catholic 56.5%, Protestant 26%,
Adventist 11.1%, Muslim 4.6%, indigenous beliefs 0.1%, none 1.7% |
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Languages:
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Kinyarwanda (official) universal Bantu
vernacular, French (official), English (official), Kiswahili (Swahili) used in commercial
centers |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read
and write
female: 64.7%
male: 76.3%
total population: 70.4% |
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People - note:
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Rwanda is the most densely populated
country in Africa
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Government
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Rwandese
Republic
local short form: Rwanda
former: Ruanda
local long form: Republika y'u Rwanda |
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Government type:
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republic; presidential, multiparty system |
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Capital:
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Kigali |
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Administrative divisions:
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12 prefectures (in French - prefectures,
singular - prefecture; in Kinyarwanda - plural - NA, singular - prefegitura); Butare,
Byumba, Cyangugu, Gikongoro, Gisenyi, Gitarama, Kibungo, Kibuye, Kigali Rurale,
Kigali-ville, Umutara, Ruhengeri |
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Independence:
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1 July 1962 (from Belgium-administered UN
trusteeship) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 1 July (1962) |
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Constitution:
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new constitution adopted 4 June 2003 |
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Legal system:
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based on German and Belgian civil law
systems and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal adult |
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Executive branch:
|
chief of state: President Paul KAGAME (since 22
April 2000)
head of government: Prime Minister Bernard MAKUZA (since 8 March 2000)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: President elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (eligible for
a second term). |
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Legislative branch:
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bicameral Parliament consists of Senate (26 seats; 12
members elected local councils, 8 appointed by the president, 4 by the Political
Organizations Forum, 2 represent institutions of higher learning, to serve eight-year
terms) and Chamber of Deputies (80 seats; 53 members elected by popular vote, 24 women
elected by local bodies, 3 selected by youth and disability organizations, to serve
five-year terms) |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court; High Courts of the Republic; Provincial
Courts; District Courts; mediation committees |
Economy
Rwanda is a poor rural country with about 90% of the population engaged in
(mainly subsistence) agriculture. It is the most densely populated country in
Africa and is landlocked with few natural resources and minimal industry.
Primary foreign exchange earners are coffee and tea. The 1994 genocide
decimated Rwanda's fragile economic base, severely impoverished the
population, particularly women, and eroded the country's ability to attract
private and external investment. However, Rwanda has made substantial progress
in stabilizing and rehabilitating its economy to pre-1994 levels, although
poverty levels are higher now. GDP has rebounded and inflation has been
curbed. Despite Rwanda's fertile ecosystem, food production often does not
keep pace with population growth, requiring food imports. Rwanda continues to
receive substantial aid money and obtained IMF-World Bank Heavily Indebted
Poor Country (HIPC) initiative debt relief in 2005-06. Rwanda also received
Millennium Challenge Account Threshold status in 2006. The government has
embraced an expansionary fiscal policy to reduce poverty by improving
education, infrastructure, and foreign and domestic investment and pursuing
market-oriented reforms, although energy shortages, instability in neighboring
states, and lack of adequate transportation linkages to other countries
continue to handicap growth.
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GDP:
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$8.057 billion (2007 est.) |
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GDP growth rate:
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5.2% |
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GDP per capita:
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$1,500 |
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GDP composition by sector:
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agriculture: 40.1%
industry: 22.9%
services: 37% |
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Inflation rate:
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8% |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 90% |
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Budget:
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revenues: $509.9 million
expenditures: $584.6 million |
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Electricity production by source:
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fossil fuel: 2.3%
hydro: 97.7%
other: 0% |
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Industries:
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cement, agricultural products, small-scale
beverages, soap, furniture, shoes, plastic goods, textiles, cigarettes |
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Agriculture:
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coffee, tea, pyrethrum (insecticide made
from chrysanthemums), bananas, beans, sorghum, potatoes; livestock |
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Exports:
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coffee, tea, hides, tin ore |
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Export partners:
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Indonesia 63.9%, Germany 3.6%, China 2.3% |
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Imports:
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foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, steel,
petroleum products, cement and construction material |
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Import partners:
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Kenya 24.6%, Uganda 6.4%, Germany 5.6%, Belgium 5.4% |
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Currency:
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Rwandan franc (RWF) |
SOURCES: The CIA World Factbook, U.S. Department of State, Area Handbook of the US Library of Congress
Copyright 2004 - 2008 worldfacts.us |