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. Rwanda held its first local elections in 1999 and its first
post-genocide presidential and legislative elections in 2003. Rwanda in
2009 staged a joint military operation with the Congolese Army in DRC to
rout out the Hutu extremist insurgency there and Kigali and Kinshasa
restored diplomatic relations. Rwanda also joined the Commonwealth in
late 2009.
Geography ::Rwanda
Location:
Central Africa, east of Democratic Republic of the Congo
Geographic coordinates:
2 00 S, 30 00 E
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 26,338 sq km
48
land:
24,668 sq km
water:
1,670 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Maryland
Land boundaries:
total: 893 km
border countries:
Burundi 290 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 217 km, Tanzania 217 km, Uganda 169 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
Current Weather
temperate; two rainy seasons (February to April, November to January); mild in mountains with frost and snow possible
Terrain:
mostly grassy uplands and hills; relief is mountainous with altitude declining from west to east
periodic droughts; the volcanic Virunga mountains are in the northwest along the border with Democratic Republic of the Congo
Environment - current issues:
deforestation results
from uncontrolled cutting of trees for fuel; overgrazing; soil
exhaustion; soil erosion; widespread poaching
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified:
Law of the Sea
Geography - note:
landlocked; most of the country is savanna grassland with the population predominantly rural
People ::Rwanda
Population:
11,055,976
note:estimates
for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess
mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher
infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and
changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would
otherwise be expected (July 2010 est.)
65 years and over:
2.4% (male 108,080/female 161,568) (2010 est.)
Median age:
total: 18.6 years
male:
18.4 years
female:
18.9 years (2010 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.818% (2010 est.)
5
Birth rate:
37.26 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)
3
Death rate:
10.19 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)
Net migration rate:
1.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 48
Urbanization:
urban population: 18% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization:
4.2% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.67 male(s)/female
total population:
0.99 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 65.57 deaths/1,000 live births
6
male:
69.21 deaths/1,000 live births
female:
61.83 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 57.46 years
93
male:
56.06 years
female:
58.91 years (2010 est.)
Total fertility rate:
4.99 children born/woman (2010 est.)
3
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
2.8% (2007 est.)
5
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
150,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 37
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
7,800 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 37
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases:
bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease:
malaria
animal contact disease:
rabies (2009)
Nationality:
noun: Rwandan(s)
adjective:
Rwandan
Ethnic groups:
Hutu (Bantu) 84%, Tutsi (Hamitic) 15%, Twa (Pygmy) 1%
Religions:
Roman Catholic 56.5%, Protestant 26%, Adventist 11.1%, Muslim 4.6%, indigenous beliefs 0.1%, none 1.7% (2001)
Languages:
Kinyarwanda (official)
universal Bantu vernacular, French (official), English (official),
Kiswahili (Swahili) used in commercial centers
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population:
70.4%
male:
76.3%
female:
64.7% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 9 years
male:
8 years
female:
9 years (2005)
Education expenditures:
3.8% of GDP (2005)
15
People - note:
Rwanda is the most densely populated country in Africa
Government ::Rwanda
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Rwanda
conventional short form:
Rwanda
local long form:
Republika y'u Rwanda
local short form:
Rwanda
former:
Ruanda, German East Africa
Government type:
republic; presidential, multiparty system
Capital:
name: Kigali
geographic coordinates:
1 57 S, 30 04 E
time difference:
UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
4 provinces (in French -
provinces, singular - province; in Kinyarwanda - intara for singular and
plural) and 1 city* (in French - ville; in Kinyarwanda - umujyi); Est
(Eastern), Kigali*, Nord (Northern), Ouest (Western), Sud (Southern)
Independence:
1 July 1962 (from Belgium-administered UN trusteeship)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 1 July (1962)
Constitution:
new constitution passed by referendum 26 May 2003
Legal system:
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
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
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); elections last held on 25 August 2003 (next to be held on 9
August 2010)
election results:
Paul
KAGAME elected president in first direct popular vote; Paul KAGAME
95.1%, Faustin TWAGIRAMUNGU 3.6%, Jean-Nepomuscene NAYINZIRA 1.3%
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament
consists of Senate (26 seats; 12 members elected by local councils, 8
appointed by the president, 4 appointed by the Political Organizations
Forum, 2 represent institutions of higher learning; members 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; members to serve five-year terms)
elections:
Senate
- members appointed as part of the transitional government (next to be
held in 2011); Chamber of Deputies - last held on 15 September 2008
(next to be held in September 2013)
election results:
percent
of vote by party - RPF 78.8%, PSD 13.1%, PL 7.5%; seats by party - RPF
42, PSD 7, PL 4, additional 27 members indirectly elected
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; High Courts of the Republic; Provincial Courts; District Courts; mediation committees
Political parties and leaders:
Centrist Democratic Party
or PDC [Alfred MUKEZAMFURA]; Democratic Popular Union of Rwanda or UDPR
[Adrien RANGIRA]; Democratic Republican Movement or MDR [Celestin
KABANDA] (officially banned); Islamic Democratic Party or PDI [Andre
BUMAYA]; Liberal Party or PL [Protais MITALI]; Party for Democratic
Renewal (officially banned); Rwandan Patriotic Front or RPF [Paul
KAGAME]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Vincent BIRUTA]; Solidarity and
Prosperity Party or PSP [Pheobe KANYANGE]
chancery:
1714 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone:
[1] (202) 232-2882
FAX:
[1] (202) 232-4544
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador W. Stuart SYMINGTON
embassy:
2657 Avenue de la Gendarmerie, Kigali
mailing address:
B. P. 28, Kigali
telephone:
[250] 596-400
FAX:
[250] 596-591
Flag description:
three horizontal bands of
sky blue (top, double width), yellow, and green, with a golden sun with
24 rays near the fly end of the blue band; blue represents happiness
and peace, yellow economic development and mineral wealth, green hope of
prosperity and natural resources; the sun symbolizes unity, as well as
enlightenment and transparency from ignorance
Economy ::Rwanda
Economy - overview:
Rwanda is a poor rural country with
about 90% of the population engaged in (mainly subsistence) agriculture
and some mineral and agro-processing. In 2008, minerals overtook coffee
and tea as Rwanda's primary foreign exchange earner. The 1994 genocide
decimated Rwanda's fragile economic base, severely impoverished the
population, particularly women, and temporarily stalled 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. GDP has rebounded and inflation has been curbed.
Nonetheless, a majority still live below the poverty line of 250 Rwandan
francs per day (about US$0.43). Despite Rwanda's fertile ecosystem,
food production often does not keep pace with demand, 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 a Millennium Challenge Account
Compact in 2008. Africa's most densely populated country is trying to
overcome the limitations of its small, landlocked economy by leveraging
regional trade. Rwanda joined the East African Community and is aligning
its budget, trade, and immigration policies with its regional partners.
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.
The global downturn hurt export demand and tourism while poor rains this
year have lowered growth in agriculture.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$10.13 billion (2009 est.)
47
$9.601 billion (2008 est.)
$8.634 billion (2007 est.)
note:data are in 2009 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$5.07 billion (2009 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
5.5% (2009 est.)
9
11.2% (2008 est.)
6% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$900 (2009 est.)
16
$900 (2008 est.)
$900 (2007 est.)
note:data are in 2009 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 41.7%
industry:
14.1%
services:
44.2% (2009 est.)
Labor force:
4.446 million (2007)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 90%
industry and services:
10% (2000)
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Population below poverty line:
60% (2001 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.1%
highest 10%:
38.2% (2000)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
46.8 (2000)
country comparison to the world: 35
28.9 (1985)
Investment (gross fixed):
19.7% of GDP (2009 est.)
00
Budget:
revenues: $1.263 billion
expenditures:
$1.392 billion (2009 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
10.4% (2009 est.)
95
15.4% (2008 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
11.25% (31 December 2008)
2
12.5% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
16.51% (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 42
15.84% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$233.6 million (31 December 2005)
42
Stock of quasi money:
$227.4 million (31 December 2005)
46
Stock of domestic credit:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$209.2 million (31 December 2005)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA
Agriculture - products:
coffee, tea, pyrethrum (insecticide made from chrysanthemums), bananas, beans, sorghum, potatoes; livestock
China 9.1%, Thailand 8.6%, Germany 7.3%, US 4.5%, Belgium 4.1% (2008)
Imports:
$867 million (2009 est.)
4
$880 million (2008 est.)
Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, steel, petroleum products, cement and construction material
Imports - partners:
Kenya 15%, Uganda 13.1%, China 6.2%, Belgium 5.2%, Germany 4.5% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$742.7 million (31 December 2009 est.)
34
$596.3 million (31 December 2008 est.)
Debt - external:
$NA
Exchange rates:
Rwandan francs (RWF) per US dollar - 568.75 (2009), 550 (2008), 585 (2007), 560 (2006), 610 (2005)
Communications ::Rwanda
Telephones - main lines in use:
16,800 (2008)
98
Telephones - mobile cellular:
1.323 million (2008)
38
Telephone system:
general assessment: small, inadequate telephone system primarily serves business, education, and government
domestic:
the
capital, Kigali, is connected to the centers of the provinces by
microwave radio relay and, recently, by cellular telephone service; much
of the network depends on wire and HF radiotelephone; combined
fixed-line and mobile-cellular telephone density is only about 13
telephones per 100 persons
international:
country
code - 250; international connections employ microwave radio relay to
neighboring countries and satellite communications to more distant
countries; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) in
Kigali (includes telex and telefax service)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 0, FM 10 (two main FM
programs are broadcast through a system of repeaters; international FM
programming includes the BBC, VOA, and Deutchewelle) (2007)
Television broadcast stations:
2 (2004)
Internet country code:
.rw
Internet hosts:
81 (2009)
03
Internet users:
300,000 (2008)
27
Transportation ::Rwanda
Airports:
9 (2009)
60
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 4
over 3,047 m:
1
914 to 1,523 m:
2
under 914 m:
1 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 5
914 to 1,523 m:
2
under 914 m:
3 (2009)
Roadways:
total: 14,008 km
24
paved:
2,662 km
unpaved:
11,346 km (2004)
Waterways:
Lac Kivu navigable by shallow-draft barges and native craft (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Cyangugu, Gisenyi, Kibuye
Military ::Rwanda
Military branches:
Rwandan Defense Forces (RDF), Rwandan Patriotic Air Force (2009)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,573,834
females age 16-49:
2,553,707 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,641,563
females age 16-49:
1,696,514 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 98,164
female:
97,839 (2010 est.)
Military expenditures:
2.9% of GDP (2006 est.)
Transnational Issues ::Rwanda
Disputes - international:
fighting among ethnic groups -
loosely associated political rebels, armed gangs, and various government
forces in Great Lakes region transcending the boundaries of Burundi,
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda - abated
substantially from a decade ago due largely to UN peacekeeping,
international mediation, and efforts by local governments to create
civil societies; nonetheless, 57,000 Rwandan refugees still reside in 21
African states, including Zambia, Gabon, and 20,000 who fled to Burundi
in 2005 and 2006 to escape drought and recriminations from traditional
courts investigating the 1994 massacres; the 2005 DROC and Rwanda border
verification mechanism to stem rebel actions on both sides of the
border remains in place
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 46,272 (Democratic Republic of the Congo); 4,400 (Burundi) (2007)
