Map of Rwanda | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: following the outbreak of genocidal strife in Rwanda in April 1994 between Tutsi and Hutu factions, more than 2 million refugees fled to neighboring Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda and Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly Zaire; according to the UN High Commission on Refugees, in 1996 many Hutus returned to Rwanda


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Location: Central Africa, east of Democratic Republic Congo

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area
Total: 26,340 km²
Land: 24,950 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries: Total 893 km, Burundi 290 km, Tanzania 217 km, Uganda 169 km, Zaire 217 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: None; landlocked

Climate: 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

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Rusizi River 950 m
Extremes highest point: Volcan Karisimbi 4,519 m

Natural resources:

Land use
Arable land: 29%
Permanent crops: 11%
Permanent pastures: 18%
Forests and woodland: 10%
Other: 32%

Irrigated land: 40 km² (1989 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography


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Population:
Note:
Growth rate:

Nationality
Noun: Rwandan(s)
Adjective: Rwandan

Ethnic groups:

Languages: Kinyarwanda (official), French (official), Kiswahili used in commercial centers

Religions:

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years:
15-64 years:
65 years and over:

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate:

Birth rate:

Death rate:

Net migration rate: 146.43 migrant(s)/1000 population (1996 est.)
Note: Since April 1994, more than two million refugees have fled the civil strife between the Hutu and Tutsi factions in Rwanda and crossed into Zaire, Burundi, and Tanzania; close to 800,000 Rwandan Tutsis who fled civil strife in earlier years have returned to Rwanda, and 90,000 of the Hutu refugees are going home despite the perceived danger of doing so; the ethnic violence continues and in 1997 could produce further refugee flows as well as discourage returns

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: deforestation results from uncontrolled cutting of trees for fuel; overgrazing; soil exhaustion; soil erosion
Current issues Natural hazards: periodic droughts; the volcanic Virunga mountains are in the northwest along the border with Zaire
International agreements: party to_Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban; signed, but not ratified_Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the Sea
International agreements note: Landlocked; predominantly rural population

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
All ages:

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 40.12 years (1996 est.); 39.33 years (1995 est.)
Male: 39.72 years (1996 est.); 38.5 years (1995 est.)
Female: 40.53 years (1996 est.); 40.19 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate:

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over that can read and write (1995 est.)
Total population: 60.5%
Male: 69.8%
Female: 51.6%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Rwanda
Conventional short form: Rwanda
Local long form: Republika y'u Rwanda
Local short form: Rwanda

Government type: Republic; presidential system

Capital: Kigali

Administrative divisions: 10 prefectures (prefectures, singular_prefecture in French; plural_NA, singular_prefegitura in Kinyarwanda; Butare, Byumba, Cyangugu, Gikongoro, Gisenyi, Gitarama, Kibungo, Kibuye, Kigali, Ruhengeri

Dependent areas

Independence: 1 July 1962 (from Belgium-administered UN trusteeship)

National holiday: Independence Day, 1 July (1962)

Constitution: 18 June 1991

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

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: NA years of age; universal adult

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Pasteur BIZIMUNGU (since 19 July 1994); installed by force by the Tutsi Rwandan Patriotic Front; no date set for elections; president is normally elected for a five-year term by universal suffrage; Vice President Maj. Gen. Paul KAGAME (since NA)
Head of government: Prime Minister Celestin RWIGEMA (since NA September 1995) was appointed by the president
Cabinet: Council of Ministers; appointed by the president

Legislative branch: Unicameral National Development Council:Sworn in on 25 November 1994; seats_(70 total) RPF 19, MDR 13, PSD 13, PL 13, PDC 6, PSR 2, PDI 2, other 2

Judicial branch: Constitutional Court consists of the Court of Cassation and the Council of State in joint session

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEEAC, CEPGL, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO

Diplomatic representation

Flag description: Three equal vertical bands of red (hoist side), yellow, and green with a large black letter R centered in the yellow band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia; similar to the flag of Guinea, which has a plain yellow band

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Rwanda is a poor African nation suffering bitterly from ethnic-based civil war. The agricultural sector dominates the economy; coffee and tea normally make up 80%-90% of total exports. The amount of fertile land is limited, however, and deforestation and soil erosion continue to create problems. Manufacturing focuses mainly on the processing of agricultural products. Weak international prices since 1986 have caused the economy to contract and per capita GDP to decline. A structural adjustment program with the World Bank began in October 1990. Ethnic-based insurgency since 1990 has devastated wide areas, especially in the north, and displaced hundreds of thousands of people. A peace accord in mid-1993 temporarily ended most of the fighting, but resumption of large-scale civil warfare in April 1994 in the capital city Kigali and elsewhere has been taking thousands of lives and severely affecting short-term economic prospects. The economy suffers massively from failure to maintain the infrastructure, looting, neglect of important cash crops, and lack of health care facilities. GDP in 1994 may have dropped by as much as half. The further decline of GDP in 1995 was much smaller and was more than offset by aid from the outside. Because of the severe damage to real property and the decline in public discipline, recovery of domestic production toward previous levels is proceeding slowly.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate:

Real gdp per capita:

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: Cash crops_coffee, tea, pyrethrum (insecticide made from chrysanthemums; main food crops_bananas, beans, sorghum, potatoes; stock raising

Industries:

Industrial production growth rate: Growth rate -50% (1994 est.), -2.2% (1991; accounts for 13% of GDP

Labor force: 3.6 million
By occupation Agriculture: 93%
By occupation Government and services: 5%
By occupation Industry and commerce: 2%

Unemployment rate: NA

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $350 million (1992 est.)
Expenditures: NA

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: Calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports:
Commodities:
Partners:

Imports
Total value:
Commodities:
Partners:

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $873 million (1993 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Rwandan francs (RF) per US$1_401.27 (2nd quarter 1994), 168.20 (1993), 133.35 (1992), 125.14 (1991), 82.60 (1990)


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Electricity
Capacity: 60,000 kW
Production: 190 million kWh
Consumption per capita: 23 kWh (1993)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones

Telephone system: 6,400 telephones (1983 est.); telephone system does not provide service to the general public but is intended for business and government use
Local: NA
Intercity: the capital, Kigali, is connected to the centers of the prefectures by microwave radio relay; the remainder of the network depends on wire and high frequency radio
International: international connections employ microwave radio relay to neighboring countries and satellite communications to more distant countries; 1 INTELSAT (Indian Ocean) and 1 SYMPHONIE earth station in Kigali (includes telex and telefax service)

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $112.5 million, 7% of GDP (1992)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 7
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 3

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: Lac Kivu navigable by shallow-draft barges and native craft

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs