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

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Background: 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 the former Zaire. Since then most of the refugees have returned to Rwanda but several thousand remained in the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo (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 Democratic Republic of the Congo continue to hinder Rwanda's efforts to escape its bloody legacy.


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Location: Central Africa east of Democratic Republic of the Congo

Geographic coordinates: 2 00 S 30 00 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 26,338 km²
Land: 24,948 km²
Water: 1,390 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries
Total: 893 km
Border countries: (4) 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: 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: gold cassiterite (tin ore) wolframite (tungsten ore) methane hydropower arable land

Land use
Arable land: 45.56%
Permanent crops: 10.25%
Other: 44.19% (2005)

Irrigated land: 90 km² (2003)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: periodic droughts; the volcanic Virunga mountains are in the northwest along the border with Democratic Republic of the Congo

Geography
Note: landlocked; most of the country is savanna grassland with the population predominantly rural


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Population
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 and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2007 est.)
Growth rate: 2.766% (2007 est.)
Below poverty line: 60% (2001 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Rwandan
Adjective: Rwandan

Ethnic groups: Hutu (Bantu) 84% Tutsi (Hamitic) 15% Twa (Pygmy) 1%

Languages: Kinyarwanda (official) universal Bantu vernacular French (official) English (official) Kiswahili (Swahili) used in commercial centers

Religions: Roman Catholic 56.5% Protestant 26% Adventist 11.1% Muslim 4.6% indigenous beliefs 0.1% none 1.7% (2001)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 41.9% (male 2,082,474/female 2,065,251)
15-64 years: 55.7% (male 2,748,189/female 2,765,767)
65 years and over: 2.5% (male 98,796/female 147,032) (2007 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 18.6 years
Male: 18.4 years
Female: 18.8 years (2007 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.766% (2007 est.)

Birth rate: 40.16 births/1000 population (2007 est.)

Death rate: 14.91 deaths/1000 population (2007 est.)

Net migration rate: 2.41 migrant(s)/1000 population (2007 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: deforestation results from uncontrolled cutting of trees for fuel; overgrazing; soil exhaustion; soil erosion; widespread poaching
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.008 male/female
15-64 years: 0.994 male/female
65 years and over: 0.672 male/female
Total population: 0.99 male/female (2007 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 85.27 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 90.41 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 79.99 deaths/1000 live births (2007 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 48.99 years
Male: 47.87 years
Female: 50.16 years (2007 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.37 children born/woman (2007 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 5.1% (2003 est.)
People living with hivaids: 250,000 (2003 est.)
Deaths: 22,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: very high
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne disease: malaria (2007)

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

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

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
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: 5 provinces (in French - provinces singular - province; in Kinyarwanda - prefigintara for singular and plural); East Kigali North South West

Dependent areas

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

International law organization participation

Citizenship

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 25 August 2003 (next to be held in 2010)
Election results: Paul KAGAME elected president in first direct popular vote; Paul KAGAME 95.05%, Faustin TWAGIRAMUNGU 3.62%, Jean-Nepomuscene NAYINZIRA 1.33%

Legislative branch
Elections: Senate - members appointed as part of the transitional government (next to be held in 2011); Chamber of Deputies - last held 29 September 2003 (next to be held in 2008)
Election results: seats by party under the 2003 Constitution - RPF 40, PSD 7, PL 6, 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 [Prosper HIGIRO]; Party for Democratic Renewal (officially banned); Rwandan Patriotic Front or RPF [Paul KAGAME]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Vincent BIRUTA]

International organization participation: ACCT ACP AfDB AU CEPGL COMESA EAC FAO G-77 IBRD ICAO ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO (correspondent) ITSO ITU ITUC MIGA NAM OIF OPCW UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNMIS UNWTO UPU WCL WCO WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Zac NSENGA
In the us chancery: 1714 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,009
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 232-2,882
In the us fax: [1] (202) 232-4,544
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Michael ARIETTI
From the us embassy: 337 Boulevard de la Revolution, Kigali
From the us mailing address: B. P. 28, Kigali
From the us telephone: [250] 50 56 01 through 03
From the us fax: [250] 57 2,128

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

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: 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. Kigali's high defense expenditures have caused tension between the government and international donors and lending agencies. Energy shortages instability in neighboring states and lack of adequate transportation linkages to other countries continue to handicap growth.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $13.7 billion (2006 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 5.8% (2006 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $1600 (2006 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 39.9%
Industry: 20.3%
Services: 39.7% (2006 est.)

Agriculture products: coffee tea pyrethrum (insecticide made from chrysanthemums) bananas beans sorghum potatoes; livestock

Industries: cement agricultural products small-scale beverages soap furniture shoes plastic goods textiles cigarettes

Industrial production growth rate: 7% (2001 est.)

Labor force: 4.6 million (2000)
By occupation agriculture: 90%
By occupation industry and services: 10% (2000)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 60% (2001 est.)

Gini index

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)

Budget
Revenues: $682.4 million
Expenditures: $714.6 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 8.8% (2006 est.)

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: $NA

Current account balance: $-174 million (2006 est.)

Exports: $146 million f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Commodities: coffee tea hides tin ore
Partners: China 10.3% Germany 9.7% US 4.3% (2006)

Imports: $436 million f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Commodities: foodstuffs machinery and equipment steel petroleum products cement and construction material
Partners: Kenya 19.6% Germany 7.8% Uganda 6.8% Belgium 5.1% (2006)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $439.7 million (2006 est.)

Debt external: $1.4 billion (2004 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Rwandan francs per US dollar - 560 (2006) 610 (2005) 574.62 (2004) 537.66 (2003) 476.33 (2002)


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Electricity
Production: 95 million kWh (2005)
Consumption: 198.4 million kWh (2005)
Exports: 10 million kWh (2005)
Imports: 120 million kWh (2005)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2005 est.)
Consumption: 0 m³ (2005 est.)
Proven reserves: 54.32 billion m³ (1 January 2006 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 22,000 (2005)
Mobile cellular: 290,000 (2005)

Telephone system
General assessment: telephone system primarily serves business 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
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)

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .rw
Hosts: 1592 (2007)
Users: 65,000 (2006)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: 2.9% (2006 est.)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 16 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2001)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 9 (2007)
With paved runways total: 4
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2
With paved runways under 914 m: 1 (2007)
With unpaved runways total: 5
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways
Total: 14,008 km
Paved: 2,662 km
Unpaved: 11,346 km (2004)

Waterways: Lac Kivu navigable by shallow-draft barges and native craft (2006)

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals: Cyangugu Gisenyi Kibuye


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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: 41,403 (Democratic Republic of the Congo), 4,400 (Burundi) (2006)

Illicit drugs