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 a state-orchestrated genocide in which Rwandans killed up to a million of their fellow citizens including approximately three-quarters of the Tutsi population. The genocide ended later that same year when the predominantly Tutsi RPF operating out of Uganda and northern Rwanda defeated the national army and Hutu militias and established an RPF-led government of national unity. Approximately 2 million Hutu refugees - many fearing Tutsi retribution - fled to neighboring Burundi Tanzania Uganda and former 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 did 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 and assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2013-14 term.

Geographic coordinates: 2 00 S 30 00 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 26,338 km²
Land: 24,668 km²
Water: 1670 km²
Rank: 149
Comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries
Total: 930 km
Border countries: (4) Burundi 315 km; Democratic Republic of the Congo 221 km; Tanzania 222 km; Uganda 172 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
Agricultural land: 74.5%
Forest: 18%
Other: 7.5%

Irrigated land: 96.25 km² (2007)

Total renewable water resources: 9.5 km³ (2011)

Natural hazards: periodic droughts; the volcanic Virunga Mountains are in the northwest along the border with Democratic Republic of the Congo
Volcanism: Visoke located on the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the country's only historically active volcano

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

Population: 12,661,733
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
Rank: 74
Growth rate: 2.56% (2015 est.)
Growth rate rank: 22
Below poverty line: 44.9% (2011 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Rwandan
Adjective: Rwandan

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

Languages: Kinyarwanda only (official universal Bantu vernacular) 93.2% Kinyarwanda and other language(s) 6.2% French (official) and other language(s) 0.1% English (official) and other language(s) 0.1% Swahili (or Kiswahili used in commercial centers) 0.02% other 0.03% unspecified 0.3% (2002 est.)

Religions: Roman Catholic 49.5% Protestant 39.4% (includes Adventist 12.2% and other Protestant 27.2%) other Christian 4.5% Muslim 1.8% animist 0.1% other 0.6% none 3.6% (2001) unspecified 0.5% (2002 est.)

Age structure
0-14 years: 41.83%
15-24 years: 18.86%
25-54 years: 32.72%
55-64 years: 4.07%
65 years and over: 2.53% (2015 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 78.1%
Youth dependency ratio: 73.1%
Elderly dependency ratio: 5%
Potential support ratio: 20.1%

Median age
Total: 18.8 years
Male: 18.6 years
Female: 19 years

Population growth rate: 2.56% (2015 est.)
Rank: 22

Birth rate: 33.75 births/1000 population (2015 est.)
Rank: 30

Death rate: 8.96 deaths/1000 population (2015 est.)
Rank: 69

Net migration rate: 0.85 migrant(s)/1000 population (2015 est.)
Rank: 66

Urbanization
Urban population: 28.8% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 6.43% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: KIGALI (capital) 1.257 million (2015)

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

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male/female
0-14 years: 1.02 male/female
15-24 years: 1 male/female
25-54 years: 1.01 male/female
55-64 years: 0.87 male/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male/female
Total population: 0.99 male/female

Infant mortality rate
Total: 58.19 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 61.68 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 54.6 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 23

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 59.67 years
Male: 58.11 years
Female: 61.27 years
Rank: 199

Total fertility rate: 4.53 children born/woman (2015 est.)
Rank: 27

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 51.6% (2010/11)

Drinking water source:

Physicians density: 0.06 physicians/1000 population (2010)

Hospital bed density: 1.6 beds/1000 population (2007)

Sanitation facility access:

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 2.82% (2014 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 21
People living with hivaids: 210,500 (2014 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 29
Deaths: 3,000 (2014 est.)
Deaths rank: 45

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: very high
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea hepatitis A and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: malaria and dengue fever
Animal contact disease: rabies

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 3.3% (2014)
Rank: 170

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 11.7% (2011)
Rank: 63

Education expenditures: 5.1% of GDP (2013)
Rank: 73

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 70.5%
Male: 73.2%
Female: 68%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 10 years
Male: 10 years
Female: 10 years

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 03 E
Time difference: UTC+2

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: several previous; latest adopted by referendum 26 May 2003 effective 4 June 2003; amended several times last in 2010 (2013)

Legal system: mixed legal system of civil law based on German and Belgian models and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Paul KAGAME
Head of government: Prime Minister Anastase MUREKEZI
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
Electionsappointments: president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 7-year term ; election last held on 9 August 2010 (next to be held in 2017); prime minister appointed by the president
Election results: Paul KAGAME reelected president; Paul KAGAME 93.1% Jean NTAWUKURIRYAYO (PSD) 5.1% other 1.8%

Legislative branch
Description: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate or Senat and the Chamber of Deputies or Chambre des Deputes (80 seats; 53 members directly elected by proportional representation vote 24 women elected by special interest groups and 3 selected by youth and disability organizations; members serve 5-year terms)
Elections: Senate - NA; Chamber of Deputies - last held on 16-18 September 2013
Election results: Chamber of Deputies percent of vote by party - RPF 76.2% PSD 13% PL 9.3% other 1.5%; seats by party - RPF 41 PSD 7 PL 5 27 members indirectly elected

Judicial branch
Highest court: Supreme Court
Note: the Gacaca Court was established in 2001 by the National Unity Government to try cases of genocide against the Tutsis
Judge selection and term of office: judges nominated by the president of the republic after consultation with the Cabinet and the Superior Council of the Judiciary and approved by the Senate; court president and vice president appointed for 8-year nonrenewable terms; tenure of other judges NA
Subordinate courts: High Court of the Republic; commercial courts including the High Commercial Court; intermediate courts; primary courts; Gacaca and military specialized courts

Political parties and leaders:

International organization participation: ACP AfDB AU C CEPGL COMESA EAC EADB FAO G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO ITSO ITU ITUC (NGOs) MIGA MINUSMA NAM OIF OPCW PCA UN UNAMID UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO UNISFA UNMISS UNWTO UPU WCO WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Mathilde MUKANTABANA
In the us chancery: 1875 Connecticut Avenue NW Suite 418 Washington DC 2000
In the us telephone: [1] 232-2,882
In the us FAX: [1] 232-4,544
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Erica BARKS-RUGGLES
From the us embassy: 2,657 Avenue de la Gendarmerie Kigali
From the us mailing address: B. P. 28 Kigali
From the us telephone: [250] 596-400
From the us 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

National symbols: traditional woven basket with peaked lid; national colors: blue yellow green

National anthem
Name: 'Rwanda nziza'
Lyrics and music: Faustin MURIGO/Jean-Bosco HASHAKAIMANA
Note: adopted 2001

Economy overview: Rwanda is a rural country with about 90% of the population engaged in subsistence agriculture and some mineral and agro-processing. Tourism minerals coffee and tea are Rwanda's main sources of foreign exchange. 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 with an average annual growth of 7%-8% since 2003 and inflation has been reduced to single digits. Nonetheless a significant percent of the population still live below the official poverty line; 45% of the population now lives below the poverty line compared to 57% in 2006. Despite Rwanda's fertile ecosystem food production often does not keep pace with demand requiring food imports In recognition of Rwanda's successful management of its macro economy in 2010 the IMF graduated Rwanda to a Policy Support Instrument (PSI). 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. Energy shortages instability in neighboring states and lack of adequate transportation linkages to other countries continue to handicap private sector growth. The Rwandan Government is seeking to become regional leader in information and communication technologies. In 2012 Rwanda completed the first modern Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Kigali. The SEZ seeks to attract investment in all sectors but specifically in agribusiness information and communications technologies trade and logistics mining and construction.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2014 US dollars
Rank: 144

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 34

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2014 US dollars
Rank: 211

Gross national saving:
Rank: 140

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 82.6%
Government consumption: 9.6%
Investment in fixed capital: 24.2%
Investment in inventories: 0%
Exports of goods and services: 17%
Imports of goods and services: -33.5%: (2014 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 32.5%
Industry: 14.8%
Services: 52.7%

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: 7.1% (2014 est.)
Rank: 28

Labor force: 6.061 million (2014 est.)
Rank: 68
By occupation agriculture: 90%
By occupation industry and services: 10%

Unemployment rate: NA%

Population below poverty line: 44.9% (2011 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 2.1%
Highest 10: 43.2%

Distribution of family income gini index:
Rank: 28

Budget
Revenues: $1.953 billion
Expenditures: $2.249 billion
Surplus or deficit: -3.7% of GDP (2014 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 133

Taxes and other revenues: 24.4% of GDP (2014 est.)
Rank: 121

Public debt:
Rank: 121

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 90

Central bank discount rate:
Rank: 39

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
Rank: 27

Stock of narrow money:
Rank: 155

Stock of broad money:
Rank: 163

Stock of domestic credit:
Rank: 155

Market value of publicly traded shares: $N/A

Current account balance:
Rank: 108

Exports:
Rank: 168
Commodities: coffee tea hides tin ore
Partners: China 18.7% Democratic Republic of the Congo 16.1% Malaysia 10.3% Thailand 8.6% US 8.2% Swaziland 6.4% Germany 5.8% Pakistan 5% (2014)

Imports:
Rank: 168
Commodities: foodstuffs machinery and equipment steel petroleum products cement and construction material
Partners: Uganda 15.6% Kenya 11.8% India 9.8% China 8.3% UAE 8.3% Tanzania 5% Belgium 5% (2014)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 131

Debt external:
Rank: 147

Stock of direct foreign investment at home:
Rank: 105

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad:
Rank: 98

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Production: 300.2 million kWh (2011 est.)
Production rank: 178
Consumption: 352.2 million kWh (2011 est.)
Consumption rank: 173
Exports: 5 million kWh (2011 est.)
Exports rank: 95
Imports: 78 million kWh (2011 est.)
Imports rank: 97
Installed generating capacity: 684,000 kW (2011 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 134
Generation sources fossil fuels: 39.9% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 169
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 171
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 59.8% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 35
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0.3% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 95

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 10 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 122
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 174
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 114
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2014 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 181

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products production rank: 188
Products consumption: 5,320 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products consumption rank: 167
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products exports rank: 211
Products imports: 5,302 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products imports rank: 148

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2012 est.)
Production rank: 185
Consumption: 0 m³ (2012 est.)
Consumption rank: 188
Exports: 0 m³ (2012 est.)
Exports rank: 170
Imports: 0 m³ (2012 est.)
Imports rank: 123
Proven reserves: 56.63 billion m³ (1 January 2014 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 62

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 769,300 Mt (2012 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 172

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 49,600
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: less than 1
Fixed lines rank: 163
Mobile cellular total: 7.7 million
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 63
Mobile cellular rank: 98

Telephone system
General assessment: small inadequate telephone system primarily serves business education and government
Domestic: the capital Kigali is connected to provincial centers 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 has increased and now exceeds 40 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 in Kigali (includes telex and telefax service) (2010)

Broadcast media: government owns and operates the only TV station; government-owned and operated Radio Rwanda has a national reach; 9 private radio stations; transmissions of multiple international broadcasters are available (2007)

Internet
Country code: .rw
Users total: 1.1 million
Users percent of population: 9.2%
Users rank: 120

Military expenditures:
Rank: 91

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription; Rwandan citizenship is required as is a 9th-grade education for enlisted recruits and an A-level certificate for officer candidates; enlistment is either as contract (5-years renewable twice) or career; retirement (for officers and senior NCOs) after 20 years of service or at 40-60 years of age (2012)

Airports: 7 (2013)
Rank: 167
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
With unpaved runways total: 3
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2
With unpaved runways: 1 (2013)

Roadways
Total: 4,700 km
Paved: 1207 km
Unpaved: 3,493 km
Rank: 153

Waterways: (Lac Kivu navigable by shallow-draft barges and native craft) (2011)

Ports and terminals
Lake port: Cyangugu Gisenyi Kibuye

Disputes international: Burundi and Rwanda dispute two km² (0.8 sq mi) of Sabanerwa a farmed area in the Rukurazi Valley where the Akanyaru/Kanyaru River shifted its course southward after heavy rains in 1965; 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 (DROC) 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: 73,915 (Democratic Republic of the Congo); 69,316 (Burundi) (2015)
IDPs: undetermined (2012)