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Rwanda
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 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.
Location :
Central Africa, east of Democratic Republic of the Congo
Geographic Coordinates Center :
2 00 S, 30 00 E (Latitude, Longtitude)
Geographic Coordinates Rectangle :
| West | 28.86 |
| North | -1.05 |
| East | 30.90 |
| South | -2.84 |
Map references :
Africa
Area :
| total | 26 338 | square km |
| land | 24 668 | square km |
| water | 1 670 | square km |
Land boundaries :
| total | 893 | km |
| Burundi (bi) | 290 | km |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | 217 | km |
| Tanzania (tz) | 217 | km |
| Uganda (ug) | 169 | km |
Coastline :
0.00 km
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 | 950 | metres |
| highest point | 4 519 | metres |
Natural resources :
| arable land | cassiterite |
| gold | hydropower |
| methane | wolframite |
Land use :
| arable land | 45.56 | % |
| permanent crops | 10.25 | % |
| other | 44.19 | % |
Irrigated land :
90 square km
Total renewable water resources :
5 cubic km
Natural hazards :
| periodic droughts | volcanic mountains |
current issues :
deforestation results from uncontrolled cutting of trees for fuel; overgrazing; soil exhaustion; soil erosion; widespread poaching
international agreements :
| Biodiversity | Climate Change |
| Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol | Desertification |
| Endangered Species | Hazardous Wastes |
| Law of the Sea | Ozone Layer Protection |
| Wetlands |
Population :
10 746 311
Indicators :
| Growth rate | 2.87 | % |
| Birth rate | 38.06 | births/1,000 population |
| Total fertility rate | 5.12 | children born/woman |
| Death rate | 10.57 | deaths/1,000 population |
| Net migration rate | 1.17 | migrant(s)/1,000 population |
Age structure :
| 0-14 years | 42.70 | % |
| 15-64 years | 54.80 | % |
| 65 years and over | 2.50 | % |
Median age :
| total | 18.70 | years |
| male | 18.50 | years |
| female | 18.90 | years |
Sex ratio :
| at birth | 1.03 | male(s)/female |
| under 15 years | 1.01 | male(s)/female |
| 15-64 years | 1.00 | male(s)/female |
| 65 years and over | 0.66 | male(s)/female |
| total population | 0.99 | male(s)/female |
Health :
| Infant mortality rate | 67.18 | deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth - total population | 56.77 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - male | 55.43 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - female | 58.14 | years |
| HIV-AIDS adult prevalence rate | 2.80 | % |
| HIV-AIDS people living with HIV-AIDS | 150 000 | |
| HIV-AIDS deaths | 7 800 |
Religions :
| Roman Catholic | 56.50 | % |
| Protestant | 26.00 | % |
| Seventh-Day Adventist | 11.10 | % |
| Muslim | 4.60 | % |
| indigenous beliefs | 0.10 | % |
| none | 1.70 | % |
Languages :
| Kinyarwanda universal Bantu vernacular | |
| French | |
| English | |
| Kiswahili |
Literacy :
| total population | 70.40 | % |
| male | 76.30 | % |
| female | 64.70 | % |
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 |
Country Codes :
| ISO 3166 | RW |
| ISO Numeric | 646 |
| ISO3 | RWA |
| FIPS | RW |
| ccTLD | rw |
| English | Rwanda |
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)
Capital :
| name | Kigali |
| geographic coordinates | 1 57 S, 30 04 E |
| time difference | 2.00 |
International organization participation :
| ACP | AU |
| AfDB | C |
| CEPGL | COMESA |
| EAC | EADB |
| FAO | G-77 |
| IBRD | ICAO |
| ICRM | IDA |
| IFAD | IFC |
| IFRCS | ILO |
| IMF | IOC |
| IOM | IPU |
| ISO (correspondent) | ITSO |
| ITU | ITUC |
| Interpol | MIGA |
| MINURCAT | NAM |
| OIF | OPCW |
| UN | UNAMID |
| UNCTAD | UNESCO |
| UNIDO | UNMIS |
| UNWTO | UPU |
| WCO | WFTU |
| WHO | WIPO |
| WMO | WTO |
Independence :
1962-07-01
National holiday :
Independence Day
1962-07-01
Executive branch :
| President Paul KAGAME | Prime Minister Bernard MAKUZA |
Legislative branch :
| RPF | 78.80 | % |
| PSD | 13.10 | % |
| PL | 7.50 | % |
GDP - Gross Domestic product :
| PPP - Purchasing Power Parity | 10 390 000 000 | $ |
| Official Exchange Rate | 5 011 000 000 | |
| RGR - Real Growth rate | 5.50 | % |
| PPP - per capita | 1 000 | $ |
GDP Composition by sector :
| agriculture | 42.60 | % |
| industry | 22.20 | % |
| services | 35.20 | % |
Labor force - by occupation :
| agriculture | 90.00 | % |
| services | 10.00 | % |
Other Indicators :
| Labor force | 4 446 000 | people |
| Population below poverty line | 60.00 | % |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index | 46.80 | |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 14.20 | % |
| Investment (gross fixed) | 19.60 | % of GDP |
| Current account balance | - 208 000 000 | $ |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | 619 000 000 | $ |
| Military expenditures | 2.90 | % of GDP |
Household income or consumption by percentage share :
| lowest 10% | 2.10 | % |
| highest 10% | 38.20 | % |
Budget :
| revenues | 1 261 000 000 | $ |
| expenditures | 1 391 000 000 | $ |
Agriculture - products :
| bananas | beans |
| coffee | livestock |
| potatoes | pyrethrum |
| sorghum | tea |
Industries :
| agricultural products | beverages |
| cement | cigarettes |
| furniture | plastic goods |
| shoes | soap |
| textiles |
Energy :
| Electricity Production | 120 000 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Consumption | 231 600 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Exports | 10 000 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Imports | 130 000 000 | kWh |
| Oil Consumption | 6 000 | bbl/day |
| Oil Imports | 5 623 | bbl/day |
| Electricity Exports | 56 630 000 000 | cubic metres |
Value :
213 000 000 $
Partners :
| China (cn) | 9.10 | % |
| Thailand (th) | 8.60 | % |
| Germany (de) | 7.30 | % |
| United States (us) | 4.50 | % |
| Belgium (be) | 4.10 | % |
Commodities :
| coffee | hides |
| tea | tin ore |
Value :
786 000 000 $
Partners :
| Kenya (ke) | 15.00 | % |
| Uganda (ug) | 13.10 | % |
| China (cn) | 6.20 | % |
| Belgium (be) | 5.20 | % |
| Germany (de) | 4.50 | % |
Commodities :
| cement and construction material | foodstuffs |
| machinery and equipment | petroleum products |
| steel |
Currency-code :
RWF
Currency-name :
Rwandan franc
Communications :
| Telephons Main lines in use | 16 800 | |
| Telephons Mobile, Cellular | 1 323 000 | |
| FM Radio broadcast stations | 10 | |
| Television broadcast stations | 2 | |
| Internet Country code (ccTLD) | rw | |
| Internet Hosts | 81 | |
| Internet Users | 300 000 |
Transportation :
| Airports with paved runways | 4 | |
| Roadways - total | 14 008 | km |
| Roadways - paved | 2 662 | km |
| Roadways - unpaved | 11 346 | km |
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