2000 Edition

Background

In 1959, three years before independence, 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 genocide in which roughly 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed. The Tutsi rebels defeated the Hutu regime and ended the genocide in July 1994, but approximately 2 million Hutu refugees - many fearing Tutsi retribution - fled to neighboring Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zaire, now called the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DROC). Since then most of the refugees have returned. Despite substantial international assistance and political reforms - including Rwanda's first ever local elections held in March 1999 - the country continues to struggle to boost investment and agricultural output and to foster reconciliation. A series of massive population displacements, a nagging Hutu extremist insurgency, and Rwandan involvement in two wars over the past four years in the neighboring DROC continue to hinder Rwanda's efforts.

Area

land

24,948 sq km

total

26,338 sq km

water

1,390 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Maryland

Climate

temperate; two rainy seasons (February to April, November to January); mild in mountains with frost and snow possible

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Elevation extremes

highest point

Volcan Karisimbi 4,519 m

lowest point

Rusizi River 950 m

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, Desertification, Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geographic coordinates

2 00 S, 30 00 E

Geography - note

landlocked; predominantly rural population

Irrigated land

40 sq km (1993 est.)

Land boundaries

border countries

Burundi 290 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 217 km, Tanzania 217 km, Uganda 169 km

total

893 km

Land use

arable land

35%

forests and woodland

22%

other

12% (1993 est.)

permanent crops

13%

permanent pastures

18%

Location

Central Africa, east of Democratic Republic of the Congo

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Natural hazards

periodic droughts; the volcanic Birunga mountains are in the northwest along the border with Democratic Republic of the Congo

Natural resources

gold, cassiterite (tin ore), wolframite (tungsten ore), methane, hydropower, arable land

Terrain

mostly grassy uplands and hills; relief is mountainous with altitude declining from west to east

Age structure

0-14 years: 43% (male 1,558,730; female 1,548,175) 15-64 years: 54% (male 1,943,268; female 1,971,542) 65 years and over: 3% (male 83,699; female 123,715) (2000 est.)

Birth rate

34.78 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate

20.95 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Ethnic groups

Hutu 84%, Tutsi 15%, Twa (Pygmoid) 1%

Infant mortality rate

120.06 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

female

40.13 years (2000 est.)

male

38.58 years

total population

39.34 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

51.6% (1995 est.)

male

69.8%

total population

60.5%

Nationality

adjective

Rwandan

noun

Rwandan(s)

Net migration rate

-2.46 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Population

7,229,129

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 2000 est.)

Population growth rate

1.14% (2000 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 65%, Protestant 9%, Muslim 1%, indigenous beliefs and other 25%

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: 0.68 male(s)/female

total population

0.98 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate

5.07 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Administrative divisions

12 prefectures (in French - prefectures, singular - prefecture; in Kinyarwanda - plural - NA, singular - prefegitura); Butare, Byumba, Cyangugu, Gikongoro, Gisenyi, Gitarama, Kibungo, Kibuye, Kigali, Kigali-ville, Umutara, Ruhengeri

Capital

Kigali

Constitution

on 5 May 1995, the Transitional National Assembly adopted a new constitution which included elements of the constitution of 18 June 1991 as well as provisions of the 1993 Arusha peace accord and the November 1994 multiparty protocol of understanding

Country name

conventional long form

Rwandese Republic

conventional short form

Rwanda

local long form

Republika y'u Rwanda

local short form

Rwanda

Data code

RW

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador George M. STAPLES

embassy

Boulevard de la Revolution, Kigali

mailing address

B. P. 28, Kigali

telephone

756 01 through 03, 721 26, 771 47

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

1714 New Hampshire Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20009

chief of mission

Ambassador Richard SEZIBERA

telephone

(202) 232-2882

Executive branch

cabinet

Council of Ministers appointed by the president

chief of state

President Maj. Gen. Paul KAGAME (FPR) (since 22 April 2000)

election results

Paul KAGAME elected president in a special parliamentary vote receiving 81 of a possible 86 votes

elections

normally the president is elected by popular vote for a five-year term; special election for new president by deputies of the National Assembly and governmental ministers held 17 April 2000 (next regular election to be held NA 2002); prime minister is appointed by the president

head of government

Prime Minister Bernard MAKUZA (since 8 March 2000)

FAX

(202) 232-4544

721 28

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

Government type

republic; presidential, multiparty system

Independence

1 July 1962 (from Belgium-administered UN trusteeship)

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, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Judicial branch

Constitutional Court, consists of the Court of Cassation and the Council of State in joint session

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

Legislative branch

unicameral Transitional National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale de Transition (a power-sharing body with 70 seats established on 12 December 1994 following a multiparty protocol of understanding; members were predetermined by the Arusha peace accord)

election results

percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - FPR 13, MDR 13, PSD 13, PL 13, PDC 6, RPA 6, PSR 2, PDI 2, other 2; note - the distribution of seats was predetermined

elections

the last national legislative elections were held 16 December 1988 for the National Development Council (the legislature prior to the advent of the Transitional National Assembly); no elections have been held for the Transitional National Assembly as the distribution of seats was predetermined by the Arusha peace accord

National holiday

Independence Day, 1 July (1962); Liberation Day, 4 July (1994)

Political parties and leaders

Centrist Democratic Party or PDC ; Democratic and Socialist Party or PSD ; Democratic Republican Movement or MDR [Pierre Celestin RWIGEMA, chairman]; Islamic Democratic Party or PDI ; Liberal Party or PL ; National Repulican Movement for Democracy and Development or MRNDD (formerly known as the National Movement for Democracy and Development or MRND ; Rwanda Patriotic Army or RPA ; Rwandan Patriotic Front or FPR ; Rwandan Socialist Party or PSR

Political pressure groups and leaders

IBUKA - association of genocide survivors

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal adult

Agriculture - products

coffee, tea, pyrethrum (insecticide made from chrysanthemums), bananas, beans, sorghum, potatoes; livestock

Budget

expenditures

$361 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1998 est.)

revenues

$202 million

Currency

1 Rwandan franc (RF) = 100 centimes

Debt - external

$1.2 billion (1998)

Economic aid - recipient

$591.5 million (1997); note - in the summer of 1998, Rwanda presented its policy objectives and development priorities to donor governments resulting in multiyear pledges in the amount of $250 million

Economy - overview

Rwanda is a rural country with about 90% of the population engaged in (mainly subsistence) agriculture. It is the most densely populated country in Africa; is landlocked; and has few natural resources and minimal industry. Primary exports 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 significant progress in stabilizing and rehabilitating its economy. GDP has rebounded, and inflation has been curbed. In June 1998, Rwanda signed an Enhanced Structural Adjustment Facility (ESAF) with the IMF. Rwanda has also embarked upon an ambitious privatization program with the World Bank. Continued growth in 2000 depends on the maintenance of international aid levels and the strengthening of world prices of coffee and tea.

Electricity - consumption

165 million kWh (1998)

Electricity - exports

3 million kWh (1998)

Electricity - imports

20 million kWh (1998)

Electricity - production

159 million kWh (1998)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

2.52%

hydro

97.48%

nuclear

0%

other

0% (1998)

Exchange rates

Rwandan francs (RF) per US$1 - 349.53 (January 2000), 333.94 (1999) 312.31 (1998), 301.53 (1997), 306.82 (1996), 262.20 (1995)

Exports

$70.8 million (f.o.b., 1999 est.)

Exports - commodities

coffee, tea, hides, tin ore

Exports - partners

Brazil, Germany, Belgium, Pakistan, Spain, Kenya

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $5.9 billion (1999 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

44%

industry

20%

services

36% (1998 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $720 (1999 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

5.3% (1999 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 4.2% highest 10%: 24.2% (1983-85)

Imports

$242 million (f.o.b., 1999 est.)

Imports - commodities

foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, steel, petroleum products, cement and construction material

Imports - partners

Kenya, Tanzania, US, Benelux, France

Industrial production growth rate

8.7% (1998 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

10% (1998)

Labor force

3.6 million

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 90%, government and services, industry and commerce

Population below poverty line

51.2% (1993 est.)

Unemployment rate

NA%

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

1 (1999)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 0, FM 3, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios

601,000 (1997)

Telephone system

telephone system primarily serves business and government

domestic

the capital, Kigali, is connected to the centers of the prefectures by microwave radio relay; the remainder of the network depends on wire and HF radiotelephone

international

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)

Telephones - main lines in use

15,000 (1995)

Telephones - mobile cellular

NA

Television broadcast stations

2 (1997)

Televisions

NA; probably less than 1,000 (1997)

Airports

8 (1999 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total

4 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (1999 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

4 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 3 (1999 est.)

Highways

paved

1,000 km

total

12,000 km

unpaved

11,000 km (1997 est.)

Ports and harbors

Cyangugu, Gisenyi, Kibuye

Railways

0 km

Waterways

Lac Kivu navigable by shallow-draft barges and native craft

Military branches

Army, Gendarmerie, Navy, Air Force

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$92 million (FY99)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

3.8% (FY99)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 1,774,459 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 902,970 (2000 est.)

Disputes - international

Rwandan military forces are supporting the rebel forces in the civil war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

SAINT HELENA