2007 Edition

Administrative divisions

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

Age structure

0-14 years: 41.9% (male 1,817,998/female 1,802,134) 15-64 years: 55.6% (male 2,392,778/female 2,417,467) 65 years and over: 2.5% (male 87,325/female 130,546) (2006 est.)

Agriculture - products

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

Area

land

24,948 sq km

total

26,338 sq km

water

1,390 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Maryland

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 remain in neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo 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. Geography Rwanda

Birth rate

40.37 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Budget

expenditures

$654 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.)

revenues

$560.9 million

Capital

geographic coordinates

1 57 S, 30 04 E

name

Kigali

time difference

UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Climate

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

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Constitution

new constitution adopted 4 June 2003

Country name

conventional long form

Republic of Rwanda

conventional short form

Rwanda

former

Ruanda, German East Africa

local long form

Republika y'u Rwanda

local short form

Rwanda

Currency (code)

Rwandan franc (RWF)

Currency code

RWF

Current account balance

$-104.1 million (2006 est.)

Death rate

16.09 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Debt - external

$1.4 billion (2004 est.)

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Michael ARIETTI

embassy

337 Boulevard de la Revolution, Kigali

mailing address

B. P. 28, Kigali

telephone

[250] 50 56 01 through 03

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

1714 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009

chief of mission

Ambassador Zac NSENGA

telephone

[1] (202) 232-2882

Distribution of family income - Gini index

28.9 (1985)

Economic aid - recipient

$425 million (2003)

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. Kigali's high defense expenditures have caused tension between the government and international donors and lending agencies. Rwanda obtained debt relief from the IMF and World Bank in 2006. Rwanda also received Millennium Challenge Account Threshold status in 2006. Energy shortages, instability in neighboring states, and lack of adequate transportation linkages to other countries continue to handicap growth.

Electricity - consumption

196.5 million kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports

10 million kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports

120 million kWh (2004)

Electricity - production

93 million kWh (2004)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

2.3%

hydro

97.7%

nuclear

0%

other

0% (2001)

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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified

Law of the Sea

Ethnic groups

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

Exchange rates

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

Executive branch

cabinet

Council of Ministers appointed by the president

chief of state

President Paul KAGAME (since 22 April 2000)

election results

Paul KAGAME elected president in first direct popular vote; Paul KAGAME 95.05%, Faustin TWAGIRAMUNGU 3.62%, Jean-Nepomuscene NAYINZIRA 1.33%

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)

head of government

Prime Minister Bernard MAKUZA (since 8 March 2000)

Exports

$135.4 million f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Exports - commodities

coffee, tea, hides, tin ore

Exports - partners

Germany 11%, China 6.5%, Belgium 4.5% (2005)

FAX

[1] (202) 232-4544

[250] 57 2128

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications Rwanda

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 Economy Rwanda

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

39.4%

industry

23.3%

services

37.3% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$1,600 (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

5.8% (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$1.968 billion (2006 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$13.54 billion (2006 est.)

Geographic coordinates

2 00 S, 30 00 E

Geography - note

landlocked; most of the country is savanna grassland with the population predominantly rural People Rwanda

Government type

republic; presidential, multiparty system

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

5.1% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

22,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

250,000 (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

24.2% (1985)

lowest 10%

4.2%

Imports

$390.4 million f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Imports - commodities

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

Imports - partners

Kenya 21.5%, Uganda 6.4%, Belgium 5.7%, Germany 5.5%, Israel 4.1% (2005)

Independence

1 July 1962 (from Belgium-administered UN trusteeship)

Industrial production growth rate

7% (2001 est.)

Industries

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

Infant mortality rate

female

84.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

male

94.71 deaths/1,000 live births

total

89.61 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

6.7% (2006 est.)

International organization participation

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

Investment (gross fixed)

19.8% of GDP (2006 est.)

Irrigated land

90 sq km (2003)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court; High Courts of the Republic; Provincial Courts; District Courts; mediation committees

Labor force

4.6 million (2000)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

90%

industry and services

10%

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

45.56%

other

44.19% (2005)

permanent crops

10.25%

Languages

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

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

bicameral Parliament consists of Senate (26 seats; 12 members elected local councils, 8 appointed by the president, 4 by the Political Organizations Forum, 2 represent institutions of higher learning, to serve eight-year terms) and Chamber of Deputies (80 seats; 53 members elected by popular vote, 24 women elected by local bodies, 3 selected by youth and disability organizations, to serve five-year terms)

election results

seats by party under the 2003 Constitution - RPF 40, PSD 7, PL 6, additional 27 members indirectly elected

elections

Senate - last held NA, 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)

Life expectancy at birth

female

48.38 years (2006 est.)

male

46.26 years

total population

47.3 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

64.7% (2003 est.)

male

76.3%

total population

70.4%

Location

Central Africa, east of Democratic Republic of the Congo

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk

very high

food or waterborne diseases

bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne disease

malaria (2007)

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Median age

female

18.8 years (2006 est.)

male

18.4 years

total

18.6 years

National holiday

Independence Day, 1 July (1962)

Nationality

adjective

Rwandan

noun

Rwandan(s)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

56.63 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)

Natural hazards

periodic droughts; the volcanic Virunga 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

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Oil - consumption

5,400 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports

NA bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports

NA bbl/day (2001)

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2002)

People - note

Rwanda is the most densely populated country in Africa Government Rwanda

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]

Political pressure groups and leaders

IBUKA - association of genocide survivors

Population

8,648,248

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 2006 est.)

Population below poverty line

60% (2001 est.)

Population growth rate

2.43% (2006 est.)

Religions

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

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$422.8 million (2006 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth

1.03 male(s)/female

total population

0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

under 15 years

1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal adult

Telephone system

general assessment

telephone system primarily serves business and

Telephones - main lines in use

23,000 (2004)

Telephones - mobile cellular

290,000

note

Rwanda has mobile cellular service between Kigali and several provincial capitals (2005)

Terrain

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

Total fertility rate

5.43 children born/woman (2006 est.)

Unemployment rate

NA%

Airports

9 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways

over 3,047 m

1 914 to 1,523 m: 2

total

4

under 914 m

1 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

5 914 to 1,523 m: 2

under 914 m

3 (2006)

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

Internet country code

.rw

Internet hosts

1,590 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

2 (2002)

Internet users

38,000 (2005) Transportation Rwanda

Manpower available for military service

females age 16-49

1,990,935 (2005 est.)

males age 16-49

2,004,750

Manpower fit for military service

females age 16-49

1,096,644 (2005 est.)

males age 16-49

1,103,823

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$53.66 million (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

2.9% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Rwanda

Military service age and obligation

16 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2001)

Ports and terminals

Cyangugu, Gisenyi, Kibuye Military Rwanda

Radio broadcast stations

AM 0, FM 8 (two main FM programs are broadcast through a system of repeaters, three international FM programs include the BBC, VOA, and Deutchewelle), shortwave 1 (2005)

Radios

601,000 (1997)

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin)

41,403 (Democratic Republic of the Congo), 4,400 (Burundi) (2006) This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

Roadways

paved

2,662 km

total

14,008 km

unpaved

11,346 km (2004)

Rwandan Defense Forces

Army, Air Force

Television broadcast stations

2 (2004)

Televisions

NA; probably less than 1,000 (1997)

Waterways

Lac Kivu navigable by shallow-draft barges and native craft (2005)