Rwanda

republic

Rwanda as the 1992 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 69 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalKigali

Area26,340 km2

Populationas each edition published it

8.21 million July 1992 · 7.61m in 1990

Population growth% a year

Not in this edition 2.9% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 18.1 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

Not in this edition 41.23 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

8.3 children per woman 1992 · 8.5 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

108 deaths per 1,000 live births 1992 · 113 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

Not in this edition $290 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

Not in this edition 1.3% in 1993

Geography

13 fields

Total area

26,340km2

Comparative area: slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries

893km total

Burundi 290 km, Tanzania 217 km, Uganda 169 km, Zaire 217 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; mountains in west

Natural resources

gold, cassiterite (tin ore), wolframite (tungsten ore), natural gas, hydropower

Land use

arable land 29%;
permanent crops 11%;
meadows and pastures 18%;
forest and woodland 10%;
other 32%;
includes irrigated NEGL%

Environment

deforestation;
overgrazing;
soil exhaustion;
soil erosion;
periodic droughts

People

14 fields

Population

8,206,446

(July 1992), growth rate 3.8% (1992)

Per 1,000 population(1992)

Birth

52Death

14Net migration

Ethnic divisions

Hutu 90%Tutsi 9%Twa (Pygmoid) 1%

Religions

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

Literacy

50%

(male 64%, female 37%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

Languages

Kinyarwanda, French (official); Kiswahili used in commercial centers

Labor force

3,600,000;
agriculture 93%, government and services 5%, industry and commerce 2%;
49% of population of working age (1985)

Government

Republic

18 fields

Type

republic;
presidential system in which military leaders hold key offices;
on 31 December 1990, the government announced a National Political Charter to serve as a basis for transition to a presidential/parliamentary political system;
the 1978 constitution was replaced in June 1991 via popular referendum by a new constitution creating a multiparty system with a president and prime minister

Administrative divisions

10 prefectures (prefectures, singular - prefecture in French; plural - NA, singular - prefegitura in Kinyarwanda);
Butare, Byumba, Cyangugu, Gikongoro, Gisenyi, Gitarama, Kibungo, Kibuye, Rigali, Ruhengeri

Independence

1 July 1962 (from UN trusteeship under Belgian administration)

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

Executive branch

president, prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

Legislative branch

unicameral National Development Council (Conseil National de Developpement)

Judicial branch

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

Leaders

Chief of State:: President Maj. Gen. Juvenal HABYARIMANA (since 5 July 1973)
Head of Government:: Prime Minister Sylvestre NSANZIMANA (since NA October 1991)

Republican Revolutionary Movement for Democracy and Development (MRND), Maj. Gen. Juvenal HABYARIMANA; formerly a one-party state, Rwanda legalized independent parties in mid-1991; since then, at least 10 new political parties have registered; President HABYARIMANA's political movement - the National Revolutionary Movement for Development (MRND) - reorganized itself as a political party and changed its name to the Republican National Movement for Democracy and Development (but kept the same initials - MRND);

significant independent parties include:: Democratic Republican Movement (MDR), leader NA;
Liberal Party (PL), leader NA;
Democratic and Socialist Party (PSD), leader NA;
note - since October 1990, Rwanda has been involved in a low-intensity conflict with the Rwandan Patriotic Front/Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPF/RPA);
the RPF/RPA is primarily an ethnically based organization

Suffrage

universal adult, exact age NA

Elections

President:: last held 19 December 1988 (next to be held NA December 1993); results - President Maj. Gen. Juvenal HABYARIMANA reelected
National Development Council:: last held 19 December 1988 (next to be held NA December 1993);
results - MRND is the only party;
seats - (70 total) MRND 70

Member of

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, ECA, CCC, CEEAC, CEPGL, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Aloys UWIMANA;
Chancery at 1714 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009;
telephone (202) 232-2882

US:: Ambassador Robert A. FLATEN;
Embassy at Boulevard de la Revolution, Kigali (mailing address is B. P. 28, Kigali);
telephone [250] 75601 through 75603;
FAX [250] 72128

Flag

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

Economy

Almost 50% of GDP comes from the agricultural sector; coffee and tea make up | 80-90% of total exports.

16 fields

Inflation, consumer prices

4.2%

(1990)

External debt

$911million

(1990 est.)

Budget

Revenues

$391 millionExpenditures

$491 million

expenditures, including capital expenditures of $225 million (1989 est.)

Overview

Almost 50% of GDP comes from the agricultural sector; coffee and tea make up 80-90% of total exports. The amount of fertile land is limited, however, and deforestation and soil erosion have created problems. The industrial sector in Rwanda is small, contributing only 17% to GDP. Manufacturing focuses mainly on the processing of agricultural products.

The Rwandan economy remains dependent on coffee exports and foreign aid. Weak international prices since 1986 have caused the economy to contract and per capita GDP to decline. A structural adjustment program with the World Bank began in October 1990. An outbreak of insurgency, also in October, has dampened any prospects for economic improvement.

GDP

exchange rate conversion - $2.1 billion, per capita $300; real growth rate -6.8% (1990 est.)

Unemployment rate

NA%

Exports

$111.7 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.)

commodities:: coffee 85%, tea, tin, cassiterite, wolframite, pyrethrum
partners:: Germany, Belgium, Italy, Uganda, UK, France, US

Imports

$279.2 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.)

commodities:: textiles, foodstuffs, machines and equipment, capital goods, steel, petroleum products, cement and construction material
partners:: US, Belgium, Germany, Kenya, Japan

Industrial production

growth rate 1.2% (1988); accounts for 17% of GDP

Electricity

30,000 kW capacity; 130 million kWh produced, 15 kWh per capita (1991)

Industries

mining of cassiterite (tin ore) and wolframite (tungsten ore), tin, cement, agricultural processing, small-scale beverage production, soap, furniture, shoes, plastic goods, textiles, cigarettes

Agriculture

accounts for almost 50% of GDP and about 90% of the labor force;
cash crops - coffee, tea, pyrethrum (insecticide made from chrysanthemums);
main food crops - bananas, beans, sorghum, potatoes;
stock raising;
self-sufficiency declining;
country imports foodstuffs as farm production fails to keep up with a 3.8% annual growth in population

Economic aid

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $128 million;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $2.0 billion;
OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $45 million;
Communist countries (1970-89), $58 million;
note - in October 1990 Rwanda launched a Structural Adjustment Program with the IMF;
since September 1991, the EC has given $46 million and the US $25 million in support of this program