Rwanda
Republic of RwandaRepublika y'u Rwanda
republic
Rwanda as the 2010 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 132 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
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.
Geography
Central Africa, east of Democratic Republic of the Congo
20 fieldsLand useshare of 26,338 sq 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
Natural resources
gold, cassiterite (tin ore), wolframite (tungsten ore), methane, hydropower, arable land
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)
- total:
- 0.15 cu km/yr (24%/8%/68%)
- per capita:
- 17 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards
periodic droughts; the volcanic Virunga mountains are in the northwest along the border with Democratic Republic of the Congo; volcanism: Visoke (elev. 3,711 m, 12,175 ft), located on the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is the country's only historically active volcano
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
Geography - note
landlocked; most of the country is savanna grassland with the population predominantly rural
People
24 fieldsAge structuremale left, female right · (2010 est.)
Note
Per 1,000 population
Male · female
Religions(2001)
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:
- 0.67 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 0.99 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
Major infectious diseases
- degree of risk:
- very high
- food or waterborne diseases:
- bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
- vectorborne disease:
- malaria
- animal contact disease:
- rabies (2009)
Languages
Kinyarwanda (official) universal Bantu vernacular, French (official), English (official), Kiswahili (Swahili) used in commercial centers
Government
Republic; President Paul KAGAME (since 22 April 2000); Prime Minister Bernard MAKUZA (since 8 March 2000)
19 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
Legislaturepercent of vote
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
Capital
- name:
- Kigali
- geographic coordinates:
- 1 57 S, 30 04 E
- time difference:
- UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
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)
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
- chief of state:
- President Paul KAGAME (since 22 April 2000)
- head of government:
- Prime Minister Bernard MAKUZA (since 8 March 2000)
- cabinet:
- Council of Ministers appointed by the president; (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website)
- elections:
- President elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (eligible for a second term); elections last held on 9 August 2010 (next to be held in 2017)
- election results:
- Paul KAGAME elected to a second term as president; Paul KAGAME 93.1%, Jean NTAWUKURIRYAYO 5.1%, Prosper HIGIRO 1.4%, Alvera MUKABAR 0.4%
Legislative branch
bicameral Parliament consists of Senate (26 seats; 12 members elected by local councils, 8 appointed by the president, 4 appointed by the Political Organizations Forum, 2 represent institutions of higher learning; members 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; members to serve five-year terms)
- elections:
- Senate - members appointed as part of the transitional government (next to be held in 2011);
- Chamber of Deputies - last held on 15 September 2008 (next to be held in September 2013)
- election results:
- percent of vote by party - RPF 78.8%, PSD 13.1%, PL 7.5%; seats by party - RPF 42, PSD 7, PL 4, additional 27 members indirectly elected
Judicial branch
- Supreme Court;
- High Courts of the Republic;
- Provincial Courts;
- District Courts;
- mediation committees
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 [Protais MITALI];
- Party for Democratic Renewal (officially banned);
- Rwandan Patriotic Front or RPF [Paul KAGAME];
- Social Democratic Party or PSD [Vincent BIRUTA];
- Solidarity and Prosperity Party or PSP [Pheobe KANYANGE]
International organization participation
ACP, AfDB, AU, C, CEPGL, COMESA, EAC, EADB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador James KIMONYO
- chancery:
- 1714 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
- telephone:
- [1] (202) 232-2882
- FAX:
- [1] (202) 232-4544
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador W. Stuart SYMINGTON
- embassy:
- 2657 Avenue de la Gendarmerie, Kigali
- mailing address:
- B. P. 28, Kigali
- telephone:
- [250] 596-400
- 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 anthem
- name:
- "Rwanda nziza" (Rwanda, Our Beautiful Country)
- lyrics/music:
- Faustin MURIGO/Jean-Bosco HASHAKAIMANA
note: adopted 2001
Economy
Rwanda is a poor rural country with about 90% of the population engaged in (mainly subsistence) agriculture and some mineral and agro-processing.
47 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(2010 est.)
Trading partnersexports left, imports right
Electricity
Economy - overview
Rwanda is a poor rural country with about 90% of the population engaged in (mainly subsistence) agriculture and some mineral and agro-processing. In 2008, minerals overtook coffee and tea as Rwanda's primary foreign exchange earner. 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 and inflation has been curbed. Nonetheless, a majority still live below the poverty line of 250 Rwandan francs per day (about US$0.43). Despite Rwanda's fertile ecosystem, food production often does not keep pace with demand, requiring food imports.
Rwanda continues to receive substantial aid money and obtained IMF-World Bank Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) initiative debt relief in 2005-06. Rwanda also received a Millennium Challenge Account Compact in 2008. 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, although energy shortages, instability in neighboring states, and lack of adequate transportation linkages to other countries continue to handicap growth.
The global downturn hurt export demand and tourism, but economic growth is recovering, driven in large part by the services sector, and inflation has been contained. On the back of this growth, government is gradually ending its fiscal stimulus policy while protecting aid to the poor.
Distribution of family income - Gini index
46.8 (2000) · 28.9 (1985) country comparison to the world: 35
Central bank discount rate
11.25% (31 December 2008) · 12.5% (31 December 2007) country comparison to the world: 29
Commercial bank prime lending rate
NA% (31 December 2009 est.) · 16.51% (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 37
Stock of narrow money
$602.3 million (31 December 2010 est) · $537.6 million (31 December 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 154
Stock of broad money
$1.243 billion (31 December 2010 est.) · $1.068 billion (31 December 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 155
Stock of domestic credit
$600.4 million (31 December 2010 est.) · $515.5 million (31 December 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 161
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
Natural gas - proved reserves
56.63 billion cu m (1 January 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 63
Current account balance
-$489 million (2010 est.) · -$379 million (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 116
Imports - commodities
foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, steel, petroleum products, cement and construction material
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$816 million (31 December 2010 est.) · $742.7 million (31 December 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 113
Exchange rates
Rwandan francs (RWF) per US dollar - 586.25 (2010), 568.176 (2009), 550 (2008), 585 (2007), 560 (2006)
Communications
7 fieldsTelephone system
- general assessment:
- small, inadequate telephone system primarily serves business, education, and government
- domestic:
- the capital, Kigali, is connected to the centers of the provinces 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 to about 25 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 (Indian Ocean) in Kigali (includes telex and telefax service)
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)
Transportation
6 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved only
Airports by runway lengthunpaved only
Military
Rwandan Defense Forces (RDF), Rwandan Patriotic Air Force (2009)
6 fieldsMilitary service age and obligation
18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2010)
Manpower available for military service
- males age 16-49:
- 2,573,834
- females age 16-49:
- 2,553,707 (2010 est.)
Transnational Issues
2 fieldsDisputes - 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
Refugees and internally displaced persons
refugees (country of origin): 46,272 (Democratic Republic of the Congo); 4,400 (Burundi) (2007)
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Rwanda.” The World Factbook 2010. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/rwanda/2010.