Rwanda

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

agricultural land:

74.5%;

• arable land 47%;
• permanent crops 10.1%;
• permanent pasture 17.4%

forest:

18%

other:

7.5% (2011 est.)

• deforestation results from uncontrolled cutting of trees for fuel;
• overgrazing;
• soil exhaustion;
• soil erosion;
• widespread poaching

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

noun:

Rwandan(s)

adjective:

Rwandan

at birth:

1.03 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.02 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

1 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.88 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.7 male(s)/female

total population:

1 male(s)/female (2016 est.)

degree of risk:

very high

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases:

malaria and dengue fever

animal contact disease:

rabies (2016)

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

etymology:

the name translates as "domain" in the native Kinyarwanda language

name:

Kigali

geographic coordinates:

1 57 S, 30 03 E

time difference:

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

• 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)

history:

several previous; latest adopted by referendum 26 May 2003, effective 4 June 2003

amendments:

• proposed by the president of the republic (with Council of Ministers approval) or by two-thirds majority support of both houses of Parliament;
• passage requires at least three-quarters majority vote in both houses;
• changes to constitutional articles on national sovereignty, the presidential term, the form and system of government, and political pluralism also require approval in a referendum;
• amended 2008, 2010, 2015 (2017)

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

the father must be a citizen of Rwanda; if the father is stateless or unknown, the mother must be a citizen

dual citizenship recognized:

no

residency requirement for naturalization:

10 years

chief of state:

President Paul KAGAME (since 22 April 2000)

head of government:

Prime Minister Edouard NGIRENTE (since 30 August 2017)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers appointed by the president

elections/appointments:

• president directly elected by simple majority vote for a 7-year term (eligible for a second term);
• note - constitutional amendments approved in December 2016, included one that reduces the presidential term from 7 to 5 years but includes an exception that allowed President KAGAME to serve another 7-year term in 2017, potentially followed by two additional 5-year terms;
• election last held on 4 August 2017 (next to be held on 4 August 2024);
• prime minister appointed by the president

election results:

Paul KAGAME reelected president; Paul KAGAME (RPF) 98.8%, Philippe MPAYIMANA (independent) 0.7%, Frank HABINEZA (DGP)0.5%

description:

bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate or Senat (26 seats; 12 members indirectly elected by local councils, 8 appointed by the president, 4 appointed by the Political Organizations Forum - a body of registered political parties, and 2 selected by institutions of higher learning; members serve 8-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or Chambre des Deputes (80 seats; 53 members directly elected by proportional representation vote, 24 women elected by special interest groups, and 3 selected by youth and disability organizations; members serve 5-year terms)

elections:

Senate - NA; Chamber of Deputies - last held on 16-18 September 2013 (next to be held in 2018)

election results:

• Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - Rwandan Patriotic Front Coalition 76.2%, PSD 13%, PL 9.3%, other 1.5%;
• seats by party - Rwandan Patriotic Front Coalition 41, PSD 7, PL 5, 27 indirectly elected members

• Liberal Party or PL [Donatille MUKABALISA]
• Party for Progress and Concord or PPC [Dr. Alivera MUKABARAMBA]
• Rwandan Patriotic Front or RPF [Paul KAGAME]
• Rwandan Patriotic Front Coalition (includes RPF, PPC) [Paul KAGAME]
• Social Democratic Party or PSD [Vincent BIRUTA]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Mathilde MUKANTABANA (since 18 July 2013)

chancery:

1875 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 418, Washington, DC, 2000

telephone:

[1] (202) 232-2882

FAX:

[1] (202) 232-4544

chief of mission:

Ambassador Erica BARKS-RUGGLES (since 26 January 2015)

embassy:

2657 Avenue de la Gendarmerie, Kigali

mailing address:

B.P. 28, Kigali

telephone:

[250] 252 596-400

FAX:

[250] 252 580 325

• 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

name:

"Rwanda nziza" (Rwanda, Our Beautiful Country)

lyrics/music:

Faustin MURIGO/Jean-Bosco HASHAKAIMANA

note: adopted 2001

agriculture:

75.3%

industry:

6.7%

services:

18% (2012 est.)

lowest 10%:

2.1%

highest 10%:

43.2% (2011 est.)

general assessment:

small, inadequate telephone system primarily serves business, education, and government

domestic:

• the capital, Kigali, is connected to provincial centers 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 and now exceeds 65 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) (2015)

• 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)

number of registered air carriers:

1; inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 9

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

645,815

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

21,382,897 mt-km (2015)

total:

4,700 km

paved:

1,207 km

unpaved:

3,493 km (2012)

country comparison to the world: 152

• 18 years of age for voluntary military service;
• no conscription;
• Rwandan citizenship is required, as is a 9th-grade education for enlisted recruits and an A-level certificate for officer candidates;
• enlistment is either as contract (5-years, renewable twice) or career;
• retirement (for officers and senior NCOs) after 20 years of service or at 40-60 years of age (2012)

• Burundi and Rwanda dispute two sq km (0.8 sq mi) of Sabanerwa, a farmed area in the Rukurazi Valley where the Akanyaru/Kanyaru River shifted its course southward after heavy rains in 1965;
• 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 (DROC), 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