Rwanda

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

• one of Africa's most densely populated countries;
• large concentrations tend to be in the central regions and along the shore of Lake Kivu in the west as shown in this population distribution map

• deforestation results from uncontrolled cutting of trees for fuel;
• overgrazing;
• land degradation;
• soil erosion;
• a decline in soil fertility (soil exhaustion);
• wetland degradation and loss of biodiversity;
• 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

• one of Africa's most densely populated countries;
• large concentrations tend to be in the central regions and along the shore of Lake Kivu in the west as shown in this population distribution map

at birth:

1.03 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.02 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.01 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

0.91 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.81 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.67 male(s)/female

total population:

0.96 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

degree of risk:

very high (2020)

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases:

malaria and dengue fever

animal contact diseases:

rabies

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)

etymology:

• the city takes its name from nearby Mount Kigali;
• the name "Kigali" is composed of the Bantu prefix "ki" and the Rwandan "gali" meaning "broad" and likely refers to the broad, sprawling hill that has been dignified with the title of "mount"

• 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 vote 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

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 5-year term (eligible for a second term);
• note - a constitutional amendment approved in December 2016 reduced the presidential term from 7 to 5 years but included 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 in 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 (DGPR)0.5%

highest courts:

• Supreme Court (consists of the chief and deputy chief justices and 15 judges; normally organized into 3-judge panels);
• High Court (consists of the court president, vice president, and a minimum of 24 judges and organized into 5 chambers)

judge selection and term of office:

• Supreme Court judges nominated by the president after consultation with the Cabinet and the Superior Council of the Judiciary (SCJ), a 27-member body of judges, other judicial officials, and legal professionals) and approved by the Senate;
• chief and deputy chief justices appointed for 8-year nonrenewable terms;
• tenure of judges NA;
• High Court president and vice president appointed by the president of the republic upon approval by the Senate;
• judges appointed by the Supreme Court chief justice upon approval of the SCJ;
• judge tenure NA

subordinate courts:

• High Court of the Republic;
• commercial courts including the High Commercial Court;
• intermediate courts;
• primary courts;
• and military specialized courts

• Democratic Green Party of Rwanda or DGPR [Frank HABINEZA]
• Liberal Party or PL [Donatille MUKABALISA]
• Party for Progress and Concord or PPC [Dr. Alivera MUKABARAMBA]
• Party Imberakuri or PS-Imberakuri [Christine MUKABUNANI]
• 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 20009

telephone:

[1] (202) 232-2882

FAX:

[1] (202) 232-4544

chief of mission:

Ambassador Peter H. VROOMAN (since 5 April 2018)

telephone:

[250] 252 596-400

embassy:

2657 Avenue de la Gendarmerie, P. O. Box 28, Kigali

mailing address:

B.P. 28, Kigali

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

Fitch rating:

B+ (2014)

Moody's rating:

B2 (2016)

Standard & Poors rating: B+ (2019)

agriculture:

75.3%

industry:

6.7%

services:

18% (2012 est.)

lowest 10%:

2.1%

highest 10%:

43.2% (2011 est.)

• 13 TV stations;
• 35 radio stations registered, including international broadcasters, government owns most popular TV and radio stations;
• regional satellite-based TV services available

number of registered air carriers:

1 (2020); inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 12

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

1,073,528 (2018)

total:

4,700 km (2012)

paved:

1,207 km (2012)

unpaved:

3,493 km (2012)

• the RDF's inventory includes mostly Soviet-era and older Western - mostly French and South African - equipment;
• Russia is the largest supplier of equipment to the RDF since 2010 (2019 est.)

• 1,370 Central African Republic (MINUSCA);
• 1,090 Sudan (UNAMID);
• 2,750 South Sudan (UNMISS) (2020)

• 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 (2013)

• 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