Rwanda

Internet country code

.rw

Internet hosts

1,590 (2006)

Internet users

38,000 (2005)

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)

Telephone system

general assessment: telephone system primarily serves business 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 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)

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)

Television broadcast stations

2 (2004)

Agriculture - products

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

Budget

revenues: $509.9 million expenditures: $584.6 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)

Currency (code)

Rwandan franc (RWF)

Current account balance

$-166 million (2005 est.)

Debt - external

$1.4 billion (2004 est.)

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. An energy shortage and instability in neighboring states may slow growth in 2006, while the lack of adequate transportation linkages to other countries continues to handicap export growth.

Electricity - consumption

121.1 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports

30 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - production

98 million kWh (2003)

Exchange rates

Rwandan francs per US dollar - 610 (2005), 574.62 (2004), 537.66 (2003), 476.33 (2002), 442.8 (2001)

Exports

$98 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities

coffee, tea, hides, tin ore

Exports - partners

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

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP (official exchange rate)

$1.817 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$12.54 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 40.1% industry: 22.9% services: 37% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$1,500 (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

5.2% (2005 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 4.2% highest 10%: 24.2% (1985)

Imports

$243 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Imports - commodities

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

Imports - partners

Kenya 23.8%, Uganda 6.2%, Belgium 5.4%, Germany 5.3% (2005)

Industrial production growth rate

7% (2001 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

8% (2005 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

18.1% of GDP (2005 est.)

Labor force

4.6 million (2000)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 90% industry and services: 10%

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

56.63 billion cu m (1 January 2002)

Oil - consumption

6,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports

NA bbl/day

Oil - imports

NA bbl/day

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2002)

Population below poverty line

60% (2001 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$357 million (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate

NA%

Area

total: 26,338 sq km land: 24,948 sq km water: 1,390 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Maryland

Climate

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

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Rusizi River 950 m highest point: Volcan Karisimbi 4,519 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 signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geographic coordinates

2 00 S, 30 00 E

Geography - note

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

Irrigated land

90 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries

total: 893 km border countries: Burundi 290 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 217 km, Tanzania 217 km, Uganda 169 km

Land use

arable land: 45.56% permanent crops: 10.25% other: 44.19% (2005)

Location

Central Africa, east of Democratic Republic of the Congo

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

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

Terrain

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

Administrative divisions

12 provinces (in French - provinces, singular - province; in Kinyarwanda - prefigintara for singular and plural); Butare, Byumba, Cyangugu, Gikongoro, Gisenyi, Gitarama, Kibungo, Kibuye, Kigali Rurale, Kigali-ville, Umutara, Ruhengeri

Capital

name: Kigali geographic coordinates: 1 57 S, 30 04 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Constitution

new constitution adopted 4 June 2003

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

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 FAX: [250] 57 2128

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Zac NSENGA chancery: 1714 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 232-2882 FAX: [1] (202) 232-4544

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 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 NA 2008) election results: Paul KAGAME elected president in first direct popular vote; Paul KAGAME 95.05%, Faustin TWAGIRAMUNGU 3.62%, Jean-Nepomuscene NAYINZIRA 1.33%

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

Government type

republic; presidential, multiparty system

Independence

1 July 1962 (from Belgium-administered UN trusteeship)

International organization participation

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

Judicial branch

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

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

National holiday

Independence Day, 1 July (1962)

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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal adult

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 about 10,000 remain in neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo and have 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.

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 2,004,750 females age 16-49: 1,990,935 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 1,103,823 females age 16-49: 1,096,644 (2005 est.)

Military branches

Rwandan Defense Forces: Army, Air Force

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

2.9% (2005 est.)

Military service age and obligation

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

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.)

Birth rate

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

Death rate

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

Ethnic groups

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

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.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 89.61 deaths/1,000 live births male: 94.71 deaths/1,000 live births female: 84.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 47.3 years male: 46.26 years female: 48.38 years (2006 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 70.4% male: 76.3% female: 64.7% (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria (2005)

Median age

total: 18.6 years male: 18.4 years female: 18.8 years (2006 est.)

Nationality

noun: Rwandan(s) adjective: Rwandan

Net migration rate

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

People - note

Rwanda is the most densely populated country in Africa

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 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)

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 (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate

5.43 children born/woman (2006 est.)

Disputes - international

Tutsi, Hutu, Hema, Lendu, and other conflicting ethnic groups, associated political rebels, armed gangs, and various government forces continue fighting in Great Lakes region, transcending the boundaries of Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda to gain control over populated areas and natural resources - government heads pledge to end conflicts, but localized violence continues despite UN peacekeeping efforts; DROC and Rwanda established a border verification mechanism in 2005 to address accusations of Rwandan military supporting Congolese rebels and the Congo providing rebel Rwandan "Interhamwe" forces the means and bases to attack Rwandan forces; as of 2004, Rwandan refugees lived in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and Zambia

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin): 45,460 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) IDPs: 4,158 (incursions by Hutu rebels from Democratic Republic of the Congo, 1997-99; most IDPs in northwest) (2005)

Airports

9 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 4 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 3 (2006)

Ports and terminals

Cyangugu, Gisenyi, Kibuye

Roadways

total: 12,000 km paved: 996 km unpaved: 11,004 km (1999)

Waterways

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