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RWANDA
OFFICIAL NAME
Republic of Rwanda
CAPITAL CITY
Kigali, population 235,000
Geography
Location:
Central Africa, east of Zaire
Geographic coordinates:
2 00 S, 30 00 E
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total area:
26,340 sq km
land area:
24,950 sq km
comparative area:
slightly smaller than Maryland
Land boundaries:
total:
893 km
border countries:
Burundi 290 km, Tanzania 217 km, Uganda 169 km, Zaire 217 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
International disputes:
none
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
lowest point:
Rusizi River 950 m
highest point:
Volcan Karisimbi 4,519 m
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%
Irrigated land:
40 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
deforestation results from uncontrolled cutting of trees for fuel; overgrazing; soil exhaustion; soil erosion
natural hazards:
periodic droughts; the volcanic Virunga mountains are in the northwest along the border with Zaire
international agreements:
party to - Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the Sea
Geographic note:
landlocked; predominantly rural population
People
Population:
6,853,359 (July 1996 est.)
note:
genocide and civil war in 1994 killed more than 1 million Rwandans and forced more than 2 million to flee to neighboring countries
Age structure:
0-14 years:
46% (male 1,582,928; female 1,573,536)
15-64 years:
51% (male 1,734,716; female 1,772,722)
65 years and over:
3% (male 78,854; female 110,603) (July 1996 est.)
Population growth rate:
16.49% (1996 est.)
Birth rate:
38.83 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Death rate:
20.33 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Net migration rate:
146.43 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
note:
since April 1994, more than two million refugees have fled the civil strife between the Hutu and Tutsi factions in Rwanda and crossed into Zaire, Burundi, and Tanzania; close to 800,000 Rwandan Tutsis who fled civil strife in earlier years have returned to Rwanda, and 90,000 of the Hutu refugees are going home despite the perceived danger of doing so; the ethnic violence continues and in 1996 could produce further refugee flows as well as discourage returns
Sex ratio:
at birth:
1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.71 male(s)/female
all ages:
0.98 male(s)/female (1996 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
118.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
40.12 years
male:
39.72 years
female:
40.53 years (1996 est.)
Total fertility rate:
5.99 children born/woman (1996 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Rwandan(s)
adjective:
Rwandan
Ethnic divisions:
Hutu 80%, Tutsi 19%, Twa (Pygmoid) 1%
Religions:
Roman Catholic 65%, Protestant 9%, Muslim 1%, indigenous beliefs and other 25%
Languages:
Kinyarwanda (official), French (official), Kiswahili (Swahili) used in commercial centers
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (1995 est.)
total population:
60.5%
male:
69.8%
female:
51.6%
Government
Name of country:
conventional long form:
Republic of Rwanda
conventional short form:
Rwanda
local long form:
Republika y'u Rwanda
local short form:
Rwanda
Data code:
RW
Type of government:
republic; presidential system
Capital:
Kigali
Administrative divisions:
10 prefectures (prefectures, singular - prefecture in French; plural - NA, singular - prefegitura in Kinyarwanda); Butare, Byumba, Cyangugu, Gikongoro, Gisenyi, Gitarama, Kibungo, Kibuye, Kigali, Ruhengeri
Independence:
1 July 1962 (from Belgium-administered UN trusteeship)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 1 July (1962)
Constitution:
18 June 1991
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
Suffrage:
NA years of age; universal adult
Executive branch:
chief of state:
President Pasteur BIZIMUNGU (since 19 July 1994); installed by force by the Tutsi Rwandan Patriotic Front; no date set for elections; president is normally elected for a five-year term by universal suffrage; Vice President Maj. Gen. Paul KAGAME (since NA)
head of government:
Prime Minister Celestin RWIGEMA (since NA September 1995) was appointed by the president
cabinet:
Council of Ministers was appointed by the president
Legislative branch:
unicameral
National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale):
sworn in on 25 November 1994; seats - (70 total) RPF 19, MDR 13, PSD 13, PL 13, PDC 6, PSR 2, PDI 2, other 2
Judicial branch:
Constitutional Court, consists of the Court of Cassation and the Council of State in joint session
Political parties and leaders:
significant parties include: Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), Alexis KANYARENGWE, chairman; Democratic Republican Movement (MDR); Liberal Party (PL); Democratic and Socialist Party (PSD); Christian Democratic Party (PDC); Islamic Democratic Party (PDI); Rwandan Socialist Party (PSR); National Movement for Democracy and Development (MRND), former ruling party
Other political or pressure groups:
Rwanda Patriotic Army (RPA), the RPF military wing, Maj. Gen. Paul KAGAME, commander; Rally for the Democracy and Return (RDR)
International organization participation:
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEEAC, CEPGL, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Theogene RUDASINGWA
chancery:
1714 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone:
[1] (202) 232-2882
FAX:
[1] (202) 232-4544
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Robert GRIBBIN III
embassy:
Boulevard de la Revolution, Kigali
mailing address:
B. P. 28, Kigali
telephone:
[250] 756 01 through 03, 721 26, 771 47
FAX:
[250] 721 28
Economy
Economic overview:
Rwanda is a poor African nation suffering bitterly from ethnic-based civil war. The agricultural sector dominates the economy; coffee and tea normally make up 80%-90% of total exports. The amount of fertile land is limited, however, and deforestation and soil erosion continue to create problems. Manufacturing focuses mainly on the processing of agricultural products. 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. Ethnic-based insurgency since 1990 has devastated wide areas, especially in the north, and displaced hundreds of thousands of people. A peace accord in mid-1993 temporarily ended most of the fighting, but resumption of large-scale civil warfare in April 1994 in the capital city Kigali and elsewhere has been taking thousands of lives and severely affecting short-term economic prospects. The economy suffers massively from failure to maintain the infrastructure, looting, neglect of important cash crops, and lack of health care facilities. GDP in 1994 may have dropped by as much as half. The further decline of GDP in 1995 was much smaller and was more than offset by aid from the outside. Because of the severe damage to real property and the decline in public discipline, recovery of domestic production toward previous levels is proceeding slowly.
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $3.8 billion (1995 est.)
GDP real growth rate:
-2.7% (1995 est.)
GDP per capita:
$400 (1995 est.)
GDP composition by sector:
agriculture:
52%
industry:
13%
services:
35% (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
64% (1994 est.)
Labor force:
3.6 million
by occupation:
agriculture 93%, government and services 5%, industry and commerce 2%
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Budget:
revenues:
$NA
expenditures:
$NA, including capital expenditures of $NA (1992 est.)
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
Industrial production growth rate:
-50% (1994 est.)
Electricity:
capacity:
60,000 kW
production:
190 million kWh
consumption per capita:
23 kWh (1993)
Agriculture:
coffee, tea, pyrethrum (insecticide made from chrysanthemums), bananas, beans, sorghum, potatoes; livestock
Exports:
$52 million (f.o.b., 1994 est.)
commodities:
coffee 63%, tea, cassiterite, wolframite, pyrethrum
partners:
Germany, Belgium, Italy, Uganda, UK, France, US
Imports:
$37 million (1994 est.)
commodities:
textiles, foodstuffs, machines and equipment, capital goods, steel, petroleum products, cement and construction material
partners:
US, Belgium, Germany, Kenya, Japan
External debt:
$873 million (1993 est.)
Economic aid:
recipient:
ODA, $NA
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 (1993)
Currency:
1 Rwandan franc (RF) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates:
Rwandan francs (RF) per US$1 - 401.27 (2nd quarter 1994), 168.20 (1993), 133.35 (1992), 125.14 (1991)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Transportation
Railways:
0 km
Highways:
total:
13,173 km
paved:
1,186 km
unpaved:
11,987 km (1990 est.)
Waterways:
Lac Kivu navigable by shallow-draft barges and native craft
Ports:
Cyangugu, Gisenyi, Kibuye
Airports:
total:
7
with paved runways over 3 047 m:
1
with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m:
2
with paved runways under 914 m:
3
with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m:
1 (1995 est.)
Communications
Telephones:
6,400 (1983 est.)
Telephone system:
telephone system does not provide service to the general public but is intended for business and government use
domestic:
the capital, Kigali, is connected to the centers of the prefectures by microwave radio relay; the remainder of the network depends on wire and HF radiotelephone
international:
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)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0
Radios:
630,000 (1993 est.)
Television broadcast stations:
1
Televisions:
NA
Defense
Branches:
Army, Gendarmerie
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49:
1,582,656
males fit for military service:
805,722 (1996 est.)
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $112.5 million, 7% of GDP (1992)
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