Rwanda (2004) | Baker Island (2002) | |
Administrative divisions | 12 prefectures (in French - prefectures, singular - prefecture; in Kinyarwanda - plural - NA, singular - prefegitura); Butare, Byumba, Cyangugu, Gikongoro, Gisenyi, Gitarama, Kibungo, Kibuye, Kigali Rurale, Kigali-ville, Umutara, Ruhengeri | - |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 42.3% (male 1,690,122; female 1,674,147)
15-64 years: 55% (male 2,178,956; female 2,194,526) 65 years and over: 2.7% (male 85,472; female 130,790) (2004 est.) |
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Agriculture - products | coffee, tea, pyrethrum (insecticide made from chrysanthemums), bananas, beans, sorghum, potatoes; livestock | - |
Airports | 9 (2003 est.) | 1 abandoned World War II runway of 1,665 m, completely covered with vegetation and unusable |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 4
over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 3 (2004 est.) |
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Area | total: 26,338 sq km
land: 24,948 sq km water: 1,390 sq km |
total: 1.4 sq km
land: 1.4 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Maryland | about 2.5 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC |
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 that remain in the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo 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, respectively - 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. | The US took possession of the island in 1857, and its guano deposits were mined by US and British companies during the second half of the 19th century. In 1935, a short-lived attempt at colonization was begun on this island - as well as on nearby Howland Island - but was disrupted by World War II and thereafter abandoned. Presently the island is a National Wildlife Refuge run by the US Department of the Interior; a day beacon is situated near the middle of the west coast. |
Birth rate | 40.01 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) | - |
Budget | revenues: $365.9 million
expenditures: $402.9 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2003 est.) |
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Capital | Kigali | - |
Climate | temperate; two rainy seasons (February to April, November to January); mild in mountains with frost and snow possible | equatorial; scant rainfall, constant wind, burning sun |
Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) | 4.8 km |
Constitution | a new constitution was adopted 26 May 2003 | - |
Country name | conventional long form: Rwandese Republic
conventional short form: Rwanda local long form: Republika y'u Rwanda local short form: Rwanda former: Ruanda |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Baker Island |
Currency | Rwandan franc (RWF) | - |
Death rate | 21.86 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) | - |
Debt - external | $1.3 billion (2000 est.) | - |
Dependency status | - | unincorporated territory of the US; administered from Washington, DC, by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge system |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Margaret K. McMILLION
embassy: #337 Boulevard de la Revolution, Kigali mailing address: B. P. 28, Kigali telephone: [250] 50 56 01 through 03 FAX: [250] 57 2128 |
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Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Zac NSENGA
chancery: 1714 New Hampshire Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 232-2882 FAX: [1] (202) 232-4544 |
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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 | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $372.9 million (1999) | - |
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; 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. Export earnings, however, have been hindered by low beverage prices, depriving the country of much needed hard currency. Attempts to diversify into non-traditional agriculture exports such as flowers and vegetables have been stymied by a lack of adequate transportation infrastructure. Despite Rwanda's fertile ecosystem, food production often does not keep pace with population growth, requiring food to be imported. Rwanda continues to receive substantial aid money and was approved for IMF-World Bank Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) initiative debt relief in late 2000. But Kigali's high defense expenditures cause tension between the government and international donors and lending agencies. | no economic activity |
Electricity - consumption | 140 million kWh (2001) | - |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2001) | - |
Electricity - imports | 50 million kWh (2001) | - |
Electricity - production | 96.78 million kWh (2001) | - |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Rusizi River 950 m
highest point: Volcan Karisimbi 4,519 m |
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 8 m |
Environment - current issues | deforestation results from uncontrolled cutting of trees for fuel; overgrazing; soil exhaustion; soil erosion; widespread poaching | no natural fresh water resources |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea |
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Ethnic groups | Hutu 84%, Tutsi 15%, Twa (Pygmoid) 1% | - |
Exchange rates | Rwandan francs per US dollar - 537.658 (2003), 476.327 (2002), 442.801 (2001), 389.696 (2000), 333.942 (1999) | - |
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: 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% |
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Exports | NA (2001) | - |
Exports - commodities | coffee, tea, hides, tin ore | - |
Exports - partners | Indonesia 39.2%, Germany 4.6%, China 3.9% (2003) | - |
Fiscal year | calendar year | - |
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 | the flag of the US is used |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $10.11 billion (2003 est.) | - |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 40.7%
industry: 21.5% services: 37.8% (2003 est.) |
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GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $1,300 (2003 est.) | - |
GDP - real growth rate | 3.5% (2003 est.) | - |
Geographic coordinates | 2 00 S, 30 00 E | 0 13 N, 176 31 W |
Geography - note | landlocked; most of the country is savanna grassland with the population predominantly rural | treeless, sparse, and scattered vegetation consisting of grasses, prostrate vines, and low growing shrubs; primarily a nesting, roosting, and foraging habitat for seabirds, shorebirds, and marine wildlife |
Highways | total: 12,000 km
paved: 996 km unpaved: 11,004 km (1999 est.) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: 4.2%
highest 10%: 24.2% (1985) |
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Imports | NA (2001) | - |
Imports - commodities | foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, steel, petroleum products, cement and construction material | - |
Imports - partners | Kenya 23.3%, Germany 7.5%, Belgium 6.4%, Uganda 6.4%, France 5% (2003) | - |
Independence | 1 July 1962 (from Belgium-administered UN trusteeship) | - |
Industrial production growth rate | 7% (2001 est.) | - |
Industries | cement, agricultural products, small-scale beverages, soap, furniture, shoes, plastic goods, textiles, cigarettes | - |
Infant mortality rate | total: 101.68 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 106.68 deaths/1,000 live births female: 96.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 7.5% (2003 est.) | - |
International organization participation | ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, CEPGL, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO | - |
Irrigated land | 40 sq km (1998 est.) | 0 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court; communal courts; appeals courts | - |
Labor force | 4.6 million (2000) | - |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 90% | - |
Land boundaries | total: 893 km
border countries: Burundi 290 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 217 km, Tanzania 217 km, Uganda 169 km |
0 km |
Land use | arable land: 40.54%
permanent crops: 12.16% other: 47.3% (2001) |
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (1998 est.) |
Languages | Kinyarwanda (official) universal Bantu vernacular, French (official), English (official), Kiswahili (Swahili) used in commercial centers | - |
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 | the laws of the US, where applicable, apply |
Legislative branch | unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (53 seats; members elected by direct vote)
elections: last held 29 September 2003 (next to be held NA) election results: seats by party under the Arusha peace accord - RPF 40, PSD 7, PL 6 |
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Life expectancy at birth | total population: 39.18 years
male: 38.43 years female: 39.96 years (2004 est.) |
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Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 70.4% male: 76.3% female: 64.7% (2003 est.) |
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Location | Central Africa, east of Democratic Republic of the Congo | Oceania, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, about half way between Hawaii and Australia |
Map references | Africa | Oceania |
Maritime claims | none (landlocked) | exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of the US; visited annually by the US Coast Guard |
Military branches | Rwandan Defense Forces (Army, Air Forces) | - |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $47.7 million (2003) | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 2.9% (2003) | - |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49: 1,973,713 (2004 est.) | - |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49: 1,004,296 (2004 est.) | - |
National holiday | Independence Day, 1 July (1962) | - |
Nationality | noun: Rwandan(s)
adjective: Rwandan |
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Natural hazards | periodic droughts; the volcanic Virunga mountains are in the northwest along the border with Democratic Republic of the Congo | the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard |
Natural resources | gold, cassiterite (tin ore), wolframite (tungsten ore), methane, hydropower, arable land | guano (deposits worked until 1891), terrestrial and aquatic wildlife |
Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) | - |
People - note | Rwanda is the most densely populated country in Africa | - |
Political parties and leaders | Centrist Democratic Party or PDC [Alfred MUKEZAMFURA]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Vincent BIRUTA]; Democratic Popular Union of Rwanda or UDPR [Adrien RANGIRA ]; Democratic Republican Movement or MDR (officially banned) [Celestin KABANDA]; Islamic Democratic Party or PDI [Andre BUMAYA]; Liberal Party or PL [Prosper HIGIRO]; Party for Democratic Renewal (officially banned) [Pasteur BIZIMUNGU and Charles NTAKARUTINKA]; Rwandan Patriotic Front or RPF [Paul KAGAME] | - |
Political pressure groups and leaders | IBUKA - association of genocide survivors | - |
Population | 7,954,013
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 2004 est.) |
uninhabited
note: American civilians evacuated in 1942 after Japanese air and naval attacks during World War II; occupied by US military during World War II, but abandoned after the war; public entry is by special-use permit from US Fish and Wildlife Service only and generally restricted to scientists and educators; a cemetery and remnants of structures from early settlement are located near the middle of the west coast; visited annually by US Fish and Wildlife Service (July 2002 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 60% (2001 est.) | - |
Population growth rate | 1.82% (2004 est.) | - |
Ports and harbors | Cyangugu, Gisenyi, Kibuye | none; offshore anchorage only; note - there is one small boat landing area along the middle of the west coast |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 0, FM 3 (two main FM programs are broadcast through a system of repeaters and the third FM program is a 24 hour BBC program), shortwave 1 (2002) | - |
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: 0.65 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
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Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal adult | - |
Telephone system | general assessment: telephone system primarily serves business and government
domestic: the capital, Kigali, is connected to the centers of the prefectures 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) |
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Telephones - main lines in use | 23,200 (2002) | - |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 134,000
note: Rwanda has mobile cellular service between Kigali and several prefecture capitals (2003) |
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Television broadcast stations | NA | - |
Terrain | mostly grassy uplands and hills; relief is mountainous with altitude declining from west to east | low, nearly level coral island surrounded by a narrow fringing reef |
Total fertility rate | 5.55 children born/woman (2004 est.) | - |
Transportation - note | - | there is a day beacon near the middle of the west coast |
Unemployment rate | NA | - |
Waterways | Lac Kivu navigable by shallow-draft barges and native craft (2004) | none |