Rwanda (2004) | French Polynesia (2001) | |
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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 | none (overseas territory of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 5 archipelagic divisions named Archipel des Marquises, Archipel des Tuamotu, Archipel des Tubuai, Iles du Vent, and Iles Sous-le-Vent
note: Clipperton Island is administered by France from French Polynesia |
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.) |
0-14 years:
29.74% (male 38,473; female 36,925) 15-64 years: 65.17% (male 86,128; female 79,076) 65 years and over: 5.09% (male 6,481; female 6,423) (2001 est.) |
Agriculture - products | coffee, tea, pyrethrum (insecticide made from chrysanthemums), bananas, beans, sorghum, potatoes; livestock | coconuts, vanilla, vegetables, fruits; poultry, beef, dairy products |
Airports | 9 (2003 est.) | 45 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 4
over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
total:
32 over 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 19 under 914 m: 6 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 3 (2004 est.) |
total:
13 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 10 (2000 est.) |
Area | total: 26,338 sq km
land: 24,948 sq km water: 1,390 sq km |
total:
4,167 sq km (118 islands and atolls) land: 3,660 sq km water: 507 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Maryland | slightly less than one-third the size of Connecticut |
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 French annexed various Polynesian island groups during the 19th century. In September 1995, France stirred up widespread protests by resuming nuclear testing on the Mururoa atoll after a three-year moratorium. The tests were suspended in January 1996. |
Birth rate | 40.01 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 18.6 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $365.9 million
expenditures: $402.9 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2003 est.) |
revenues:
$1 billion expenditures: $900 million, including capital expenditures of $185 million (1996) |
Capital | Kigali | Papeete |
Climate | temperate; two rainy seasons (February to April, November to January); mild in mountains with frost and snow possible | tropical, but moderate |
Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) | 2,525 km |
Constitution | a new constitution was adopted 26 May 2003 | 28 September 1958 (French Constitution) |
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:
Territory of French Polynesia conventional short form: French Polynesia local long form: Territoire de la Polynesie Francaise local short form: Polynesie Francaise former: French Colony of Oceania |
Currency | Rwandan franc (RWF) | Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique franc (XPF) |
Death rate | 21.86 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 4.45 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Debt - external | $1.3 billion (2000 est.) | $NA |
Dependency status | - | overseas territory of France since 1946 |
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 |
none (overseas territory of France) |
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 |
none (overseas territory of France) |
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) | $367 million (1997) |
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. | Since 1962, when France stationed military personnel in the region, French Polynesia has changed from a subsistence economy to one in which a high proportion of the work force is either employed by the military or supports the tourist industry. Tourism accounts for about one-fourth of GDP and is a primary source of hard currency earnings. The small manufacturing sector primarily processes agricultural products. The territory benefited from a five-year (1994-98) development agreement with France aimed principally at creating new jobs. |
Electricity - consumption | 140 million kWh (2001) | 399.9 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2001) | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - imports | 50 million kWh (2001) | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production | 96.78 million kWh (2001) | 430 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel:
51.16% hydro: 48.84% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Rusizi River 950 m
highest point: Volcan Karisimbi 4,519 m |
lowest point:
Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Orohena 2,241 m |
Environment - current issues | deforestation results from uncontrolled cutting of trees for fuel; overgrazing; soil exhaustion; soil erosion; widespread poaching | NA |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea |
- |
Ethnic groups | Hutu 84%, Tutsi 15%, Twa (Pygmoid) 1% | Polynesian 78%, Chinese 12%, local French 6%, metropolitan French 4% |
Exchange rates | Rwandan francs per US dollar - 537.658 (2003), 476.327 (2002), 442.801 (2001), 389.696 (2000), 333.942 (1999) | Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (XPF) per US dollar - 127.11 (January 2001), 129.44 (2000), 111.93 (1999), 107.25 (1998), 106.11 (1997), 93.00 (1996); note - pegged at the rate of 119.25 XPF to the euro |
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% |
chief of state:
President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by High Commissioner of the Republic Paul RONCIERE (since NA 1994) head of government: President of the Territorial Government of French Polynesia Gaston FLOSSE (since 4 April 1991); President of the Territorial Assembly Justin ARAPARI (since 13 May 1996) cabinet: Council of Ministers; president submits a list of members of the Territorial Assembly for approval by them to serve as ministers elections: French president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; high commissioner appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; president of the Territorial Government and the president of the Territorial Assembly are elected by the members of the assembly |
Exports | NA (2001) | $205 million (f.o.b., 1999) |
Exports - commodities | coffee, tea, hides, tin ore | cultured pearls 50%, coconut products, mother-of-pearl, vanilla, shark meat (1997) |
Exports - partners | Indonesia 39.2%, Germany 4.6%, China 3.9% (2003) | Japan 62%, US 21% (1999) |
Fiscal year | calendar 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 | two narrow red horizontal bands encase a wide white band; centered on the white band is a disk with blue and white wave pattern on the lower half and gold and white ray pattern on the upper half; a stylized red, blue and white ship rides on the wave pattern; the French flag is used for official occasions |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $10.11 billion (2003 est.) | purchasing power parity - $2.6 billion (1997 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 40.7%
industry: 21.5% services: 37.8% (2003 est.) |
agriculture:
4% industry: 18% services: 78% (1997) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $1,300 (2003 est.) | purchasing power parity - $10,800 (1997 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 3.5% (2003 est.) | 2.5% (1997 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 2 00 S, 30 00 E | 15 00 S, 140 00 W |
Geography - note | landlocked; most of the country is savanna grassland with the population predominantly rural | includes five archipelagoes; Makatea in French Polynesia is one of the three great phosphate rock islands in the Pacific Ocean - the others are Banaba (Ocean Island) in Kiribati and Nauru |
Highways | total: 12,000 km
paved: 996 km unpaved: 11,004 km (1999 est.) |
total:
792 km paved: 264 km unpaved: 528 km (2000) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: 4.2%
highest 10%: 24.2% (1985) |
lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
Imports | NA (2001) | $749 million (f.o.b., 1999) |
Imports - commodities | foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, steel, petroleum products, cement and construction material | fuels, foodstuffs, equipment |
Imports - partners | Kenya 23.3%, Germany 7.5%, Belgium 6.4%, Uganda 6.4%, France 5% (2003) | France 53%, US 13%, Australia 10% (1999) |
Independence | 1 July 1962 (from Belgium-administered UN trusteeship) | none (overseas territory of France) |
Industrial production growth rate | 7% (2001 est.) | NA% |
Industries | cement, agricultural products, small-scale beverages, soap, furniture, shoes, plastic goods, textiles, cigarettes | tourism, pearls, agricultural processing, handicrafts |
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.) |
9.12 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 7.5% (2003 est.) | 1.5% (1994) |
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 | ESCAP (associate), FZ, ICFTU, SPC, WMO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 2 (2000) |
Irrigated land | 40 sq km (1998 est.) | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court; communal courts; appeals courts | Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; Court of the First Instance or Tribunal de Premiere Instance; Court of Administrative Law or Tribunal Administratif |
Labor force | 4.6 million (2000) | 70,000 (1996) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 90% | agriculture 13%, industry 19%, services 68% (1997) |
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:
1% permanent crops: 6% permanent pastures: 5% forests and woodland: 31% other: 57% (1993 est.) |
Languages | Kinyarwanda (official) universal Bantu vernacular, French (official), English (official), Kiswahili (Swahili) used in commercial centers | French (official), Tahitian (official) |
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 | based on French system |
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 |
unicameral Territorial Assembly or Assemblee Territoriale (41 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 12 May 1996 (next to be held NA 2001) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - People's Rally for the Republic (Gaullist) 22, Independent Front for the Liberation of Polynesia 10, New Fatherland Party 5, other 4 note: one seat was elected to the French Senate on 24 September 1989 (next to be held NA September 1998); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UC 1; two seats were elected to the French National Assembly on 25 May - 1 June 1997 (next to be held NA 2002); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - People's Rally for the Republic (Gaullist) 2 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 39.18 years
male: 38.43 years female: 39.96 years (2004 est.) |
total population:
75.01 years male: 72.67 years female: 77.46 years (2001 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 70.4% male: 76.3% female: 64.7% (2003 est.) |
definition:
age 14 and over can read and write total population: 98% male: 98% female: 98% (1977 est.) |
Location | Central Africa, east of Democratic Republic of the Congo | Oceania, archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from South America to Australia |
Map references | Africa | Oceania |
Maritime claims | none (landlocked) | exclusive economic zone:
200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
Merchant marine | - | total:
4 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,240 GRT/7,765 DWT ships by type: cargo 1, passenger/cargo 2, refrigerated cargo 1 (2000 est.) |
Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of France |
Military branches | Rwandan Defense Forces (Army, Air Forces) | French Forces (includes Army, Navy, Air Force), Gendarmerie |
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) | Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) |
Nationality | noun: Rwandan(s)
adjective: Rwandan |
noun:
French Polynesian(s) adjective: French Polynesian |
Natural hazards | periodic droughts; the volcanic Virunga mountains are in the northwest along the border with Democratic Republic of the Congo | occasional cyclonic storms in January |
Natural resources | gold, cassiterite (tin ore), wolframite (tungsten ore), methane, hydropower, arable land | timber, fish, cobalt, hydropower |
Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 3.09 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 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] | Centrist Union or UC [leader NA]; Independent Front for the Liberation of Polynesia (Tavini Huiraatira) [Oscar TEMARU]; New Fatherland Party (Ai'a Api) [Emile VERNAUDON]; People's Rally for the Republic (Tahoeraa Huiraatira) [Gaston FLOSSE] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | IBUKA - association of genocide survivors | NA |
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.) |
253,506 (July 2001 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 60% (2001 est.) | NA% |
Population growth rate | 1.82% (2004 est.) | 1.72% (2001 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Cyangugu, Gisenyi, Kibuye | Mataura, Papeete, Rikitea, Uturoa |
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) | AM 2, FM 14, shortwave 2 (1998) |
Radios | - | 128,000 (1997) |
Railways | - | 0 km |
Religions | Roman Catholic 56.5%, Protestant 26%, Adventist 11.1%, Muslim 4.6%, indigenous beliefs 0.1%, none 1.7% (2001) | Protestant 54%, Roman Catholic 30%, other 16% |
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.) |
at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.09 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal adult | 18 years of age; universal |
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) |
general assessment:
NA domestic: NA international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 23,200 (2002) | 52,000 (1997) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 134,000
note: Rwanda has mobile cellular service between Kigali and several prefecture capitals (2003) |
5,427 (1997) |
Television broadcast stations | NA | 7 (plus 17 low-power repeaters) (1997) |
Terrain | mostly grassy uplands and hills; relief is mountainous with altitude declining from west to east | mixture of rugged high islands and low islands with reefs |
Total fertility rate | 5.55 children born/woman (2004 est.) | 2.23 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
Unemployment rate | NA | 15% (1992 est.) |
Waterways | Lac Kivu navigable by shallow-draft barges and native craft (2004) | none |