Rwanda (2004) | Iles Eparses (2006) | |
![]() | ![]() | |
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.) |
- |
Agriculture - products | coffee, tea, pyrethrum (insecticide made from chrysanthemums), bananas, beans, sorghum, potatoes; livestock | - |
Airports | 9 (2003 est.) | 4 (2006) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 4
over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
- |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 3 (2004 est.) |
- |
Area | total: 26,338 sq km
land: 24,948 sq km water: 1,390 sq km |
Bassas da India: total - 80 sq km; land - 0.2 sq km; water - 79.8 sq km (lagoon)
Europa Island: total - 28 sq km; land - 28 sq km; water - 0 sq km Glorioso Islands: total - 5 sq km; land - 5 sq km; water - 0 sq km Juan de Nova Island: total - 4.4 sq km; land - 4.4 sq km; water - 0 sq km Tromelin Island: total - 1 sq km; land - 1 sq km; water - 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Maryland | Bassas da India: land area about one-third the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Europa Island: about one-sixth the size of Washington, DC Glorioso Islands: about eight times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Juan de Nova Island: about seven times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Tromelin Island: about 1.7 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 Iles Eparses, or scattered islands, are a group of five French entities - Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island, and Tromelin Island - which on 1 April 1960 came under the authority of the Minister in charge of overseas possessions. On 19 September 1960 by decree, the islands were transferred to the charge of the Prefet of Reunion where they remained until 3 January 2005 when they were transferred by another decree to the Senior Administrator of the Territory of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands (TAAF).
Bassas da India: A French possession since 1897, this atoll is a volcanic seamount surrounded by reefs and awash at high tide. Europa Island: A French possession since 1897, the island is heavily wooded; it is the site of a small military garrison that staffs a weather station. Glorioso Islands: A French possession since 1892, the Glorioso Islands are composed of two lushly vegetated coral islands (Ile Glorieuse and Ile du Lys) and three rock islets. A military garrison operates a weather and radio station on Ile Glorieuse. Juan de Nova Island: Named after a famous 15th century Spanish navigator and explorer, the island has been a French possession since 1897. It has been exploited for its guano and phosphate. Presently a small military garrison oversees a meteorological station. Tromelin Island: First explored by the French in 1776, the island came under the jurisdiction of Reunion in 1814. At present, it serves as a sea turtle sanctuary and is the site of an important meteorological station. |
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.) |
- |
Capital | Kigali | - |
Climate | temperate; two rainy seasons (February to April, November to January); mild in mountains with frost and snow possible | tropical |
Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) | Bassas da India: 35.2 km
Europa Island: 22.2 km Glorioso Islands: 35.2 km Juan de Nova Island: 24.1 km Tromelin Island: 3.7 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: Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island, Tromelin Island local long form: none local short form: Bassas da India, Ile Europa, Iles Glorieuses, Ile Juan de Nova, Ile Tromelin |
Currency | Rwandan franc (RWF) | - |
Death rate | 21.86 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) | - |
Debt - external | $1.3 billion (2000 est.) | - |
Dependency status | - | possessions of France; administered by the Senior Administrator of the Territory of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands (TAAF), resident in Reunion |
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 |
- |
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 |
- |
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 | Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island: claimed by Madagascar
Tromelin Island: claimed by Mauritius |
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: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Bassas da India 2.4 m; Europa Island 24 m; Glorioso Islands 12 m; Juan de Nova Island 10 m; Tromelin Island 7 m (all unnamed locations) |
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, 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% | - |
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% |
chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Senior Administrator Michel CHAMPON |
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 France 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.) |
- |
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 | Bassas da India: 21 30 S, 39 50 E
Europa Island: 22 20 S, 40 22 E Glorioso Islands: 11 30 S, 47 20 E Juan de Nova Island: 17 03 S, 42 45 E Tromelin Island: 15 52 S, 54 25 E |
Geography - note | landlocked; most of the country is savanna grassland with the population predominantly rural | Bassas da India: the atoll is a circular reef that sits atop a long-extinct, submerged volcano
Europa Island and Juan de Nova Island: wildlife sanctuary for seabirds and sea turtles Glorioso Islands: the islands and rocks are surrounded by an extensive reef system Tromelin Island: climatologically important location for forecasting cyclones in the western Indian Ocean; wildlife sanctuary (seabirds, tortoises) |
Highways | total: 12,000 km
paved: 996 km unpaved: 11,004 km (1999 est.) |
- |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: 4.2%
highest 10%: 24.2% (1985) |
- |
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.) |
- |
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.) | - |
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 |
none |
Land use | arable land: 40.54%
permanent crops: 12.16% other: 47.3% (2001) |
Bassas da India - 100% rock, coral reef, and sand; Europa Island - 100% mangrove swamp and dry woodlands; Glorioso Islands - 100% lush vegetation and coconut palms; Juan de Nova Island - 90% forest, 10% other; Tromelin Island - 100% grasses and scattered brush |
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 France, 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 |
- |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 39.18 years
male: 38.43 years female: 39.96 years (2004 est.) |
- |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 70.4% male: 76.3% female: 64.7% (2003 est.) |
- |
Location | Central Africa, east of Democratic Republic of the Congo | Southern Africa, in the Indian Ocean
Bassas da India: atoll in the southern Mozambique Channel, about half way from Madagascar to Mozambique Europa Island: island in the Mozambique Channel, about half way between southern Madagascar and southern Mozambique Glorioso Islands: group of islands in the Indian Ocean, northwest of Madagascar Juan de Nova Island: island in the Mozambique Channel, about one-third of the way between Madagascar and Mozambique Tromelin Island: island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar |
Map references | Africa | Africa |
Maritime claims | none (landlocked) | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm; note - Juan de Nova Island and Tromelin Island claim a continental shelf of 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation |
Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of France |
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 |
- |
Natural hazards | periodic droughts; the volcanic Virunga mountains are in the northwest along the border with Democratic Republic of the Congo | all islands subject to periodic cyclones
Bassas da India: maritime hazard since it is under water for a period of three hours prior to and following the high tide and surrounded by reefs |
Natural resources | gold, cassiterite (tin ore), wolframite (tungsten ore), methane, hydropower, arable land | Bassas da India and Europa Island: none
Glorioso Islands and Juan de Nova Island: guano, phosphates; coconuts Tromelin Island: fish |
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.) |
Bassas da India: uninhabitable
Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island: a small French military garrison and a few meteorologists on each possession; visited by scientists Tromelin Island: uninhabited, except for visits by scientists |
Population below poverty line | 60% (2001 est.) | - |
Population growth rate | 1.82% (2004 est.) | - |
Ports and harbors | Cyangugu, Gisenyi, Kibuye | - |
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.) |
- |
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) |
- |
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) |
- |
Television broadcast stations | NA | - |
Terrain | mostly grassy uplands and hills; relief is mountainous with altitude declining from west to east | Bassas da India: atoll, awash at high tide; shallow (15 m) lagoon
Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island: low, flat, and sandy Tromelin Island: low, flat, sandy; likely volcanic seamount |
Total fertility rate | 5.55 children born/woman (2004 est.) | - |
Transportation - note | - | aids to navigation - lighthouses: Europa Island 18m; Juan de Nova Island (W side) 37m; Tromelin Island (NW point) 11m |
Unemployment rate | NA | - |
Waterways | Lac Kivu navigable by shallow-draft barges and native craft (2004) | - |