CIA World Fact Book, 2004/Rwanda


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!| 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.
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!| Location: !| Geographic coordinates: !| Map references: !| Area: water: 1,390 sq km land: 24,948 sq km !| Area - comparative: !| Land boundaries: border countries: Burundi 290 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 217 km, Tanzania 217 km, Uganda 169 km !| Coastline: !| Maritime claims: !| Climate: !| Terrain: !| Elevation extremes: highest point: Volcan Karisimbi 4,519 m !| Natural resources: !| Land use: permanent crops: 12.16% other: 47.3% (2001) !| Irrigated land: !| Natural hazards: !| Environment - current issues: !| Environment - international agreements: signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea !| Geography - note:
 * Central Africa, east of Democratic Republic of the Congo
 * 2 00 S, 30 00 E
 * Africa
 * total: 26,338 sq km
 * slightly smaller than Maryland
 * total: 893 km
 * 0 km (landlocked)
 * none (landlocked)
 * temperate; two rainy seasons (February to April, November to January); mild in mountains with frost and snow possible
 * mostly grassy uplands and hills; relief is mountainous with altitude declining from west to east
 * lowest point: Rusizi River 950 m
 * gold, cassiterite (tin ore), wolframite (tungsten ore), methane, hydropower, arable land
 * arable land: 40.54%
 * 40 sq km (1998 est.)
 * periodic droughts; the volcanic Virunga mountains are in the northwest along the border with Democratic Republic of the Congo
 * deforestation results from uncontrolled cutting of trees for fuel; overgrazing; soil exhaustion; soil erosion; widespread poaching
 * party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection
 * landlocked; most of the country is savanna grassland with the population predominantly rural
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!| Population: 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.) !| Age structure: 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.) !| Median age: male: 18 years female: 18.4 years (2004 est.) !| Population growth rate: !| Birth rate: !| Death rate: !| Net migration rate: !| Sex ratio: 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.) !| Infant mortality rate: female: 96.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 106.68 deaths/1,000 live births !| Life expectancy at birth: male: 38.43 years female: 39.96 years (2004 est.) !| Total fertility rate: !| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: !| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: !| HIV/AIDS - deaths: !| Major infectious diseases: overall degree of risk: very high (2004) !| Nationality: adjective: Rwandan !| Ethnic groups: !| Religions: !| Languages: !| Literacy: female: 64.7% (2003 est.) male: 76.3% total population: 70.4% !| People - note:
 * 7,954,013
 * 0-14 years: 42.3% (male 1,690,122; female 1,674,147)
 * total: 18.2 years
 * 1.82% (2004 est.)
 * 40.01 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * 21.86 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
 * total: 101.68 deaths/1,000 live births
 * total population: 39.18 years
 * 5.55 children born/woman (2004 est.)
 * 5.1% (2003 est.)
 * 250,000 (2003 est.)
 * 22,000 (2003 est.)
 * typhoid fever, malaria
 * noun: Rwandan(s)
 * Hutu 84%, Tutsi 15%, Twa (Pygmoid) 1%
 * Roman Catholic 56.5%, Protestant 26%, Adventist 11.1%, Muslim 4.6%, indigenous beliefs 0.1%, none 1.7% (2001)
 * Kinyarwanda (official) universal Bantu vernacular, French (official), English (official), Kiswahili (Swahili) used in commercial centers
 * definition: age 15 and over can read and write
 * Rwanda is the most densely populated country in Africa
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!| Country name: conventional short form: Rwanda local short form: Rwanda former: Ruanda local long form: Republika y'u Rwanda !| Government type: !| Capital: !| Administrative divisions: !| Independence: !| National holiday: !| Constitution: !| Legal system: !| Suffrage: !| Executive branch: 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% !| Legislative branch: 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 !| Judicial branch: !| Political parties and leaders: !| Political pressure groups and leaders: !| International organization participation: !| Diplomatic representation in the US: FAX: [1] (202) 232-4544 telephone: [1] (202) 232-2882 chancery: 1714 New Hampshire Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20009 !| Diplomatic representation from the US: embassy: #337 Boulevard de la Revolution, Kigali mailing address: B. P. 28, Kigali telephone: [250] 50 56 01 through 03 FAX: [250] 57 2128 !| Flag description:
 * conventional long form: Rwandese Republic
 * republic; presidential, multiparty system
 * Kigali
 * 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
 * 1 July 1962 (from Belgium-administered UN trusteeship)
 * Independence Day, 1 July (1962)
 * a new constitution was adopted 26 May 2003
 * 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
 * 18 years of age; universal adult
 * chief of state: President Paul KAGAME (since 22 April 2000)
 * unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (53 seats; members elected by direct vote)
 * Supreme Court; communal courts; appeals courts
 * 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]
 * IBUKA - association of genocide survivors
 * 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
 * chief of mission: Ambassador Zac NSENGA
 * chief of mission: Ambassador Margaret K. McMILLION
 * 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
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!| Economy - overview: !| GDP: !| GDP - real growth rate: !| GDP - per capita: !| GDP - composition by sector: industry: 21.5% services: 37.8% (2003 est.) !| Investment (gross fixed): !| Population below poverty line: !| Household income or consumption by percentage share: highest 10%: 24.2% (1985) !| Distribution of family income - Gini index: !| Inflation rate (consumer prices): !| Labor force: !| Labor force - by occupation: !| Unemployment rate: !| Budget: expenditures: $402.9 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2003 est.) !| Agriculture - products: !| Industries: !| Industrial production growth rate: !| Electricity - production: !| Electricity - consumption: !| Electricity - exports: !| Electricity - imports: !| Oil - production: !| Oil - consumption: !| Oil - exports: !| Oil - imports: !| Oil - proved reserves: !| Natural gas - proved reserves: !| Current account balance: !| Exports: !| Exports - commodities: !| Exports - partners: !| Imports: !| Imports - commodities: !| Imports - partners: !| Reserves of foreign exchange & gold: !| Debt - external: !| Economic aid - recipient: !| Currency: !| Currency code: !| Exchange rates: !| Fiscal year:
 * 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.
 * purchasing power parity - $10.11 billion (2003 est.)
 * 3.5% (2003 est.)
 * purchasing power parity - $1,300 (2003 est.)
 * agriculture: 40.7%
 * 19.3% of GDP (2003)
 * 60% (2001 est.)
 * lowest 10%: 4.2%
 * 28.9 (1985)
 * 7.5% (2003 est.)
 * 4.6 million (2000)
 * agriculture 90%
 * NA
 * revenues: $365.9 million
 * coffee, tea, pyrethrum (insecticide made from chrysanthemums), bananas, beans, sorghum, potatoes; livestock
 * cement, agricultural products, small-scale beverages, soap, furniture, shoes, plastic goods, textiles, cigarettes
 * 7% (2001 est.)
 * 96.78 million kWh (2001)
 * 140 million kWh (2001)
 * 0 kWh (2001)
 * 50 million kWh (2001)
 * 0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 * 5,300 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 * NA (2001)
 * NA (2001)
 * 0 bbl (1 January 2002)
 * 28.32 billion cu m (1 January 2002)
 * $-163 million (2003)
 * $73.33 million f.o.b. (2003 est.)
 * coffee, tea, hides, tin ore
 * Indonesia 39.2%, Germany 4.6%, China 3.9% (2003)
 * $245.8 million f.o.b. (2003 est.)
 * foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, steel, petroleum products, cement and construction material
 * Kenya 23.3%, Germany 7.5%, Belgium 6.4%, Uganda 6.4%, France 5% (2003)
 * $215 million (2003)
 * $1.3 billion (2000 est.)
 * $372.9 million (1999)
 * Rwandan franc (RWF)
 * RWF
 * Rwandan francs per US dollar - 537.658 (2003), 476.327 (2002), 442.801 (2001), 389.696 (2000), 333.942 (1999)
 * calendar year
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!| Telephones - main lines in use: !| Telephones - mobile cellular: note: Rwanda has mobile cellular service between Kigali and several prefecture capitals (2003) !| Telephone system: 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) !| Radio broadcast stations: !| Radios: !| Television broadcast stations: !| Televisions: !| Internet country code: !| Internet hosts: !| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): !| Internet users:
 * 23,200 (2002)
 * 134,000
 * general assessment: telephone system primarily serves business and government
 * 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)
 * 601,000 (1997)
 * NA
 * NA; probably less than 1,000 (1997)
 * .rw
 * 1,495 (2003)
 * 2 (2002)
 * 25,000 (2002)
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!| Highways: paved: 996 km unpaved: 11,004 km (1999 est.) !| Waterways: !| Ports and harbors: !| Airports: !| Airports - with paved runways: over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) !| Airports - with unpaved runways: 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 3 (2004 est.)
 * total: 12,000 km
 * Lac Kivu navigable by shallow-draft barges and native craft (2004)
 * Cyangugu, Gisenyi, Kibuye
 * 9 (2003 est.)
 * total: 4
 * total: 5
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!| Military branches: !| Military manpower - military age and obligation: !| Military manpower - availability: !| Military manpower - fit for military service: !| Military expenditures - dollar figure: !| Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
 * Rwandan Defense Forces (Army, Air Forces)
 * 16 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2001)
 * males age 15-49: 1,973,713 (2004 est.)
 * males age 15-49: 1,004,296 (2004 est.)
 * $47.7 million (2003)
 * 2.9% (2003)
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