Rwanda
Republic of RwandaRepublika y'u Rwanda
republicIndependence 1 July 1962 (from Belgium-administered UN
Rwanda as the 1996 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 86 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Geography
Central Africa, east of Zaire
15 fieldsClimate
- 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
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
People
15 fieldsPer 1,000 population(1996 est.)
Male · female(1996 est.)
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.)
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.)
Government
Republic; President Pasteur BIZIMUNGU (since 19 July 1994); Prime Minister Celestin RWIGEMA (since NA September 1995) was appointed by the president
22 fieldsLegislature, 70 seatsone dot, one seat
Name of country
- conventional long form:
- Republic of Rwanda
- conventional short form:
- Rwanda
- local long form:
- Republika y'u Rwanda
- local short form:
- Rwanda
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
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
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
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
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
Flag
- three equal vertical bands of red (hoist side), yellow, and green with a large black letter R centered in the yellow band;
- uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia;
- similar to the flag of Guinea, which has a plain yellow band
Economy
Rwanda is a poor African nation suffering | bitterly from ethnic-based civil war.
20 fieldsGDP composition by sector(1994 est.)
Installed generating capacity, 60,000 kW
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.
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
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
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)
Exchange rates
Rwandan francs (RF) per US$1 - 401.27 (2nd quarter 1994), 168.20 (1993), 133.35 (1992), 125.14 (1991)
Transportation
5 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right · 7 in all
Networkskm
Communications
Army, Gendarmerie
9 fieldsTelephone 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)
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Rwanda.” The World Factbook 1996. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/rwanda/1996.