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Rwanda |
Capital: Kigali
Languages: Kinyarwanda (official) universal Bantu vernacular, French (official), English (official), Kiswahili (Swahili) used in commercial centers
Currency: Rwandan franc (RWF)
Background: In 1959, three years before independence, 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 a genocide in which roughly 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed. The Tutsi rebels defeated the Hutu regime and ended the genocide in July 1994, but approximately 2 million Hutu refugees - many fearing Tutsi retribution - fled to neighboring countries. Despite substantial international assistance and political reforms - including Rwanda's first ever local elections held in March 1999 - the country continues to struggle to boost investment and agricultural output and to foster reconciliation.
PEOPLE
Population: 9,907,509 (July 2007 est.); 11,055,976 (July 2010)
Life expectancy at birth:
2007
Total Population: 48.99 years
Male: 47.87 years
Female: 50.16 years (2007 est.)
2010
Total population: 57.46 years
Male: 56.06 years
Female: 58.91 years (2010 est.)
Age structure:
2007
0-14 years: 41.9% (male 2,082,474/female 2,065,251)
15-64 years: 55.7% (male 2,748,189/female 2,765,767)
65 years and over: 2.5% (male 98,796/female 147,032) (2007 est.)
2010
0-14 years: 42.7% (male 2,309,323/female 2,277,269)
15-64 years: 54.8% (male 2,932,686/female 2,961,300)
65 years and over: 2.5% (male 106,740/female 158,993) (2010 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.766% (2007 est.); 2.818% (2010 est.)
Population below poverty line: N/A
HIV/AIDS adult prevalence rate: 3.1% (2006 est.); 2.8% (2007 est.)
People living with HIV/AIDS: 190,000 (2006 est.); 150,000 (2007 est.)
Literacy - definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total Population: 70.4%
Male: 76.3%
Female: 64.7% (2003 est.)
Refugees and Internally Displaced People:
Refugees (country of origin): 41,403 (Democratic Republic of the Congo), 4,400 (Burundi) (2006)
Refugees (country of origin): 46,272 (Democratic Republic of the Congo); 4,400 (Burundi) (2007)
ECONOMY
Unemployment rate: N/A
Labour force by Occupation: agriculture: 90% industry and services: 10%
Agricultural Products: coffee, tea, pyrethrum (insecticide made from chrysanthemums), bananas, beans, sorghum, potatoes; livestock
Industries: cement, agricultural products, small-scale beverages, soap, furniture, shoes, plastic goods, textiles, cigarettes
Exports - Commodities: coffee, tea, hides, tin ore
Exports - Partners:
China 10.2%, Germany 9.6%, US 4.3% (2006)
Kenya 33.88%, Democratic Republic of the Congo 13.56%, Thailand 6.22%, China 5.49%, US 5.47%, Swaziland 5.43%, Belgium 5.19% (2009)
Imports - Commodities: foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, steel, petroleum products, cement and construction material
Imports - Partners:
Kenya 19.7%, Germany 7.8%, Uganda 6.9%, Belgium 5.2% (2006)
Kenya 16.53%, Uganda 14.92%, China 7.92%, UAE 6.89%, Belgium 5.54%, Germany 5.19%, Tanzania 4.81%, Sweden 4% (2009)
ENVIRONMENT
Environment - Current issues: deforestation results from uncontrolled cutting of trees for fuel; overgrazing; soil exhaustion; soil erosion; widespread poaching
Natural hazards: periodic droughts; the volcanic Birunga mountains are in the northwest along the border with Democratic Republic of the Congo
Source: CIA World Factbook
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