]! ^! 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. 
]" ^" Central Africa, east of Democratic Republic of the Congo ^# 2 00 S, 30 00 E ^$ Africa ^% `! 26,338 sq km `" 24,948 sq km `# 1,390 sq km ^& slightly smaller than Maryland ^' `! 893 km `U Burundi 290 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 217 km, Tanzania 217 km, Uganda 169 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 ^, `% Rusizi River 950 m `& Volcan Karisimbi 4,519 m ^- gold, cassiterite (tin ore), wolframite (tungsten ore), methane, hydropower, arable land ^. `' 40.54% `( 12.16% `) 47.3% (2001) ^/ 40 sq km (1998 est.) ^0 periodic droughts; the volcanic Virunga mountains are in the northwest along the border with Democratic Republic of the Congo ^1 deforestation results from uncontrolled cutting of trees for fuel; overgrazing; soil exhaustion; soil erosion; widespread poaching _J `K Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection `L Law of the Sea ^2 landlocked; most of the country is savanna grassland with the population predominantly rural 
]# ^3 8,440,820 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 2005 est.) ^4 `* 41.9% (male 1,777,178/female 1,762,252) `+ 55.5% (male 2,328,686/female 2,356,572) `, 2.6% (male 87,155/female 128,977) (2005 est.) ^5 `! 18.48 years `- 18.26 years `. 18.7 years (2005 est.) ^6 2.43% (2005 est.) ^7 40.6 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^8 16.32 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^9 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^: `/ 1.03 male(s)/female `0 1.01 male(s)/female `+ 0.99 male(s)/female `, 0.68 male(s)/female `1 0.99 male(s)/female (2005 est.) ^; `! 91.23 deaths/1,000 live births `- 96.37 deaths/1,000 live births `. 85.93 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) ^< `1 46.96 years `- 45.92 years `. 48.03 years (2005 est.) ^= 5.49 children born/woman (2005 est.) ^> 5.1% (2003 est.) ^? 250,000 (2003 est.) ^@ 22,000 (2003 est.) __ degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria (2004) ^A `2 Rwandan(s) `3 Rwandan ^B Hutu 84%, Tutsi 15%, Twa (Pygmoid) 1% ^C Roman Catholic 56.5%, Protestant 26%, Adventist 11.1%, Muslim 4.6%, indigenous beliefs 0.1%, none 1.7% (2001) ^D Kinyarwanda (official) universal Bantu vernacular, French (official), English (official), Kiswahili (Swahili) used in commercial centers ^E `M age 15 and over can read and write `1 70.4% `- 76.3% `. 64.7% (2003 est.) _` Rwanda is the most densely populated country in Africa 
]$ ^F `4 Republic of Rwanda `5 Rwanda `V Republika y'u Rwanda `W Rwanda `X Ruanda ^H republic; presidential, multiparty system ^I Kigali ^J 12 provinces (in French - provinces, singular - province; in Kinyarwanda - prefigintara for singular and plural); Butare, Byumba, Cyangugu, Gikongoro, Gisenyi, Gitarama, Kibungo, Kibuye, Kigali Rurale, Kigali-ville, Umutara, Ruhengeri ^K 1 July 1962 (from Belgium-administered UN trusteeship) ^L Independence Day, 1 July (1962) ^M new constitution adopted 4 June 2003 ^N 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 ^O 18 years of age; universal adult ^P `6 President Paul KAGAME (since 22 April 2000) `7 Prime Minister Bernard MAKUZA (since 8 March 2000) `8 Council of Ministers appointed by the president `9 last held 25 August 2003 (next to be held NA 2008) `: Paul KAGAME elected president in first direct popular vote; Paul KAGAME 95.05%, Faustin TWAGIRAMUNGU 3.62%, Jean-Nepomuscene NAYINZIRA 1.33% ^Q unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (53 seats; members elected by direct vote) `9 last held 29 September 2003 (next to be held Chamber of Deputies - NA 2008; Senate - NA 2011) `: seats by party under the 2003 Constitution - RPF 40, PSD 7, PL 6 ^R Supreme Court; High Courts of the Republic; Provincial Courts; District Courts; mediation committees ^S Centrist Democratic Party or PDC [Alfred MUKEZAMFURA]; 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]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Vincent BIRUTA] ^T IBUKA - association of genocide survivors ^U 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 ^V `N Ambassador Zac NSENGA `O 1714 New Hampshire Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20009 `P [1] (202) 232-2882 `Q [1] (202) 232-4544 ^W `N Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Henderson PATRICK `Z 337 Boulevard de la Revolution, Kigali `[ B. P. 28, Kigali `P [250] 50 56 01 through 03 `Q [250] 57 2128 ^X 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 
]% ^Y 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. Despite Rwanda's fertile ecosystem, food production often does not keep pace with population growth, requiring food imports. 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. Kigali's high defense expenditures have caused tension between the government and international donors and lending agencies. An energy shortage and instability in neighboring states may slow growth in 2005, while the lack of adequate transportation linkages to other countries continues to handicap export growth. ^Z $10.43 billion (2004 est.) ^[ 0.9% (2004 est.) ^\ purchasing power parity - $1,300 (2004 est.) ^] `; 41.1% `< 21.2% `= 37.7% (2004 est.) ^^ 4.6 million (2000) ^_ agriculture 90% ^` NA ^a 60% (2001 est.) _! `> 4.2% `? 24.2% (1985) _d 28.9 (1985) _" 7% (2004 est.) _P 20% of GDP (2004 est.) _# `@ $354.5 million `A $385 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.) _$ 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.) _' 166.7 million kWh (2002) _( 195 million kWh (2002) _) 0 kWh (2002) _* 40 million kWh (2002) _+ 0 bbl/day (2001 est.) _, 5,300 bbl/day (2001 est.) _- NA _. NA _R 0 bbl (1 January 2002) _W 28.32 billion cu m (1 January 2002) _X $-212.5 million (2004 est.) _/ $69.78 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) _0 coffee, tea, hides, tin ore _1 Indonesia 64.2%, China 3.6%, Germany 2.7% (2004) _2 $260 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) _3 foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, steel, petroleum products, cement and construction material _4 Kenya 24.4%, Germany 7.4%, Belgium 6.6%, Uganda 6.3%, France 5.1% (2004) _Y $210.9 million (2004 est.) _5 $1.3 billion (2000 est.) _6 $372.9 million (1999) _7 Rwandan franc (RWF) _8 Rwandan francs per US dollar - 574.62 (2004), 537.66 (2003), 476.33 (2002), 442.8 (2001), 393.44 (2000) _9 calendar year 
]& _: 23,200 (2002) _; 134,000 note: Rwanda has mobile cellular service between Kigali and several provincial capitals (2003) _< `B telephone system primarily serves business and government `C the capital, Kigali, is connected to the centers of the provinces by microwave radio relay and, recently, by cellular telephone service; much of the network depends on wire and HF radiotelephone `D 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) _= AM 0, FM 8 (two main FM programs are broadcast through a system of repeaters, three international FM programs include the BBC, VOA, and Deutchewelle), shortwave 1 (2005) _> 2 (2004) _? .rw _@ 1,495 (2003) _A 25,000 (2002) 
]' _B `! 12,000 km `E 996 km `F 11,004 km (1999 est.) _b Lac Kivu navigable by shallow-draft barges and native craft (2004) _C Cyangugu, Gisenyi, Kibuye _D 9 (2004 est.) _E `! 4 `] 1 `_ 2 `T 1 (2004 est.) _L `! 5 `_ 2 `T 3 (2004 est.) 
]( _F Rwandan Defense Forces: Army, Air Force _M 16 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2001) _] males age 16-49: 2,004,750 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 16-49: 1,103,823 (2005 est.) _N $50.1 million (2004) _O 3.2% (2004) 
]) _H 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; DROC and Rwanda established a border verification mechanism in 2005 to address accusations of Rwandan military supporting Congolese rebels and the Congo providing rebel Rwandan "Interhamwe" forces the means and bases to attack Rwandan forces; as of 2004, Rwandan refugees lived in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and Zambia _c `d 37,691 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) IDPs: 4,158 (incursions by Hutu rebels from Democratic Republic of the Congo, 1997-99; most IDPs in northwest) (2004) 