The World Factbook (1990)/Rwanda
Rwanda
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See regional map VII
Geography
Total area: 26,340 km²; land area: 24,950
km²
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Maryland
Land boundaries: 893 km total; Burundi 290 km, Tanzania 217 km, Uganda 169 km, Zaire 217 km
Coastline: none—landlocked
Maritime claims: none—landlocked
Climate: temperate; two rainy seasons (February to April, November to January); mild in mountains with frost and snow possible
Terrain: mostly grassy uplands and hills; mountains in west
Natural resources: gold, cassiterite (tin ore), wolframite (tungsten ore), natural gas, hydropower
Land use: 29% arable land; 11% permanent crops; 18% meadows and pastures; 10% forest and woodland; 32% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Environment: deforestation; overgrazing; soil exhaustion; soil erosion; periodic droughts
Note: landlocked
People
Population: 7,609,119 (July 1990), growth
rate 3.8% (1990)
Birth rate: 53 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 15 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 113 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 50 years male, 54 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 8.5 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun and adjective Rwandan(s)
Ethnic divisions: Hutu 90%, Tutsi 9%, Twa (Pygmoid) 1%
Religion: Roman Catholic 65%, Protestant 9%, Muslim 1%, indigenous beliefs and other 25%
Language: Kinyarwanda, French (official); Kiswahili used in commercial centers
Literacy: 46.6%
Labor force: 3,600,000; 93% agriculture, 5% government and services, 2% industry and commerce; 49% of population of working age (1985)
Organized labor: NA
Government
Long-form name: Republic of Rwanda
Type: republic; presidential system in which military leaders hold key offices
Capital: Kigali
Administrative divisions: 10 prefectures (préfectures, singular—préfecture in French; plural—NA, singular—prefegitura in Kinyarwanda); Butare, Byumba, Cyangugu, Gikongoro, Gisenyi, Gitarama, Kibungo, Kibuye, Rigali, Ruhengeri
Constitution: 17 December 1978
Independence: 1 July 1962 (from UN trusteeship under Belgian administration)
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
National holiday: Independence Day, 1 July (1962)
Executive branch: president, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch: unicameral National Development Council (Conseil pour le Développement National)
Judicial branch: Constitutional Court (consists of the Court of Cassation and the Council of State in joint session)
Leaders: Chief of State and Head of Government—President Maj. Gen. Juvénal HABYARIMANA (since 5 July 1973)
Political parties and leaders: only party National Revolutionary Movement for Development (MRND), Maj. Gen. Juvénal Habyarimana (officially a development movement, not a party)
Suffrage: universal adult, exact age NA
Elections: President—last held 19 December 1988 (next to be held December 1993); results—President Maj. Gen. Juvénal Habyarimana reelected;
National Development Council—last held 19 December 1988 (next to be held December 1993); results—MRND is the only party; seats—(70 total); MRND 70
Communists: no Communist party
Member of: ACP, AfDB, EAMA, CCC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, ITU, NAM, OAU, OCAM, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Aloys UWIMANA; Chancery at 1714 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone (202) 232-2882; US Ambassador Leonard H. O. SPEARMAN, Sr.; Embassy at Boulevard de la Revolution, Kigali (mailing address is B. P. 28, Kigali); telephone [205] 75601 through 75603 or 72126 through 72128
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
Overview: About 40% of GDP comes from
the agricultural sector; coffee and tea
make up 80-90% of total exports. The
amount of fertile land is limited, however,
and deforestation and soil erosion have
created problems. The industrial sector in
Rwanda is small, contributing less than
20% to GDP. Manufacturing focuses
mainly on the processing of agricultural
products. The Rwandan economy remains
dependent on coffee exports and foreign
aid, with no relief in sight. Weak international
prices since 1986 have caused the
economy to contract and per capita GDP
to decline.
GDP: $2.3 billion, per capita $325; real growth rate -2.5% (1988 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3% (1988)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues $413 million; expenditures $522 million, including capital expenditures of $230 million (1988 est.)
Exports: $118 million (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—coffee 85%, tea, tin, cassiterite, wolframite, pyrethrum; partners—FRG, Belgium, Italy, Uganda, UK, France, US
Imports: $278 million (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—textiles, foodstuffs, machines and equipment, capital goods, steel, petroleum products, cement and construction material; partners—US, Belgium, FRG, Kenya, Japan
External debt: $645 million (December 1989 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate 1.2% (1988)
Electricity: 26,000 kW capacity; 112 million kWh produced, 15 kWh per capita (1989)
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: cash crops—coffee, tea, pyrethrum (insecticide made from chrysanthemums); main food crops—bananas, beans, sorghum, potatoes; stock raising; self-sufficiency declining; country imports foodstuffs as farm production fails to keep up with a 3.8% annual growth in population
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $118 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $1.7 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $45 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $58 million
Currency: Rwandan franc (plural—francs); 1 Rwandan franc (RF) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: Rwandan francs (RF) per US$1—78.99 (December 1989), 79.98 (1989), 76.45 (1988), 79.67 (1987), 87.64 (1986), 101.26 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Highways: 4,885 km total; 460 km paved,
1,725 km gravel and/or improved earth,
2,700 km unimproved
Inland waterways: Lac Kivu navigable by shallow-draft barges and native craft
Civil air: 1 major transport aircraft
Airports: 8 total, 8 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 2 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: fair system with low-capacity radio relay system centered on Kigali; 6,600 telephones; stations—2 AM, 5 FM, no TV; satellite earth stations—1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT and 1 SYMPHONIE
Defense Forces
Branches: Army, paramilitary,
Gendarmerie
Military manpower: males 15-49, 1,586,989; 810,560 fit for military service; no conscription
Defense expenditures: 2.1% of GDP (1987)