NAVIGATION
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NAVIGATION
Rwandese Republic
Republika y'u Rwanda
INTRODUCTION
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Background:
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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 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 Zaire. Since then most of the refugees have returned to Rwanda. Despite substantial international assistance and political reforms - including Rwanda's first local elections in March 1999 - the country continues to struggle to boost investment and agricultural output and to foster reconciliation. A series of massive population displacements, a nagging Hutu extremist insurgency, and Rwandan involvement in two wars over the past four years in the neighboring DROC continue to hinder Rwanda's efforts. |
GEOGRAPHY
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Location:
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Central Africa, east of Democratic Republic of the Congo |
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Geographic coordinates:
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2 00 S, 30 00 E |
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Map references:
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Africa |
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Area:
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total: 26,338 sq km
water: 1,390 sq km land: 24,948 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than Maryland |
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Land boundaries:
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total: 893 km
border countries: Burundi 290 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 217 km, Tanzania 217 km, Uganda 169 km |
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Coastline:
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0 km (landlocked) |
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Maritime claims:
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none (landlocked) |
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Climate:
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temperate; two rainy seasons (February to April, November to January); mild in mountains with frost and snow possible |
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Terrain:
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mostly grassy uplands and hills; relief is mountainous with altitude declining from west to east |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Rusizi River 950 m
highest point: Volcan Karisimbi 4,519 m |
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Natural resources:
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gold, cassiterite (tin ore), wolframite (tungsten ore), methane, hydropower, arable land |
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Land use:
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arable land: 32.43%
permanent crops: 10.13% other: 57.44% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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40 sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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periodic droughts; the volcanic Virunga mountains are in the northwest along the border with Democratic Republic of the Congo |
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Environment - current issues:
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deforestation results from uncontrolled cutting of trees for fuel; overgrazing; soil exhaustion; soil erosion; widespread poaching |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea |
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Geography - note:
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landlocked; most of the country is savanna grassland with the population predominantly rural |
PEOPLE
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Population:
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7,398,074
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 2002 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 41.7% (male 1,550,141; female 1,539,375)
15-64 years: 55.4% (male 2,039,573; female 2,057,059) 65 years and over: 2.9% (male 84,030; female 127,896) (2002 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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1.16% (2002 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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33.28 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Death rate:
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21.39 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-0.32 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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117.79 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 38.66 years
female: 39.2 years (2002 est.) male: 38.14 years |
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Total fertility rate:
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4.72 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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11.21% (1999 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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400,000 (1999 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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40,000 (1999 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun: Rwandan(s)
adjective: Rwandan |
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Ethnic groups:
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Hutu 84%, Tutsi 15%, Twa (Pygmoid) 1% |
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Religions:
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Roman Catholic 56.5%, Protestant 26%, Adventist 11.1%, Muslim 4.6%, indigenous beliefs 0.1%, none 1.7% (2001) |
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Languages:
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Kinyarwanda (official) universal Bantu vernacular, French (official), English (official), Kiswahili (Swahili) used in commercial centers |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 48% male: 52% female: 45% (1995 est.) |