Research Africa > East of Africa > Rwanda > Rwanda at a glance
Geography
Area: 26,338 sq. km. (10,169 sq. km.); about the size of Maryland.
Cities: Capital--Kigali (est. pop. 800,000). Other cities--Gitarama, Butare, Ruhengeri, Gisenyi.
Terrain: Uplands and hills.
Climate: Mild and temperate, with two rainy seasons.
people
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Rwandan(s); Rwandese.
Population (July 2008 est.): approximately 10,180,000.
Annual growth rate (2008 est.): 2.8%.
Religions (2002 est.): Christian 93.5%, traditional African 0.1%, Muslim 4.6%, 1.7% claim no religious beliefs.
Languages: Kinyarwanda, French, English.
Education: Years compulsory--9. Attendance (prewar)--75%. Literacy (2003 est.)--70.4%.
Health: Infant mortality rate (2008 est.)--83.4 deaths/1,000. Life expectancy (2008 est.)--49.8 years.
Work force (2000): Agriculture--90%; industry and commerce, services, and government--10%.
Government
Type: Republic.
Independence: July 1, 1962.
Constitution: May 26, 2003.
Branches: Executive--president (chief of state), prime minister (head of government). Broad-based government of national unity formed after the 1994 genocide. Legislative--80-seat Chamber of Deputies; 26-member Senate. Judicial--Supreme Court; High Courts of the Republic; Provincial Courts; District Courts; mediation committees.
Administrative subdivisions: 4 provinces plus Kigali; 30 districts; 416 sectors; 2,148 cells.
Political parties: There are 10 political parties, including the ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), which leads a coalition that includes the Centrist Democratic Party (PDC), the Rwandan Socialist Party (PSR), the Ideal [formerly Islamic] Democratic Party (PDI), the Prosperity and Solidarity Party (PSP), and the Democratic Popular Union (UPDR). Other parties include the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the Liberal Party (PL), the Concord Progressive Party (PPC), and the Social Party Imberakuri (PS-Imberakuri).
Suffrage: Universal for citizens over 18--except refugees, prisoners, and certain categories of convicts.
Central government budget (2007 est.): 31.7 billion Rwandan francs ($29 million). Revenues--$28 million. Expenditures--$29 million.
Economy
GDP (2009 est.): $5.1 billion.
Real GDP growth rate (2009 est.): 4%.
Per capita income (2009 est.): $510.
Purchasing power parity (2006 est.): $1,600.
Average inflation rate (2008 est.): 5.7%.
Agriculture (2009): 36.4% of GDP. Products--coffee, tea, pyrethrum (insecticide made from chrysanthemums), bananas, beans, sorghum, potatoes, livestock.
Industry (2009): 14.2% of GDP.
Types--cement, agricultural products, beer production, soft drinks, soap, furniture, shoes, plastic goods, textiles, cigarettes, pharmaceuticals.
Services (2009): 43.7%.
Trade (2009 est.): Exports--$193 million: tea, coffee, coltan, cassiterite, hides, iron ore, and tin.
Major markets--China, Belgium, and Germany.
Imports (2009 est.)--$963 million f.o.b.: foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, steel, petroleum products, cement, and construction material.
Major suppliers--Kenya, Germany, Belgium, France, Uganda, and Israel.
