RWANDA 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: arable land 29%; permanent crops 11%; meadows and pastures 18%; forest and woodland 10%; other 32%; includes irrigated NEGL% Environment: deforestation; overgrazing; soil exhaustion; soil erosion; periodic droughts Note: landlocked PEOPLE Population: 7,902,644 (July 1991), growth rate 3.8% (1991) Birth rate: 52 births/1,000 population (1991) Death rate: 15 deaths/1,000 population (1991) Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991) Infant mortality rate: 110 deaths/1,000 live births (1991) Life expectancy at birth: 51 years male, 54 years female (1991) Total fertility rate: 8.4 children born/woman (1991) 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: 50% (male 64%, female 37%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.) Labor force: 3,600,000; agriculture 93%, government and services 5%, industry and commerce 2%; 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; on 31 December 1990, the government announced a National Political Charter to serve as a basis for transition to a presidential/parliamentary political system; the charter will be voted upon in a national referendum to be held June 1991 Capital: Kigali Administrative divisions: 10 prefectures (prefectures, singular--prefecture 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 National de Developpement) 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. Juvenal HABYARIMANA (since 5 July 1973) Political parties and leaders: only party--National Revolutionary Movement for Development (MRND), Maj. Gen. Juvenal HABYARIMANA; note--the MRND is 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. Juvenal 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: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, ECA, CCC, CEEAC, CEPGL, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Aloys UWIMANA; Chancery at 1714 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone (202) 232-2882; US--Ambassador Robert A. FLATEN; Embassy at Boulevard de la Revolution, Kigali (mailing address is B. P. 28, Kigali); telephone 250 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: Almost 50% 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 only 16% 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. A structural adjustment program with the World Bank began in October 1990. An outbreak of insurgency, also in October, has dampened any prospects for economic improvement. GDP: $2.2 billion, per capita $300; real growth rate - 2.2% (1989 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1% (1989) Unemployment rate: NA% Budget: revenues $391 million; expenditures $491 million, including capital expenditures of $225 million (1989 est.) Exports: $117 million (f.o.b., 1989 est.); commodities--coffee 85%, tea, tin, cassiterite, wolframite, pyrethrum; partners--FRG, Belgium, Italy, Uganda, UK, France, US Imports: $293 million (f.o.b., 1989 est.); commodities--textiles, foodstuffs, machines and equipment, capital goods, steel, petroleum products, cement and construction material; partners--US, Belgium, FRG, Kenya, Japan External debt: $689 million (December 1990 est.) Industrial production: growth rate 1.2% (1988); accounts for 17% of GDP 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: accounts for almost 50% of GDP and about 90% of the labor force; 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 Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $128 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $1.8 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $45 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $58 million Currency: Rwandan franc (plural--francs); 1 Rwandan franc (RF) = 100 centimes Exchange rates: Rwandan francs (RF) per US$1--120.00 (December 1990), 82.60 (1990), 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; 3 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; earth stations--1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT and 1 SYMPHONIE DEFENSE FORCES Branches: Army, Gendarmerie Manpower availability: males 15-49, 1,651,224; 842,480 fit for military service; no conscription Defense expenditures: $37 million, 1.6% of GDP (1988 est.)