+250 is the dialing code for Rwanda.
Little Rwanda in East Central Africa is a very populous country. Competition for arable land contributed to the genocide of hundreds of thousands of Tutsis in 1994. Nowadays, Tutsis dominate politics. A well-managed economy and a relatively limited corruption have meant that Rwanda has received a lot of aid, despite criticism of what is, in practice, one-party rule. Export income mainly comes from coffee. Tourist visits to mountain gorillas also make important contributions to the Treasury.
- Abbreviationfinder: Brief profiles of Rwanda, including geography, history, politics, economics as well as common acronyms about this country.
Geography and climate
Coastal Rwanda is located in eastern Central Africa, just south of the equator. The land is on the surface somewhat smaller than the Dalarna. Rwanda has a tropical climate.
To the west, Lake Kivus is a border with Congo-Kinshasa. To the east, a mountain range rises that extends farthest in the northwest into the Virung volcanic mountains with peaks more than 4,000 meters above sea level.
To the east, the mountains flatten out into a hilly plateau with valleys filled with lakes and swamps. In northeastern Rwanda, the savanna begins. The river Kagera flows towards Lake Victoria and forms a border with Tanzania.
The climate is warm and humid in the lowlands, while it is cooler among the mountains. Most rain falls during the periods March – April and October – December.
Country Facts
Geography
| Cultivated land | 74.5 % |
| Land area | 26338 km 2 |
Population and health
| Population development | 2.56 ‰ |
| Urban population (Urbanization) | 28.8 % |
| Death rate | 8.96 per 1000 residents |
| Life expectancy: Women | 61.27 years |
| Life expectancy: Men | 58.11 years |
| Birth rate | 33.75 births per 1000 residents |
| HDI index | 0.483 |
| Population | 12661733 |
| Infant mortality | 58.19 deaths / 1000 births |
Population Graph Source: Countryaah.com
Energy
| Electricity, production | 310 million kWh |
| Energy consumption per resident | kg. oil per resident |
| Natural gas, production | million cubic meters |
| Crude oil, production | million tons |
Infrastructure
| Internet users | 9.2 per 100 residents |
| Mobile subscriptions | 63 per 100 residents |
| Passenger cars | 5 per 1000 residents |
Business and economics
| Unemployment | % of the workforce |
| GDP | 1800 per resident |
| Primary occupations | 90 % |
| Secondary profession | 5 % |
| Tertiary professions | 5 % |
FACTS – GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE
Surface
26 338 km2 (2018)
Time
Swedish +1 hour
Adjacent country (s)
Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, Congo-Kinshasa
Capital with number of residents
Kigali 1,095,000
Other major cities
Ruhengeri, Gisenyi, Butare
Highest mountain
Karisimbi (4507 m asl)
Important rivers
Kagera
Largest lake
Lake Kivu
Average Precipitation / month
Kigali 160 mm (April), 5 mm (July)
Average / day
Kigali 21 °C (Jan), 19 °C (July)
2018
December
The French investigation is closed
December 21
The French investigation into the assassination of President Habyarimana in April 1994 is closed for lack of evidence. Habyarimana was killed when his aircraft was shot down, which became the start of the 1994 genocide. Seven people in President Kagame’s presence have been examined by French investigators, which has contributed to the tense relations between France and Rwanda’s political leadership. The French investigation into the attack on the presidential plan began in 1998 at the request of relatives of French crewmen who were on board.
Rwigara acquitted
December 7
A Kigali court has freed human rights activist Diane Rwigara (and her mother) from suspicions of rioting and fraud. Rwigara was disqualified as presidential candidate a few weeks before the August 2017 election and was arrested a month later.
September
Regime critics are pardoned by Kagame
September 16th
The imprisoned Victoire Ingabire, leader of the opposition party United Democratic Forces (UDF), is pardoned by President Kagame and released prematurely along with just over 2,100 other prisoners. In 2010, Ingabire was sentenced to 15 years in prison for denying the genocide (she questioned the government’s version of the incident) and for conspiracy against the authorities.
Given election victory for FPR
September 3
General elections are held at 53 of the 80 seats in the Chamber of Deputies. Alongside the ruling FPR and its seven allies, a single opposition party, the Democratic Green Party, is allowed to participate. The result shows that FPR with allies wins an expected grand victory, as they did in previous elections. They receive 40 seats, which is one fewer than in the 2013 election. The Democratic Green Party enters the House with 2 seats. As before, Rwanda’s parliament receives the highest proportion of women in the world, thanks to 24 seats reserved for female representatives. Two mandates go to young people and one to disabled people. According to the Election Commission, turnout is high.
July
New agreements with China and India
23 July
When Chinese President Xi Jinping visits Kigali on a tour of Africa, Rwanda and China sign 15 agreements, including cooperation, loans and assistance. The total value of the agreements amounts to millions of dollars. The loans will be used to build roads and to renovate hospitals and Bugesera Airport. Similar agreements are made between Rwanda and India when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Kigali a day earlier. The visits and agreements show both Asian countries’ growing interest in Africa.
Academics are acquitted of lifetime murder
July 20
Linguistics professor Leopold Munyakazi is acquitted by an appeals court of a life imprisonment sentence, which he was sentenced in July 2017 for direct participation in the 1994 genocide. Conflicting testimony is why Munyakazi is acquitted of the more serious crime.
June
Opposition politicians’ property is auctioned off
Authorities have auctioned machine equipment worth $ 2 million in opposition politician Diane Rwigara’s family business (a tobacco factory). It has been made to recover a $ 7 million tax liability. Rwigara, who was prevented by the authorities from challenging Kagame in the 2017 presidential election, was indicted in September of that year for state security violations and forgery. Rwigara is currently in custody.
April
Mass graves from the genocide found
April 22
Four mass graves with remains after more than 200 Tutsis have been found by residents in a village outside Kigali. The dead are victims of the 1994 genocide, the Rwandan Historical Center for the 1994 Genocide announces.
March
Free Trade Agreement in Africa
21 March
Rwanda is one of 44 countries to sign a Free Trade Agreement at the African Union Summit in Rwanda. The agreement must be ratified at the national level before the AFCFTA free trade area can become a reality, but it is seen as a historically important step towards increased trade exchange within Africa.
February
Many killed in refugee camp attacks
February 26th
Eleven refugees are killed and more than 20 injured as security forces strike down protests against shrinking food rations in two refugee camps. Rwanda houses up to 200,000 refugees from Congo-Kinshasa and Burundi in six camps. The aid organizations operating in the camps have cut rations in turns, as they have received only a few percent of the funds needed to help the refugees.
Fighting breaks out with Congo-Kinshasa
February 16th
Fighting breaks out in the border areas of Congo-Kinshasa. The Congolese army accuses Rwandan troops of crossing the border and states that six Congolese soldiers have been killed in the fighting. Rwanda rejects the allegations and claims that it is the Congolese who invaded Rwanda instead.