Rwanda Area Code

+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

Rwanda Area Code

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.