A Look at Rwanda By Your Name Here Date
Fact Sheet Official name: Republic of Rwanda Capital: Kigali National Day: Independence Day, July 1st Religions: Roman Catholic, Islam, traditional African Languages: English, Kinyarwanda, French, Swahili Population: approximately 8 million
Geography Location: central Africa Land area: 26, 340 sq. km Rainfall: rainy seasons-March through May and October through November Average temperature: 24.6 to 27.6 degrees Celsius Main bodies of water: Lake Kivu, Lake Mukazi, Lake Ihema, Lake Bulera, Lake Ruhondo, Lake Mugesera Vegetation: ranges from dense equatorial forest in northwest of the country to tropical savannah in the east
Geography (Cont’d) Highest point: Karisimbi volcano (4, 507 m) Borders: Uganda to the north, Tanzania to the east, Burundi to the south and the Democratic Republic of Congo to the west
Government Government type: republic, presidential, multiparty system Administrative divisions: 12 prefectures Independence: July 1st, 1962 from Belgium Constitution: established May 5, 1995; consists of the constitution of June 18, 1999, the 1993 Arusha Peace Accord, the July 1994 Declaration by the Rwanda patriotic Front and the November multiparty protocol Legal system: based on German and Belgian civil law systems and customary law Suffrage: 18 years of age, universal adult
Government (Cont’d) Executive branch: president (chief of state), prime minister (head of government) and cabinet Legislative branch: the Transitional National Assembly Judicial branch: Supreme Court, communal and appeals courts Political parties: about ten including the Centrist Democratic party and the Rwandan Patriotic Front
Economy GDP: $7.2 million (2001 est.) Labor force: 3.6 million Labor force-by occupation: agriculture 90% Budget: revenues-$199.3 million, expenditures-$445 million (2001 est.)
Economy (Cont’d) Industries: cement, agricultural products, small-scale beverages, soap, furniture, shoes, plastic goods, textiles, cigarettes Industrial production growth rate: 7% (2001 est.) Agricultural products: coffee, tea, hides, tin ore Currency: Rwandan franc (RWF)