Rwanda is a small country of about eight million people
in central Africa, near the equator. The capital is Kigali.
Rwanda was administered first by Germany, then by Belgium (as a UN trusteeship), attaining independence in 1962. It is a republic, with a president, a bicameral parliament, a supreme court, and a multiparty political system. Its legal system is based on German and Belgian law systems. A new constitution was passed by referendum on 26 May, 2003. The official name is Republic of Rwanda.
The dominant ethnic group in Rwanda is Hutu (84% of the total population), followed by Tutsi (15%) and Twa (Pygmy) (1%). The Hutus overthrew the ruling Tutsi king in 1959, three years prior to the country’s independence, beginning a long period of political and economic upheaval, culminating in the civil war of 1990-1994.
Genocide took place in Rwanda in 1994 between the Hutu and Tutsi tribes. It began when the plane carrying General Juvenal Habyarimana and the President of Burundi was shot down and both men were killed. This incident set off a civil war that lasted 100 days and left close to a million people dead. The United Nations peacekeeping force and other major countries withdrew in the middle of the war and abandoned the country to rebel forces. This genocide was portrayed in the movie "Hotel Rwanda" starring Don Cheadle.
Agriculture comprises nearly 40% of the total GDP, main products being coffee, tea, pyrethrum (an insecticide made from chrysanthemums), bananas, beans, sorghum, potatoes and livestock. Industries (20%) include cement, agricultural products, small-scale beverages, soap, furniture, shoes, plastic goods, textiles, and cigarettes. Rwanda exports mainly to Kenya, Germany, Uganda, and Belgium.
About 70% of the population are Christians, mostly Roman Catholic. The remaining 30% follow traditional animalistic religion. The three ethnic groups speak a common language, Kinyarwanda, and share cultural traditions.
Rwanda has a higher percentage of land set aside for national parks than any other African country. The most famous of its national parks are Kagera National Park and Volcano National Park. Half of the world’s surviving African mountain gorillas, made famous by Dian Fossey, live in Volcano National Park. The survival of these gorillas has been threatened by the ongoing civil unrest since 1994.
Web Sites
- The Republic of Rwanda
- CIA: The World Factbook
- Human Rights Watch
- U.S. Department of State
- BBC News Country Profile
- African Studies Center of the University of Pennsylvania
- African Wildlife Foundation: Silverback Mountain Gorillas
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