Rwanda
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Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a sovereign state in central and east Africa.
Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Rwanda is in the African Great Lakes region and is highly elevated.
Its geography dominated by mountains in the west and savanna to the east, with numerous lakes throughout the country.
The climate of the country is temperate to subtropical, with two rainy seasons and two dry seasons each year.
The population is young and predominantly rural, with a density among the highest in Africa.
Rwandans form three groups: the Hutu, Tutsi and Twa.
The Twa are a forest-dwelling pygmy people descend from Rwanda's earliest inhabitants.
Scholars disagree on the origins of and differences between the Hutu and Tutsi.
Some believe they are derived from former social castes, while others view them as being races or tribes.
Christianity is the largest religion in the country, the principal language is Kinyarwanda, spoken by most Rwandans, with French and English as official languages.
Rwanda has a presidential system of government.
The president is Paul Kagame of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), who took office in 2000.
Rwanda today has low corruption compared with neighbouring countries, although human rights organisations report suppression of opposition groups, intimidation and restrictions on freedom of speech.
The country has been governed by a strict administrative hierarchy since precolonial times.
There are five provinces delineated by borders drawn in 2006.
Rwanda has the world's highest proportion of females in government positions in proportion to the population.
Hunter gatherers settled the territory in the stone and iron ages, followed later by Bantu peoples.
The population coalesced first into clans and then into kingdoms.
The Kingdom of Rwanda dominated from the mid-eighteenth century, with the Tutsi kings conquering others militarily, centralising power, and later enacting anti-Hutu policies.
Germany colonised Rwanda in 1884 as part of German East Africa, followed by Belgium, which invaded in 1916 during World War I.
Both European nations ruled through the kings and perpetuated pro-Tutsi policy.
The Hutu population revolted in 1959, massacring a large number of Tutsi and ultimately establishing an independent Hutu-dominated state in 1962.
The Tutsi-led Rwandan Patriotic Front launched a civil war in 1990, which was followed by the 1994 genocide, in which Hutu extremists killed an estimated 500,000 to 1 million Tutsi and moderate Hutu.
The RPF ended the genocide with a military victory.
Rwanda's economy suffered heavily during the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, but has since strengthened.
The economy is based mostly on subsistence agriculture.
Coffee and tea are the major cash crops for export.
Tourism is a fast-growing sector and is now the country's leading foreign exchange earner.
Rwanda is one of only two countries in which mountain gorillas can be visited safely, and visitors are prepared to pay high prices for gorilla tracking permits.
Music and dance are an integral part of Rwandan culture, particularly drums and the highly choreographed intore dance.
Traditional arts and crafts are produced throughout the country, including imigongo, a unique cow dung art.
Republic of Rwanda - République du Rwanda
Motto: "Ubumwe, Umurimo, Gukunda Igihugu"
"Unity, Work, Patriotism"
Anthem: Rwanda nziza / Beautiful Rwanda
Capital and largest city: Kigali (1°56.633′S 30°3.567′E)
Official languages:
• Kinyarwanda
• French
• English
Ethnic groups:
• 84% Hutu
• 15% Tutsi
• 1% Twa
Demonym: Rwandan / Rwandese
Government:
Unitary semi-presidential - constitutional republic
• President: Paul Kagame
• Prime Minister:
Legislature Parliament
• Upper house: Senate
• Lower house: Chamber of Deputies
Independence from Belgium: 1 July 1962
Area:
• Total: 26,338 km2 (149th) - 10,169 sq mi
• Water (%): 5.3
Population:
July 2013 estimate 12,012,589 (81st) - 2012 census 10,515,973
Density: 419.8/km2 (29th) - 1,087.2/sq mi
GDP (PPP): 2013 estimate
• Total: $16.368 billion
• Per capita: $1,538
Currency: Rwandan franc (RWF)
Time zone:
CAT (UTC+2) - Summer (DST) not observed (UTC+2)
Drives on the right
Calling code: +250
ISO 3166 code: RW
Internet TLD: .rw