RWANDA

Information at a Glance

People

Population: 7 million
Population Annual Growth Rate: 1.9%
Ethnic groups: Hutus (90% of the population), Tutsis and Twa pygmies (less than 1%).
Religions: Catholic, Anglican and others

Economy

Currency: Rwandese Franc
GDP per capita: $352
Economy Growth rate: -6.6%
Main Industries: agriculture
Main exports: Coffee (82% of export revenue), tea (12%), tungsten and tin ore (5%)

Health

Life expectancy: 22.6 years
Infant mortality: 80 per 1000 (in 1994)
Average calories consumed: 85% of calories needed
Safe water: 66% of population has access

Self-reliance

Before the war, Rwanda received a very great amount of aid. The country will need billions of dollars in aid if it is to recover.

Literacy

Literacy rate: 60%.
Languages: Kinyarwanda, French, English

Income Distribution

90 per cent of the population live on small family farms, producing only for their own needs. Members of the elite were targeted in the genocide.

Environment

Regions: Rwanda is located between two mountain ranges. The land is hilly or mountainous. There are many lakes and rivers.
Farming: The main food crops are plantain, sweet potatoes, beans, cassava, maize and sorghum. The 1994 fighting caused the loss of 60% of the cereal and pulse crop.
Problems: soil erosion, overgrazing, deforestation.

Politics

The Government is talking in support of national unity and reconciliation, but how it can achieve these goals is not yet clear.

There is a great mistrust between the two major groups. People on both sides are very bitter and some wish the conflict to continue.

Freedom & human rights

The media are state controlled.

Multi-party elections.

Position of women: The role of women is changing as a result of the massacres ­ they are no longer so confined to the domestic duties.