Rwanda

Rwanda is a country of Central Africa, having borders with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (217 km), Burundi (290 km), Uganda (169 km) and Tanzania (217 km). While it has no ocean coast, it is on the Lake Kivu, which borders on the DRC. Its capital is Kigali.

People

It is the most densely populated country in Africa, with an estimated population of 10,746,311 spread over 26,338 sq km.

Ethnically, it is principally Hutu (Bantu) 84% and Tutsi (Hamitic) 15%, with Twa (Pygmy) 1%, Religions are diverse, estimated to be, in 2001, Roman Catholic 56.5%, Protestant 26%, Adventist 11.1%, Muslim 4.6%, indigenous beliefs 0.1%, none 1.7%. The official languages are Kinyarwanda (official) universal Bantu vernacular, French and English (official); Kiswahili (Swahili) is used in commercial centers.

Economy

Rwanda is a poor rural country with about 85% of the population engaged in (mainly subsistence) agriculture and some mineral and agro-processing. Despite Rwanda's fertile ecosystem, food production often does not keep pace with demand, requiring food imports.

In 2008, minerals overtook coffee and tea as Rwanda's primary foreign exchange earner.

Rwanda continues to receive substantial aid money and obtained IMF-World Bank Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) initiative debt relief in 2005-06. Rwanda also received a Millennium Challenge Account Compact in 2008.