Country Info

The Republic of Rwanda is located in the Great Lakes Region of Central Africa, bordered by Burundi, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Tanzania. The people of Rwanda belong primarily to three ethnic groups - Hutu (85 percent), Tutsi (14 percent) and Twa (1 percent) - and are mainly agriculturalists. At 9 million, Rwanda has the highest population density in continental Sub-Saharan Africa, with Kinyarwanda, French and English as the predominant languages spoken. Roman Catholic, Protestant and Islam are the main religions practiced.

Like many countries in the Great Lakes region, Rwanda has had a difficult history of ethnic violence. After gaining independence from Belgium in 1962, Rwanda suffered through years of unrest and struggle between the Hutus and Tutsis for power. In April 1994, the Presidents of Rwanda and Burundi were killed in a plane crash, prompting an unprecedented level of bloodshed over the next 100 days. The bloodshed was labeled as genocide and remains one of the most infamous events of Rwanda's recent past. While the international community was slow to respond, there has been much done to help the country heal in recent years.

The current government of Rwanda was elected under a democratic process. In 2003, Rwanda adopted a new constitution with no reference to ethnicity. The government is focusing much of its work on healing the country and trying those involved with the genocide. Too many of Rwanda's neighbors share similar stories, and all of these countries house refugees from neighboring countries. Today Rwanda and its neighbors are still trying to recover physically and psychologically from these tragic events.

Rwanda's countryside is covered by grasslands and small farms extending over rolling hills, with areas of rugged mountains that extend southeast from a chain of volcanoes in the northwest, and the country is fondly known as "Land of a Thousand Hills." The economy of Rwanda is based mostly on semi-subsistence agriculture by local farmers using simple tools, with coffee and tea being primary crops grown for export.