Rwanda is a
landlocked country between Burundi, the Democratic
Republic of Congo, Uganda and Tanzania. It has an area of 26,330 square kilometres
and a population of over 6.67 million people. Rwanda, formerly part of the Belgian
trusteeship territory of Ruanda-Urundi, gained its independence in July 1962. The country
was governed by its Hutu leaders until a Tutsi-led invasion seized power in recent years.
The rivalry between Hutu and Tutsi has taken a massive toll of lives, especially near the
end of 1990 when the Tutsi led movement, the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF), invaded the
northern part of the country, and in 1994 when the Hutu soldiers went on rampage to kill
thousands of people after the death of their President when his plane was shot down in
Kigali.
Rwanda and its
northern neighbour Burundi are considered to be twin states because of the similarities in
size, historical heritage, cultural and demographic features. The average population
density of over 253 persons per square kilometre in Rwanda is among the highest in Africa,
but the level of urbanisation is less than 10%.
Rwanda's
economy has suffered bitterly from the ethnic-based civil wars. The agricultural
sector dominates the economy; coffee and tea normally make up 80%-90% of the exports. The
amount of fertile land is limited, and deforestation and soil erosion continue to reduce
the production potential. Manufacturing focuses mainly on the processing of agricultural
products. A structural adjustment program with the World Bank began in October 1990.
In 1994-96, peace was restored throughout much of the country. In 1996-97 most of the
refugees who fled during the war returned to Rwanda. The economy continues to face
significant challenges in rebuilding the various infrastructures destroyed by the civil
war, and recovery of domestic production is expected to proceed slowly.
Rwanda's telephone
network has a capacity of over 21,500 lines. In 2001, the total number of telephone
subscribers (including the mobile network) was 86,500 resulting in a telephone density of
1.09 lines per hundred population. The network is fully digital but the penetration of
telephone lines is highly biased toward the main cities.
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