| Photo J.C Scholle |
 |
| Traditional house in cob |
Life in Rwanda
| Photo J.C Scholle |
|
| Traditional house in cob |
Demography
Rwanda, which has never experienced slavery, is the country of Africa where the density of population is the greatest (273 inhabitants/km ²). More than eight million inhabitants share a territory of 26,338 km ². Most Rwandans live in rural areas and mainly in isolated houses. A population 70 % of which lives below the poverty line, the population explosion and the illiteracy of 60 % are some of the challenges that Rwandans are going to try to take up in the coming years.
Political system
After the events of 1994, the transitional presidential government existing in Rwanda today is led by Pasteur Bizimungu and is composed of a non-elected parliament of 70 representatives. Its members come from the two largest ethnic groups and from various political parties. The country is divided into counties. Gradually, the State machinery and the political and public institutions are rehabilitated, but a lot still remains to be done. So, in spite of the effort of the international community and of numerous NGOs such as "Lawyers without Borders", the Rwandan judicial system is not totally operational yet. Nevertheless, Rwanda must take up another great challenge: taking to court the people behind the genocide. Thirteen thousand prisoners are currently waiting to be tried.
Transport
Although the domestic road network is rather well maintained, it is difficult to arrive in Rwanda by road. It is not easier to arrive by sea because the closest port is in Mombasa, Kenya,1,500 km away. The best way to reach Rwanda is by plane. However, due to the size of the country, air transport is very little used for domestic trips. Rwandans most often travel by road because there is no rail network and rivers are not used as ways of navigation.
A few figures
| Surface | 26,338 km² |
| Population | 8.1 million inhabitants (1998) |
| Administrative and economic capital | Kigali |
| Official language | French / Kinyarwanda |
| Urban population | 6 % (1998) |
| Religion | Majority Catholicism, Islam |
| Ethnic groups | Hutus, Tutsis, Twas |
| Life expectancy | 41 (1998) |
| Infant mortality | 123 for 1,000 births |
| Illiteracy among men (15 years and +) | 29 % (1998) |
| Illiteracy among women (15 years and +) | 43 % (1998) |
| GNP | US$ 1.7 billion |
| GDP/inhabitant | US$ 660 (1997) |
| Main exports | Coffee, tea, cassiterite |
| Main imports | Production goods, capital in kind, food |
| Currency | Rwanda franc (75 FRw = 1 euro) |
| Agriculture | 47.4 % of the GDP |
| Industry | 21.2 % of the GDP |
| Services | 31.4 % of the GDP |
12 pages: .1. .2. .3. .4. .5. .6. .7. .8. .9. .10. .11. .12.