Country Information on Rwanda 

Terrain

Mountainous Rwanda is located on a highland plateau which reaches altitudes of between 1,200 and 2,000 m. Towards the east, near the Tanzanian border, the land slopes downwards to a series of marshy lakes along the upper Kagera River. On the western side of the plateau, there is a mountain system rising up to about 2,740 m, which forms the watershed between the Nile and Congo river systems. The Virunga Mountains, a volcanic range that forms the northern reaches of this system, includes Mt. Karisimbi (4,507 m), Rwanda's highest peak. Lake Kivu is surrounded by mountain ranges and is divided between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda.

Climate

Rwanda has three main seasons: a short dry season in January, the major rainy season from February to May, and another dry period from May to late September. The average annual rainfall is 790 mm with the highest level of precipitation in the western and north-western mountain regions. Temperatures vary greatly according to altitude. The average day-time temperature in the Lake Kivu area is 23°C. Frost can appear at night-time in the mountains in the northeast.

Fauna/Flora

Forests, once extensive, are now concentrated in the western mountains, particularly in the Lake Kivu area. The most common trees are eucalyptus, acacia, and oil palms. Animals, such as elephants, hippopotamuses, crocodiles, wild boars, leopards, antelope, and lemurs, are protected in the Kagera National Park. The Virunga Mountains in northern Rwanda are home to the world's only remaining mountain gorillas. This subspecies of gorilla was made famous by the work of American zoologist Dian Fossey.

History/Politics

The original inhabitants of Rwanda were the Bantu and Twa peoples. The Bantu and Twa were subjugated by the Tutsi (a pastoral and warrior people) when they conquered the area in the 15th century and established a strongly centralised kingdom. The Tutsi, who considered themselves feudal lords, made the Hutu a caste of serfs. As a result, the Hutu became economically dependent on the Tutsi. German explorers arrived in Rwanda towards the end of the 1880s. Rwanda and Burundi were incorporated into German East Africa in 1899.

After World War I, Belgium ruled the territory under a mandate from the League of Nations. Tutsi calls for independence led to the foundation of the country's first political party, the National Rwandese Union (UNAR), resulting in Belgian support of their adversaries, the Hutu. The Hutu's protests about the Tutsi's social and political oppression intensified in the 1950s, which resulted in a bloody civil war that killed thousands of Tutsis.

As a result of political pressure from the UN Trusteeship Council, Belgium granted Rwanda its independence in 1962. Grégoire Kayibanda became the first president of the new republic. The following years were characterised by severe economic problems (mainly due to the agricultural sector being based too heavily on subsistence), which intensified social and ethnic conflict. Colonel Juvenal Habyarimana toppled Kayibanda in 1973. His liberal political approach still did not extend to the Tutsi minority. Tutsi revolts were doomed to fail.

Shortly after peace negotiations with the Tutsi-supported Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) had ended in April 1994, Rwandan president Habyarimana and Burundi president Cyprien Ntaryamira (both Hutu) died when their plane was shot down. Habyarimana's death sparked violent inter-ethnic clashes, which were labelled genocide by the UN.

More than one million people lost their lives, another million (Hutu in particular) had to flee the country. Even after a government of national unity was established, there were frequent allegations of assassinations of witnesses to genocide up until 1997. The UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda is still working on its investigation. The first local elections were held in March 1999. General Paul Kagame became president in April 2000. He was the first Tutsi to hold this office and he was re-elected in 2003. In 2002, Rwanda signed a peace treaty with the Democratic Republic of the Congo in order to end the war that had already lasted for four years. However, the treaty was violated by Rwanda in 2004.

Economy

Overgrazing and soil erosion are serious problems in Rwanda, with the majority of the population dependent on subsistence agriculture. Droughts repeatedly lead to famine. The bloody civil war of 1994 almost caused Rwanda's fragile economy to collapse completely. However, over the past few years Rwanda's government has signed agreements on projects to enhance economic development. The country's most important export item is Arabica coffee; other products include tea and pyrethrum (a natural insecticide). Bananas, sorghum, cassava, sweet potatoes, and beans are also grown. Livestock mainly consists of goats, cattle, sheep, and pigs. In 2003, the inflation rate was 4.7%.

Culture

The richness of Rwandan culture is apparent in the country's wide range of fine crafts. This includes pottery, basketry, painting, jewellery, wood carving, and the making of gourd containers. All ethnic groups cherish oral traditions of poems and songs. The Tutsi, in particular, are known for their epic songs and dynastic poetry chronicling the history of their tribe. The verse is strongly linked to traditional mythology and is handed down orally from generation to generation, which is why Rwanda's history is still very much alive today.

The tall, splendidly adorned all-male Tutsi intore dancers are characterised by dances reflecting the warrior tradition of the Tutsi and are accompanied by the tambourinaires (drummers). Rwanda has produced a number of writers, including Alexis Kagame and J. Saverio Naigiziki. Their work is mainly written in French, the main literary language in Rwanda. Kagame's and Naigiziki's main themes include religion and the conflict between tradition and modernity.