Rwanda

Demographics
Rwanda has the 54th lowest Human Development Index rating in the world

• Population: 10,186,063 (UK: 61 million)
• Birth rate: 39.97 births/1,000 (UK: 11 births/1,000)
• Population under 15 years: 42% (UK: 17%)
• HIV/AIDS adult prevalence rate: 5.1%(UK: 0.2%)

Infrastructure

• Area of the country: 10,169 sq miles (UK: 94,525 sq miles)
• 8,704 miles of roads, but only 1,654 miles of paved roads (UK: 241,104 miles – all paved)
• 9 landing strips of which 4 are paved

Economy
Rwanda is a poor rural country with about 90% of the population engaged in (mainly subsistence) agriculture. It is the most densely populated country in Africa and is landlocked with few natural resources and minimal industry. Nearly 40 years of conflict between the Hutu and Tutsi peaked in the Rwandan genocide of 1994. The economy was severely dislocated and continues to be so with the ongoing Central African war mainly in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo

• 90% of the population employed in agriculture
• Main exports include coffee, tea, hides, tin ore

Environment

Rwanda is a landlocked country. It is fertile with with mostly grassy uplands and hills, mountains

• Deforestation results from uncontrolled cutting of trees for fuel
• Overgrazing
• Soil exhaustion
• Soil erosion
• Widespread poaching

Climate

Rwanda has temperate climate - two rainy seasons (February to April, November to January); mild in mountains with frost and snow possible. Natural hazards include:

• Periodic droughts
• The volcanic Virunga mountains are in the northwest along the border with Democratic Republic of the Congo