Environment - international agreements:party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, AirPollution-Sulphur 85, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol,Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, AntarcticTreaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species,Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, MarineDumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whalingsigned, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, ClimateChange-Kyoto Protocol, Persistent Organic Pollutants
Geography - note:largest country in the world in terms of area but unfavorablylocated in relation to major sea lanes of the world; despite itssize, much of the country lacks proper soils and climates (eithertoo cold or too dry) for agriculture; Mount Elbrus is Europe'stallest peak
People Russia
Population:144,526,278 (July 2003 est.)
Age structure:0-14 years: 16% (male 11,815,360; female 11,335,715)15-64 years: 70.4% (male 49,399,322; female 52,367,194)65 years and over: 13.6% (male 6,394,411; female 13,214,276) (2003est.)
Median age: total: 37.6 years male: 34.7 years female: 40.3 years (2002)
Population growth rate:-0.3% (2003 est.)
Birth rate:10.09 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Death rate:13.99 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Net migration rate:0.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Sex ratio:at birth: 1.05 male(s)/femaleunder 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female65 years and over: 0.48 male(s)/femaletotal population: 0.88 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Infant mortality rate:total: 19.51 deaths/1,000 live birthsfemale: 17.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)male: 21.53 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:total population: 67.66 yearsmale: 62.46 yearsfemale: 73.11 years (2003 est.)
Total fertility rate:1.33 children born/woman (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:0.9% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:700,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:9,000 (2001 est.)
Nationality:noun: Russian(s)adjective: Russian
Ethnic groups:Russian 81.5%, Tatar 3.8%, Ukrainian 3%, Chuvash 1.2%, Bashkir0.9%, Belarusian 0.8%, Moldavian 0.7%, other 8.1% (1989)
Religions:Russian Orthodox, Muslim, other
Languages:Russian, other
Literacy:definition: age 15 and over can read and writetotal population: 99.6%male: 99.7%female: 99.5% (2003 est.)
Government Russia
Country name:conventional long form: Russian Federationconventional short form: Russialocal long form: Rossiyskaya Federatsiyaformer: Russian Empire, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republiclocal short form: Rossiya
Government type:federation
Capital:Moscow
Administrative divisions:49 oblasts (oblastey, singular - oblast), 21 republics* (respublik,singular - respublika), 10 autonomous okrugs**(avtonomnykh okrugov,singular - avtonomnyy okrug), 6 krays*** (krayev, singular - kray),2 federal cities (singular - gorod)****, and 1 autonomousoblast*****(avtonomnaya oblast'); Adygeya (Maykop)*, AginskiyBuryatskiy (Aginskoye)**, Altay (Gorno-Altaysk)*, Altayskiy(Barnaul)***, Amurskaya (Blagoveshchensk), Arkhangel'skaya,Astrakhanskaya, Bashkortostan (Ufa)*, Belgorodskaya, Bryanskaya,Buryatiya (Ulan-Ude)*, Chechnya (Groznyy)*, Chelyabinskaya,Chitinskaya, Chukotskiy (Anadyr')**, Chuvashiya (Cheboksary)*,Dagestan (Makhachkala)*, Evenkiyskiy (Tura)**, Ingushetiya(Nazran')*, Irkutskaya, Ivanovskaya, Kabardino-Balkariya(Nal'chik)*, Kaliningradskaya, Kalmykiya (Elista)*, Kaluzhskaya,Kamchatskaya (Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy), Karachayevo-Cherkesiya(Cherkessk)*, Kareliya (Petrozavodsk)*, Kemerovskaya,Khabarovskiy***, Khakasiya (Abakan)*, Khanty-Mansiyskiy(Khanty-Mansiysk)**, Kirovskaya, Komi (Syktyvkar)*, Koryakskiy(Palana)**, Kostromskaya, Krasnodarskiy***, Krasnoyarskiy***,Kurganskaya, Kurskaya, Leningradskaya, Lipetskaya, Magadanskaya,Mariy-El (Yoshkar-Ola)*, Mordoviya (Saransk)*, Moskovskaya, Moskva(Moscow)****, Murmanskaya, Nenetskiy (Nar'yan-Mar)**,Nizhegorodskaya, Novgorodskaya, Novosibirskaya, Omskaya,Orenburgskaya, Orlovskaya (Orel), Penzenskaya, Permskaya,Komi-Permyatskiy (Kudymkar)**, Primorskiy (Vladivostok)***,Pskovskaya, Rostovskaya, Ryazanskaya, Sakha (Yakutiya)*,Sakhalinskaya (Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk), Samarskaya, Sankt-Peterburg(Saint Petersburg)****, Saratovskaya, Severnaya Osetiya-Alaniya[North Ossetia] (Vladikavkaz)*, Smolenskaya, Stavropol'skiy***,Sverdlovskaya (Yekaterinburg), Tambovskaya, Tatarstan (Kazan')*,Taymyrskiy (Dudinka)**, Tomskaya, Tul'skaya, Tverskaya, Tyumenskaya,Tyva (Kyzyl)*, Udmurtiya (Izhevsk)*, Ul'yanovskaya, Ust'-OrdynskiyBuryatskiy (Ust'-Ordynskiy)**, Vladimirskaya, Volgogradskaya,Vologodskaya, Voronezhskaya, Yamalo-Nenetskiy (Salekhard)**,Yaroslavskaya, Yevreyskaya*****; note - when using a place name withan adjectival ending 'skaya' or 'skiy,' the word Oblast' orAvonomnyy Okrug or Kray should be added to the place namenote: administrative divisions have the same names as theiradministrative centers (exceptions have the administrative centername following in parentheses)
Independence:24 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday:Russia Day, 12 June (1990)
Constitution:adopted 12 December 1993
Legal system:based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts
Suffrage:18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:chief of state: President Vladimir Vladimirovich PUTIN (actingpresident since 31 December 1999, president since 7 May 2000)head of government: Premier Mikhail Mikhaylovich KASYANOV (since 7May 2000); Deputy Premiers Viktor Borisovich KHRISTENKO (since 31May 1999), Aleksey Leonidovich KUDRIN (since 18 May 2000), AlekseyVasilyevich GORDEYEV (since 20 May 2000), Boris Sergeyevich ALESHIN(since 24 April 2003), Galina Nikolayevna KARELOVA (since 24 April2003), Vladimir Anatolyevich YAKOVLEV (since 16 June 2003)cabinet: Ministries of the Government or "Government" composed ofthe premier and his deputies, ministers, and selected otherindividuals; all are appointed by the presidentnote: there is also a Presidential Administration (PA) that providesstaff and policy support to the president, drafts presidentialdecrees, and coordinates policy among government agencies; aSecurity Council also reports directly to the presidentelection results: Vladimir Vladimirovich PUTIN elected president;percent of vote - Vladimir Vladimirovich PUTIN 52.9%, GennadiyAndreyevich ZYUGANOV 29.2%, Grigoriy Alekseyevich YAVLINSKIY 5.8%elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term;election last held 26 March 2000 (next to be held March 2004); note- no vice president; if the president dies in office, cannotexercise his powers because of ill health, is impeached, or resigns,the premier succeeds him; the premier serves as acting presidentuntil a new presidential election is held, which must be withinthree months; premier appointed by the president with the approvalof the Duma
Legislative branch:bicameral Federal Assembly or Federalnoye Sobraniye consists of theFederation Council or Sovet Federatsii (178 seats; as of July 2000,members appointed by the top executive and legislative officials ineach of the 89 federal administrative units - oblasts, krays,republics, autonomous okrugs and oblasts, and the federal cities ofMoscow and Saint Petersburg; members serve four-year terms) and theState Duma or Gosudarstvennaya Duma (450 seats; 225 seats elected byproportional representation from party lists winning at least 5% ofthe vote, and 225 seats from single-member constituencies; membersare elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms)election results: State Duma - percent of vote received by partiesclearing the 5% threshold entitling them to a proportional share ofthe 225 party list seats - United Russia 37.1%, KPRF 12.7%, LDPR11.6%, Motherland 9.1%; seats by party - United Russia 222, KPRF 53,LDPR 38, Motherland 37, People's Party 19, Yabloko 4, Union ofRightist Forces 2, other 7, independents 65, repeat electionrequired 3elections: State Duma - last held 7 December 2003 (next to be heldNA December 2007)
Judicial branch:Constitutional Court; Supreme Court; Superior Court of Arbitration;judges for all courts are appointed for life by the FederationCouncil on the recommendation of the president
Political parties and leaders:Communist Party of the Russian Federation or KPRF [GennadiyAndreyevich ZYUGANOV]; Liberal Democratic Party of Russia or LDPR[Vladimir Volfovich ZHIRINOVSKIY]; Motherland Bloc (Rodina) [SergeyGLAZYEV and Dmitriy ROGOZIN]; People's Party [Gennadiy RAYKOV];Union of Rightist Forces or SPS [Anatoliy Borisovich CHUBAYS, YegorTimurovich GAYDAR, Irina Mutsuovna KHAKAMADA, Boris YefimovichNEMTSOV]; United Russia [Boris Vyacheslavovich GRYZLOV]; YablokoParty [Grigoriy Alekseyevich YAVLINSKIY]
Political pressure groups and leaders:NA
International organization participation:APEC, ARF (dialogue partner), ASEAN (dialogue partner), BIS, BSEC,CBSS, CE, CERN (observer), CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ESCAP, G- 8, GEF,IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC,IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU,LAIA (observer), MINURSO, MONUC, NAM (guest), NSG, OAS (observer),OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, SCO, UN, UN Security Council, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD,UNDP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMISET,UNMOP, UNMOVIC, UNOMIG, UNTSO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO(observer), ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Yuriy Viktorovich USHAKOV chancery: 2650 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007 consulate(s) general: New York, San Francisco, and Seattle FAX: [1] (202) 298-5735 telephone: [1] (202) 298-5700, 5701, 5704, 5708
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Alexander VERSHBOW embassy: Bolshoy Devyatinskiy Pereulok No. 8, 121099 Moscow mailing address: PSC-77, APO AE 09721 telephone: [7] (095) 728-5000 FAX: [7] (095) 728-5090 consulate(s) general: Saint Petersburg, Vladivostok, Yekaterinburg
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red
Economy Russia
Economy - overview:A decade after the implosion of the Soviet Union in December 1991,Russia is still struggling to establish a modern market economy andachieve strong economic growth. In contrast to its trading partnersin Central Europe - which were able within 3 to 5 years to overcomethe initial production declines that accompanied the launch ofmarket reforms - Russia saw its economy contract for five years, asthe executive and legislature dithered over the implementation ofmany of the basic foundations of a market economy. Russia achieved aslight recovery in 1997, but the government's stubborn budgetdeficits and the country's poor business climate made it vulnerablewhen the global financial crisis swept through in 1998. The crisisculminated in the August depreciation of the ruble, a debt defaultby the government, and a sharp deterioration in living standards formost of the population. The economy subsequently has rebounded,growing by an average of more than 6% annually in 1999-2002 on theback of higher oil prices and the 60% depreciation of the ruble in1998. These GDP numbers, along with a renewed government effort toadvance lagging structural reforms, have raised business andinvestor confidence over Russia's prospects in its second decade oftransition. Yet serious problems persist. Oil, natural gas, metals,and timber account for more than 80% of exports, leaving the countryvulnerable to swings in world prices. Russia's industrial base isincreasingly dilapidated and must be replaced or modernized if thecountry is to maintain vigorous economic growth. Other problemsinclude a weak banking system, a poor business climate thatdiscourages both domestic and foreign investors, corruption, localand regional government intervention in the courts, and widespreadlack of trust in institutions. In 2003 President PUTIN furthertightened his control over the "oligarchs," especially in the realmof political expression.
GDP:purchasing power parity - $1.409 trillion (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:4.3% (2002 est.)
GDP - per capita:purchasing power parity - $9,700 (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 5.8% industry: 34.6% services: 59.6% (2002 est.)
Population below poverty line: 25% (37622 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 5.9% highest 10%: 47% (2001)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:39.9 (2001)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):15% (2002 est.)
Labor force:71.8 million (2002 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:agriculture 12.3%, industry 22.7%, services 65% (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate:7.9% plus considerable underemployment (2002)
Budget:revenues: $70 billionexpenditures: $62 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA(2002 est.)
Industries:complete range of mining and extractive industries producing coal,oil, gas, chemicals, and metals; all forms of machine building fromrolling mills to high-performance aircraft and space vehicles;shipbuilding; road and rail transportation equipment; communicationsequipment; agricultural machinery, tractors, and constructionequipment; electric power generating and transmitting equipment;medical and scientific instruments; consumer durables, textiles,foodstuffs, handicrafts
Industrial production growth rate:3.7% (2002 est.)
Electricity - production:846.5 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 64.3% hydro: 20.5% other: 0.4% (2001) nuclear: 14.8%
Electricity - consumption:773 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports:21.16 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports:7 billion kWh (2001)
Oil - production:7.286 million bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:2.595 million bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:NA (2001)
Oil - imports:NA (2001)
Oil - proved reserves:51.22 billion bbl (37257)
Natural gas - production:580.8 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:408.1 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - exports:205.4 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - imports:32.7 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:47.86 trillion cu m (37257)
Agriculture - products:grain, sugar beets, sunflower seed, vegetables, fruits; beef, milk
Exports:$104.6 billion (2002 est.)
Exports - commodities:petroleum and petroleum products, natural gas, wood and woodproducts, metals, chemicals, and a wide variety of civilian andmilitary manufactures
Exports - partners:Germany 7.5%, Italy 6.9%, Netherlands 6.7%, China 6.3%, US 6.1%,Ukraine 5.5%, Belarus 5.4%, Switzerland 5% (2002)
Imports:$60.7 billion (2002 est.)
Imports - commodities:machinery and equipment, consumer goods, medicines, meat, sugar,semifinished metal products
Imports - partners:Germany 14.3%, Belarus 8.9%, Ukraine 7.1%, US 6.4%, China 5.2%,Italy 4.8%, Kazakhstan 4.3%, France 4.1% (2002)
Debt - external:$153.5 billion (yearend 2002)
Economic aid - recipient:in FY01 from US, $979 million (including $750 million innon-proliferation subsidies); in 2001 from EU, $200 million
Currency:Russian ruble (RUR)
Currency code:RUR
Exchange rates:Russian rubles per US dollar - 31.27 (2002), 29.17 (2001), 28.13(2000), 24.62 (1999), 9.71 (1998)note: the post-1 January 1998 ruble is equal to 1,000 of the pre-1January 1998 rubles
Fiscal year:calendar year
Communications Russia
Telephones - main lines in use:30 million (1998)
Telephones - mobile cellular:19 million (January 2003)
Telephone system:general assessment: the telephone system has undergone significantchanges in the 1990s; there are more than 1,000 companies licensedto offer communication services; access to digital lines hasimproved, particularly in urban centers; Internet and e-mailservices are improving; Russia has made progress toward building thetelecommunications infrastructure necessary for a market economy;however, a large demand for main line service remains unsatisfieddomestic: cross-country digital trunk lines run from SaintPetersburg to Khabarovsk, and from Moscow to Novorossiysk; thetelephone systems in 60 regional capitals have modern digitalinfrastructures; cellular services, both analog and digital, areavailable in many areas; in rural areas, the telephone services arestill outdated, inadequate, and low densityinternational: Russia is connected internationally by three underseafiber-optic cables; digital switches in several cities provide morethan 50,000 lines for international calls; satellite earth stationsprovide access to Intelsat, Intersputnik, Eutelsat, Inmarsat, andOrbita systems
Radio broadcast stations:AM 420, FM 447, shortwave 56 (1998)
Radios:61.5 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:7,306 (1998)
Televisions:60.5 million (1997)
Internet country code:.ru; Russia also has responsibility for a legacy domain ".su" thatwas allocated to the Soviet Union, its legal status and ownershipare contested by the Russian Government, ICANN, and several Russiancommercial entities
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):300 (June 2000)
Internet users:18 million (2002)
Transportation Russia
Railways:total: 87,157 kmbroad gauge: 86,200 km 1.520-m gauge (40,300 km electrified)narrow gauge: 957 km 1.067-m gauge (on Sakhalin Island)note:: an additional 30,000 km of non-common carrrier lines serveindustries (2002)
Highways:total: 532,393 kmpaved: 358,833 kmunpaved: 173,560 km (2000)
Waterways:95,900 km (total routes in general use)note: routes with navigation guides serving the Russian River Fleet- 95,900 km; routes with night navigational aids - 60,400 km;man-made navigable routes - 16,900 km (January 1994)
Pipelines:gas 135,771 km; oil 70,833 km; refined products 11,536 km; water 23km (2003)
Ports and harbors:Aleksandrovsk-Sakhalinsky, Arkhangel'sk, Astrakhan', De-Kastri,Indigirskiy, Kaliningrad, Kandalaksha, Kazan', Khabarovsk, Kholmsk,Krasnoyarsk, Lazarev, Mago, Mezen', Moscow, Murmansk, Nakhodka,Nevel'sk, Novorossiysk, Onega, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, Rostov,Shakhtersk, Saint Petersburg, Sochi, Taganrog, Tuapse, Uglegorsk,Vanino, Vladivostok, Volgograd, Vostochnyy, Vyborg
Merchant marine:total: 933 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 4,495,122 GRT/5,490,103 DWTships by type: barge carrier 1, bulk 22, cargo 553, chemical tanker12, combination bulk 21, combination ore/oil 36, container 30,multi-functional large-load carrier 1, passenger 38, passenger/cargo3, petroleum tanker 167, refrigerated cargo 21, roll on/roll off 20,short-sea passenger 7, specialized tanker 1note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag ofconvenience: Belize 1, Cambodia 1, Cyprus 9, Denmark 1, Estonia 4,Greece 3, Honduras 1, Latvia 4, Lithuania 3, Moldova 3, Netherlands1, South Korea 1, Turkey 18, Turkmenistan 2, Ukraine 10, UK 5, US 1(2002 est.)
Airports:2,743 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways:total: 471over 3,047 m: 562,438 to 3,047 m: 1781,524 to 2,437 m: 76914 to 1,523 m: 69under 914 m: 92 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways:total: 2,272over 3,047 m: 282,438 to 3,047 m: 1181,524 to 2,437 m: 204914 to 1,523 m: 324under 914 m: 1,598 (2002)
Military Russia
Military branches:Ground Forces, Navy, Air Forces; Airborne troops, Strategic RocketForces, and Military Space Forces are classified as independentcombat arms, not subordinate to any of the three branches:
Military manpower - military age:18 years of age (2003)
Military manpower - availability:males age 15-49: 36 million (2003 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:males age 15-49: 24 million (2003 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:males: 1.243 million (2003 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:$NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:NA%
Transnational Issues Russia
Disputes - international:China continues to seek a mutually acceptable solution to thedisputed alluvial islands at the confluence of the Amur and Ussuririvers and a small island on the Argun River as part of the 2001Treaty of Good Neighborliness, Friendship, and Cooperation; theislands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan, and the Habomai groupidentified by the Russians as the "Southern Kurils" and by Japan asthe "Northern Territories" occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945, nowadministered by Russia, claimed by Japan; boundary with Georgia hasbeen largely delimited but not demarcated with several small,strategic segments remaining in dispute and OSCE observersmonitoring volatile areas such as the Pankisi Gorge in the Akhmetiregion and the Argun Gorge in Abkhazia; equidistant seabed treatieshave been signed with Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan in the Caspian Seabut no resolution on dividing the water column among any of thelittoral states; Russia and Norway dispute their maritime limits inthe Barents Sea and Russia's fishing rights beyond Svalbard'sterritorial limits within the Svalbard Treaty zone; Russia continuesto reject signing and ratifying the joint 1996 technical borderagreement with Estonia; the Russian Parliament refuses to considerratification of the boundary treaties with Estonia and Latvia, butin May 2003, ratified land and maritime boundary treaty withLithuania, which ratified the 1997 treaty in 1999, legalizing limitsof former Soviet republic borders; discussions are still ongoingamong Russia, Lithuania and the EU concerning a simplified transitdocument for residents of the Kaliningrad coastal exclave to transitthrough Lithuania to Russia; land delimitation with Ukraine isratified, but maritime regime of the Sea of Azov and Kerch Strait isunresolved; delimitation with Kazakhstan is scheduled for completionin 2003; Russian Duma has not yet ratified 1990 Maritime BoundaryAgreement with the US in the Bering Sea
Illicit drugs:limited cultivation of illicit cannabis and opium poppy andproducer of methamphetamine, mostly for domestic consumption;government has active illicit crop eradication program; used astransshipment point for Asian opiates, cannabis, and Latin Americancocaine bound for growing domestic markets, to a lesser extentWestern and Central Europe, and occasionally to the US; major sourceof heroin precursor chemicals; corruption and organized crime arekey concerns; heroin increasingly popular in domestic market
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003
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@Rwanda
Introduction Rwanda
Background:In 1959, three years before independence from Belgium, the majorityethnic group, the Hutus, overthrew the ruling Tutsi king. Over thenext several years, thousands of Tutsis were killed, and some150,000 driven into exile in neighboring countries. The children ofthese exiles later formed a rebel group, the Rwandan PatrioticFront, and began a civil war in 1990. The war, along with severalpolitical and economic upheavals, exacerbated ethnic tensions,culminating in April 1994 in the genocide of roughly 800,000 Tutsisand moderate Hutus. The Tutsi rebels defeated the Hutu regime andended the killing in July 1994, but approximately 2 million Huturefugees - many fearing Tutsi retribution - fled to neighboringBurundi, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zaire. Since then, most of therefugees have returned to Rwanda. Despite substantial internationalassistance and political reforms - including Rwanda's first localelections in March 1999 - the country continues to struggle to boostinvestment and agricultural output and to foster reconciliation. Aseries of massive population displacements, a nagging Hutu extremistinsurgency, and Rwandan involvement in two wars over the past fouryears in the neighboring DROC continue to hinder Rwanda's efforts.
Geography Rwanda
Location:Central Africa, east of Democratic Republic of the Congo
Geographic coordinates:2 00 S, 30 00 E
Map references:Africa
Area:total: 26,338 sq kmwater: 1,390 sq kmland: 24,948 sq km
Area - comparative:slightly smaller than Maryland
Land boundaries:total: 893 kmborder countries: Burundi 290 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo217 km, Tanzania 217 km, Uganda 169 km
Coastline:0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:none (landlocked)
Climate:temperate; two rainy seasons (February to April, November toJanuary); mild in mountains with frost and snow possible
Terrain:mostly grassy uplands and hills; relief is mountainous withaltitude declining from west to east
Elevation extremes:lowest point: Rusizi River 950 mhighest point: Volcan Karisimbi 4,519 m
Natural resources:gold, cassiterite (tin ore), wolframite (tungsten ore), methane,hydropower, arable land
Land use:arable land: 32.43%permanent crops: 10.13%other: 57.44% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land:40 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:periodic droughts; the volcanic Virunga mountains are in thenorthwest along the border with Democratic Republic of the Congo
Environment - current issues:deforestation results from uncontrolled cutting of trees for fuel;overgrazing; soil exhaustion; soil erosion; widespread poaching
Environment - international agreements:party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, EndangeredSpecies, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protectionsigned, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography - note:landlocked; most of the country is savanna grassland with thepopulation predominantly rural
People Rwanda
Population:7,810,056note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account theeffects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lowerlife expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lowerpopulation and growth rates, and changes in the distribution ofpopulation by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July2003 est.)
Age structure:0-14 years: 42.5% (male 1,667,128; female 1,651,422)15-64 years: 54.8% (male 2,128,495; female 2,148,694)65 years and over: 2.7% (male 85,576; female 128,741) (2003 est.)
Median age:total: 18.1 yearsmale: 17.8 yearsfemale: 18.3 years (2002)
Population growth rate:1.84% (2003 est.)
Birth rate:40.1 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Death rate:21.72 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Net migration rate:0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Sex ratio:at birth: 1.03 male(s)/femaleunder 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/femaletotal population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Infant mortality rate:total: 102.61 deaths/1,000 live birthsfemale: 97.41 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)male: 107.66 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:total population: 39.33 yearsmale: 38.51 yearsfemale: 40.18 years (2003 est.)
Total fertility rate:5.6 children born/woman (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:8.9% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:500,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:49,000 (2001 est.)
Nationality:noun: Rwandan(s)adjective: Rwandan
Ethnic groups:Hutu 84%, Tutsi 15%, Twa (Pygmoid) 1%
Religions:Roman Catholic 56.5%, Protestant 26%, Adventist 11.1%, Muslim 4.6%,indigenous beliefs 0.1%, none 1.7% (2001)
Languages:Kinyarwanda (official) universal Bantu vernacular, French(official), English (official), Kiswahili (Swahili) used incommercial centers
Literacy:definition: age 15 and over can read and writefemale: 64.7% (2003 est.)male: 76.3%total population: 70.4%
People - note:Rwanda is the most densely populated country in Africa
Government Rwanda
Country name:conventional long form: Rwandese Republicconventional short form: Rwandalocal short form: Rwandaformer: Ruandalocal long form: Republika y'u Rwanda
Government type:republic; presidential, multiparty system
Capital:Kigali
Administrative divisions:12 prefectures (in French - prefectures, singular - prefecture; inKinyarwanda - plural - NA, singular - prefegitura); Butare, Byumba,Cyangugu, Gikongoro, Gisenyi, Gitarama, Kibungo, Kibuye, KigaliRurale, Kigali-ville, Umutara, Ruhengeri
Independence:1 July 1962 (from Belgium-administered UN trusteeship)
National holiday:Independence Day, 1 July (1962)
Constitution:on 5 May 1995, the Transitional National Assembly adopted asFundamental Law the constitution of 18 June 1991, provisions of the1993 Arusha peace accord, the July 1994 Declaration by the RwandaPatriotic Front, and the November 1994 multiparty protocol ofunderstanding
Legal system:based on German and Belgian civil law systems and customary law;judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has notaccepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:18 years of age; universal adult
Executive branch:chief of state: President Maj. Gen. Paul KAGAME (FPR) (since 22April 2000)head of government: Prime Minister Bernard MAKUZA (since 8 March2000)cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the presidentelections: last held 25 August 2003 (next to be held NA 2008)election results: Paul KAGAME elected president in first directpopular vote; Paul KAGAME (RPF) 95.05%, Faustin TWAGIRAMUNGU 3.62%,Jean-Nepomuscene NAYINZIRA 1.33%
Legislative branch:unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (53 seats;members elected by direct vote)elections: last held 29 September 2003 (next to be held NA)election results: seats by party under the Arusha peace accord - FPR40, PSD 7, PL 6
Judicial branch:Supreme Court; communal courts; appeals courts
Political parties and leaders:Centrist Democratic Party or PDC [Jean-Nipomuscene NAYINZIRA];Democratic Socialist Party or PSD [J. Damascene NTAWUKURIRYAYO];Democratic Popular Union of Rwanda or UDPR [leader NA]; DemocraticRepublican Movement or MDR [Celestin KABANDA]; Islamic DemocraticParty or PDI [Andre BUMAYA]; Liberal Party or PL [Pie MUGABO]; Partyfor Democratic Renewal (officially banned) [Pasteur BIZIMUNGU andCharles NTAKARUTINKA]; Rwanda Patriotic Front or FPR [Maj. Gen. PaulKAGAME]; Rwandan Socialist Party or PSR [leader NA]
Political pressure groups and leaders:IBUKA - association of genocide survivors
International organization participation:ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CEEAC, CEPGL, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU,ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO(correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD,UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US:chief of mission: Ambassador Zac NSENGAFAX: [1] (202) 232-4544telephone: [1] (202) 232-2882chancery: 1714 New Hampshire Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20009
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Margaret K. McMILLION embassy: #337 Boulevard de la Revolution, Kigali mailing address: B. P. 28, Kigali telephone: [250] 50 56 01 through 03 FAX: [250] 57 2128
Flag description:three horizontal bands of sky blue (top, double width), yellow, andgreen, with a golden sun with 24 rays near the fly end of the blueband
Economy Rwanda
Economy - overview:Rwanda is a poor rural country with about 90% of the populationengaged in (mainly subsistence) agriculture. It is the most denselypopulated country in Africa; landlocked with few natural resourcesand minimal industry. Primary foreign exchange earners are coffeeand tea. The 1994 genocide decimated Rwanda's fragile economic base,severely impoverished the population, particularly women, and erodedthe country's ability to attract private and external investment.However, Rwanda has made substantial progress in stabilizing andrehabilitating its economy to pre-1994 levels, although povertylevels are higher now. GDP has rebounded, and inflation has beencurbed. Export earnings, however, have been hindered by low beverageprices, depriving the country of much needed hard currency. Attemptsto diversify into non-traditional agriculture exports such asflowers and vegetables have been stymied by a lack of adequatetransportation infrastructure. Despite Rwanda's fertile ecosystem,food production often does not keep pace with population growth,requiring food to be imported. Rwanda continues to receivesubstantial amounts of aid money and was approved for IMF-World BankHeavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) initiative debt relief in late2000. But Kigali's high defense expenditures cause tension betweenthe government and international donors and lending agencies.
GDP:purchasing power parity - $8.92 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:9.7% (2002 est.)
GDP - per capita:purchasing power parity - $1,200 (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 45% industry: 20% services: 35% (2002 est.)
Population below poverty line: 60% (2001 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 4.2% highest 10%: 24.2% (1985)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:28.9 (1985)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):5.5% (2002 est.)
Labor force:4.6 million (2000)
Labor force - by occupation:agriculture 90%
Unemployment rate:NA%
Budget:revenues: $199.3 millionexpenditures: $445 million, including capital expenditures of $NA(2001 est.)
Industries:cement, agricultural products, small-scale beverages, soap,furniture, shoes, plastic goods, textiles, cigarettes
Industrial production growth rate:7% (2001 est.)
Electricity - production:96.78 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 2.3% hydro: 97.7% other: 0% (2001) nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption:140 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports:0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports:50 million kWh (2001)
Oil - production:0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:5,300 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:NA (2001)
Oil - imports:NA (2001)
Oil - proved reserves:0 bbl (37257)
Natural gas - proved reserves:28.32 billion cu m (37257)
Agriculture - products: coffee, tea, pyrethrum (insecticide made from chrysanthemums), bananas, beans, sorghum, potatoes; livestock
Exports:$68 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Exports - commodities:coffee, tea, hides, tin ore
Exports - partners:Indonesia 30.8%, Germany 14.6%, Hong Kong 9%, South Africa 5.5%(2002)
Imports:$253 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Imports - commodities:foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, steel, petroleum products,cement and construction material
Imports - partners:Kenya 21.8%, Germany 8.4%, Belgium 7.9%, Israel 4.3% (2002)
Debt - external:$1.3 billion (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:$372.9 million (1999)
Currency:Rwandan franc (RWF)
Currency code:RWF
Exchange rates:Rwandan francs per US dollar - 475.37 (2002), 442.99 (2001), 389.7(2000), 333.94 (1999), 312.31 (1998)
Fiscal year:calendar year
Communications Rwanda
Telephones - main lines in use:600,000 note - 90% in Kigali (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular:81,000 (2001)note: Rwanda has mobile cellular service between Kigali and severalprefecture capitals (2002)
Telephone system:general assessment: telephone system primarily serves business andgovernmentdomestic: the capital, Kigali, is connected to the centers of theprefectures by microwave radio relay and, recently, by cellulartelephone service; much of the network depends on wire and HFradiotelephoneinternational: international connections employ microwave radiorelay to neighboring countries and satellite communications to moredistant countries; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (IndianOcean) in Kigali (includes telex and telefax service)
Radio broadcast stations:AM 0, FM 3 (two main FM programs are broadcast through a system ofrepeaters and the third FM program is a 24 hour BBC program),shortwave 1 (2002)
Radios:601,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:NA
Televisions:NA; probably less than 1,000 (1997)
Internet country code:.rw
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):2 (2002)
Internet users:20,000 (2002)
Transportation Rwanda
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 12,000 km paved: 996 km unpaved: 11,004 km (1999 est.)
Waterways:note: Lac Kivu navigable by shallow-draft barges and native craft
Ports and harbors:Cyangugu, Gisenyi, Kibuye
Airports:9 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 4 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways:total: 5914 to 1,523 m: 2under 914 m: 3 (2002)
Military Rwanda
Military branches:Army, Navy, Air Force, Gendarmerie
Military manpower - availability:males age 15-49: 1,932,637 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:males age 15-49: 982,909 (2003 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:$59.57 million (FY02)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:3% (FY02)
Transnational Issues Rwanda
Disputes - international:Tutsi, Hutu, and other conflicting ethnic groups, associatedpolitical rebels, armed gangs, and various government forcescontinue fighting in Great Lakes region, transcending the boundariesof Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda togain control over populated areas and natural resources - governmentheads pledge to end conflicts, but localized violence continuesdespite UN peacekeeping efforts
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003
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@Saint Helena
Introduction Saint Helena
Background:Uninhabited when first discovered by the Portuguese in 1502, SaintHelena was garrisoned by the British during the 17th century. Itacquired fame as the place of Napoleon BONAPARTE's exile, from 1815until his death in 1821, but its importance as a port of calldeclined after the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. AscensionIsland is the site of a US Air Force auxiliary airfield; GoughIsland has a meteorological station.
Geography Saint Helena
Location:islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, about midway between SouthAmerica and Africa
Geographic coordinates:15 56 S, 5 42 W
Map references:Africa
Area:total: 410 sq kmnote: includes Saint Helena Island, Ascension, and the island groupof Tristan da Cunha, which consists of Tristan da Cunha Island,Gough Island, Inaccessible Island, and the three Nightingale Islandswater: 0 sq kmland: 410 sq km
Area - comparative:slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:0 km
Coastline:60 km
Maritime claims:exclusive fishing zone: 200 NMterritorial sea: 12 NM
Climate:Saint Helena - tropical; marine; mild, tempered by trade winds;Tristan da Cunha - temperate; marine, mild, tempered by trade winds(tends to be cooler than Saint Helena)
Terrain:Saint Helena - rugged, volcanic; small scattered plateaus and plainsnote: the other islands of the group have a volcanic origin
Elevation extremes:lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 mhighest point: Queen Mary's Peak on Tristan da Cunha 2,060 m
Natural resources:fish
Land use:arable land: 12.9%permanent crops: 0%other: 87.1% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land:NA sq km
Natural hazards:active volcanism on Tristan da Cunha
Environment - current issues:NA
Geography - note:harbors at least 40 species of plants unknown anywhere else in theworld; Ascension is a breeding ground for sea turtles and sooty terns
People Saint Helena
Population:7,367 (July 2003 est.)
Age structure:0-14 years: 18.9% (male 704; female 685)15-64 years: 71.6% (male 2,732; female 2,545)65 years and over: 9.5% (male 309; female 392) (2003 est.)
Median age:total: 34.2 yearsmale: 34.4 yearsfemale: 33.9 years (2002)
Population growth rate:0.67% (2003 est.)
Birth rate:12.9 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Death rate:6.24 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Net migration rate:0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Sex ratio:at birth: 1.07 male(s)/femaleunder 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/femaletotal population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Infant mortality rate:total: 20.7 deaths/1,000 live birthsfemale: 16.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)male: 24.66 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:total population: 77.38 yearsmale: 74.49 yearsfemale: 80.42 years (2003 est.)
Total fertility rate:1.54 children born/woman (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:NA
Nationality:noun: Saint Helenian(s)adjective: Saint Helenian
Ethnic groups:African descent 50%, white 25%, Chinese 25%
Religions:Anglican (majority), Baptist, Seventh-Day Adventist, Roman Catholic
Languages:English
Literacy:definition: age 20 and over can read and writetotal population: 97%male: 97%female: 98% (1987 est.)
Government Saint Helena
Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Saint Helena
Dependency status:overseas territory of the UK
Government type:NA
Capital:Jamestown
Administrative divisions:1 administrative area and 2 dependencies*; Ascension*, SaintHelena, Tristan da Cunha*
Independence:none (overseas territory of the UK)
National holiday:Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June (1926)
Constitution:1 January 1989
Legal system:NA
Suffrage:NA years of age
Executive branch:chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor is appointed bythe monarchhead of government: Governor and Commander in Chief Michael CLANCY(since NA October 2003)cabinet: Executive Council consists of the governor, two ex officioofficers, and six elected members of the Legislative Council
Legislative branch:unicameral Legislative Council (16 seats, including the speaker, 3ex officio and 12 elected members; members are elected by popularvote to serve four-year terms)elections: last held 27 June 2001 (next to be held NA June 2005)election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 15
Judicial branch:Supreme Court; Magistrate's Court; Small Debts Court; Juvenile Court
Political parties and leaders:none
Political pressure groups and leaders:none
International organization participation:ICFTU
Diplomatic representation in the US:none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation from the US:none (overseas territory of the UK)
Flag description:blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant andthe Saint Helenian shield centered on the outer half of the flag;the shield features a rocky coastline and three-masted sailing ship
Economy Saint Helena
Economy - overview:The economy depends largely on financial assistance from the UK,which amounted to about $5 million in 1997 or almost one-half ofannual budgetary revenues. The local population earns income fromfishing, the raising of livestock, and sales of handicrafts. Becausethere are few jobs, 25% of the work force has left to seekemployment on Ascension Island, on the Falklands, and in the UK.
GDP:purchasing power parity - $18 million (1998 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:NA%
GDP - per capita:purchasing power parity - $2,500 (1998 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:agriculture: NA%industry: NA%services: NA%
Population below poverty line:NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:lowest 10%: NA%highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):3.2% (1997 est.)
Labor force:3,500note: 1,200 work offshore (1998 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:agriculture and fishing 6%, industry (mainly construction) 48%,services 46% (1987 est.)
Unemployment rate:14% (1998 est.)
Budget:revenues: $11.2 millionexpenditures: $11 million, including capital expenditures of $NA(FY92)
Industries:construction, crafts (furniture, lacework, fancy woodwork), fishing
Industrial production growth rate:NA%
Electricity - production:5 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% other: 0% (2001) nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption:4.65 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports:0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports:0 kWh (2001)
Oil - production:0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:200 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:NA (2001)
Oil - imports:NA (2001)
Agriculture - products:corn, potatoes, vegetables; timber; fish, crawfish (on Tristan daCunha)
Exports:$704,000 f.o.b. (1995)
Exports - commodities:fish (frozen, canned, and salt-dried skipjack, tuna), coffee,handicrafts
Exports - partners:US 23.7%, Japan 20.5%, Netherlands 16%, Tanzania 15.4%, Spain 6.4%,UK 5.1%, Indonesia 4.5% (2002)
Imports:$14.434 million c.i.f. (1995)
Imports - commodities:food, beverages, tobacco, fuel oils, animal feed, buildingmaterials, motor vehicles and parts, machinery and parts
Imports - partners:UK 47.6%, Tanzania 14.6%, Italy 12.1%, South Africa 10.9%, US 5.3%(2002)
Debt - external:$NA
Economic aid - recipient:$12.6 million (1995); note - $5.3 million from UK (1997)
Currency:Saint Helenian pound (SHP)
Currency code:SHP
Exchange rates:Saint Helenian pounds per US dollar - 0.6661 (2002), 0.6944 (2001),0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998),
Fiscal year:1 April - 31 March
Communications Saint Helena
Telephones - main lines in use:2,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular:0 (1997)
Telephone system:general assessment: can communicate worldwidedomestic: automatic networkinternational: HF radiotelephone from Saint Helena to Ascensionm,which is a major coaxial submarine cable relay point between SouthAfrica, Portugal, and UK; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat(Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios:3,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:0note: television programs are received in Saint Helena via satelliteand distributed by cable (2002)
Televisions:2,000 (1997)
Internet country code:.sh
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):1 (2000)
Internet users:NA
Communications - note:Gough Island has a meteorological station
Transportation Saint Helena
Railways:0 km
Highways:total: 198 km (Saint Helena 138 km, Ascension 40 km, Tristan daCunha 20 km)paved: 168 km (Saint Helena 118km, Ascension 40 km, Tristan da Cunha10 km)unpaved: 30 km (Saint Helena 20 km, Ascension 0 km, Tristan da Cunha10 km) (2000)
Waterways:none
Ports and harbors:Georgetown (on Ascension), Jamestown
Merchant marine:none (2002 est.)
Airports:1 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2002)
Military Saint Helena
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the UK
Transnational Issues Saint Helena
Disputes - international: none
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003
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@Saint Kitts and Nevis
Introduction Saint Kitts and Nevis
Background:First settled by the British in 1623, the islands became anassociated state with full internal autonomy in 1967. The island ofAnguilla rebelled and was allowed to secede in 1971. Saint Kitts andNevis achieved independence in 1983. In 1998, a vote in Nevis on areferendum to separate from Saint Kitts fell short of the two-thirdsmajority needed.
Geography Saint Kitts and Nevis
Location:Caribbean, islands in the Caribbean Sea, about one-third of the wayfrom Puerto Rico to Trinidad and Tobago
Geographic coordinates:17 20 N, 62 45 W
Map references:Central America and the Caribbean
Area:total: 261 sq km (Saint Kitts 168 sq km; Nevis 93 sq km)water: 0 sq kmland: 261 sq km
Area - comparative:1.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:0 km
Coastline:135 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin