- adult prevalence rate:

5.1% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

250,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

22,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and
typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: malaria (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Rwandan(s)
adjective: Rwandan

Ethnic groups:

Hutu (Bantu) 84%, Tutsi (Hamitic) 15%, Twa (Pygmy) 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 in
commercial centers

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 70.4%
male: 76.3%
female: 64.7% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 9 years
male: 8 years
female: 9 years (2005)

Education expenditures:

3.8% of GDP (2005)

People - note:

Rwanda is the most densely populated country in Africa

Government
Rwanda

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Rwanda
conventional short form: Rwanda
local long form: Republika y'u Rwanda
local short form: Rwanda
former: Ruanda, German East Africa

Government type:

republic; presidential, multiparty system

Capital:

name: Kigali
geographic coordinates: 1 57 S, 30 04 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

4 provinces (in French - provinces, singular - province; in
Kinyarwanda - intara for singular and plural) and 1 city* (in French
- ville; in Kinyarwanda - umujyi); Est (Eastern), Kigali*, Nord
(Northern), Ouest (Western), Sud (Southern)

Independence:

1 July 1962 (from Belgium-administered UN trusteeship)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 1 July (1962)

Constitution:

new constitution passed by referendum 26 May 2003

Legal system:

based on German and Belgian civil law systems and customary law;
judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Paul KAGAME (since 22 April 2000)
head of government: Prime Minister Bernard MAKUZA (since 8 March
2000)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed