Part 624

Flag ----

Description: three equal vertical bands of red (hoist side), yellow, and green with a large black letter R centered in the yellow band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia; similar to the flag of Guinea, which has a plain yellow band

Geography ---------

Location: Central Africa, east of Zaire

Geographic coordinates: 2 00 S, 30 00 E

Map references: Africa

Area: total area: 26,340 sq km land area: 24,950 sq km comparative area: slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries: total: 893 km border countries: Burundi 290 km, Tanzania 217 km, Uganda 169 km, Zaire 217 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

International disputes: none

Climate: temperate; two rainy seasons (February to April, November to January); mild in mountains with frost and snow possible

Terrain: mostly grassy uplands and hills; relief is mountainous with altitude declining from west to east lowest point: Rusizi River 950 m highest point: Volcan Karisimbi 4,519 m

Natural resources: gold, cassiterite (tin ore), wolframite (tungsten ore), natural gas, hydropower

Land use: arable land: 29% permanent crops: 11% meadows and pastures: 18% forest and woodland: 10% other: 32%

Irrigated land: 40 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment: current issues: deforestation results from uncontrolled cutting of trees for fuel; overgrazing; soil exhaustion; soil erosion natural hazards: periodic droughts; the volcanic Virunga mountains are in the northwest along the border with Zaire international agreements: party to - Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the Sea

Geographic note: landlocked; predominantly rural population

People ------

Population: 6,853,359 (July 1996 est.) note: genocide and civil war in 1994 killed more than 1 million Rwandans and forced more than 2 million to flee to neighboring countries

Age structure: 0-14 years: 46% (male 1,582,928; female 1,573,536) 15-64 years: 51% (male 1,734,716; female 1,772,722) 65 years and over: 3% (male 78,854; female 110,603) (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate: 16.49% (1996 est.)

Birth rate: 38.83 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate: 20.33 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Net migration rate: 146.43 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.) note: since April 1994, more than two million refugees have fled the civil strife between the Hutu and Tutsi factions in Rwanda and crossed into Zaire, Burundi, and Tanzania; close to 800,000 Rwandan Tutsis who fled civil strife in earlier years have returned to Rwanda, and 90,000 of the Hutu refugees are going home despite the perceived danger of doing so; the ethnic violence continues and in 1996 could produce further refugee flows as well as discourage returns

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female all ages: 0.98 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 118.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 40.12 years male: 39.72 years female: 40.53 years (1996 est.)