Rwanda

Rwanda

Rwanda is found in east-central Africa. It is a relatively small country with an area of 26,338 square kilometers (10,169 square miles). The country shares borders with Congo, Uganda, Tanzania, and Burundi. Rwanda is very close to the equator, but its climate is moderate due to high altitudes.

Quick Facts

Population: 12.187 million
Ethnic Groups: Hutu (84%), Tutsi (15%), Twa (Pygmy) (1%)
Languages: Kinyarwanda (Official), Bantu languages, French (Official), English (Official), Kiswahili
Religions: Roman Catholic (49.5%), Protestant (39.4%), Other Christian (4.5%), Muslim (1.8%), Animist (0.1%), Other (0.6%), None (3.6%), Unspecified (0.5%)
Capital: Kigali
CIA: The World Factbook — Last Updated December 27, 2019

Rwandans in Canada

Rwandan Population in Canada

10,775

Useful Links

Rwandan history is characterized by ethnic tension – most notably, the 1994 genocide in which 800,000 people were killed in only 100 days. Rwanda has since banned ethnic identification, making everybody Rwandan – the terms Hutu and Tutsi are no longer used. Rwanda has had political stability since 2000, which has given it some time to restore its infrastructure. Over this time, there has also been a strong emphasis on economic recovery. Indeed, Rwanda is one of Africa’s fastest growing economies today. However, much work still needs to be done for the country to recover from its past. Today, there is full freedom of religion in Rwanda. Most Rwandans identify as Christian, but the Christian Church has been heavily criticized because many church leaders did not do enough to oppose the genocide.

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