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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- Central Intelligence Agency. (2019, December 18). The World Factbook: Rwanda. Retrieved December 27, 2019, from https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/rwanda/
- Encyclopedia of the Nations. (n.d.). Rwanda. Retrieved July 9, 2014 from http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/geography/Morocco-to-Slovakia/Rwanda.html
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- Prayercast. (n.d.). Rwanda. Retrieved July 9, 2014, from https://www.prayercast.com/rwanda.html
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- Statistics Canada. (2011, April 7). 2006 Census of Canada: Topic-based tabulations/Ethnic Origin, Single and Multiple Ethnic Origin Responses and Sex for the Population of Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 2006 Census – 20% Sample Data. Retrieved July 15, 2014, from http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement