Special
Rwanda
FORESTS IN RWANDA SUPPLY MAINLY FIREWOOD
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THE ECONOMY SEEMS FINE, BUT THERE’S STILL WORK TO BE DONE
Rwanda is one of the fastest growing economies in Central Africa, with growth of about 6 to 8% in recent years. Traditionally, the economy has relied on farming production, mainly of tea, coffee, bananas, and potatoes. Almost three quarters of the working population works in the farming sector. Nevertheless, Rwanda is now focusing increasingly on the service sector. The growth has improved the living standards of the average Rwandan citizen. For instance, in 2005, about 57% of Rwandans still lived below the poverty line of $1.25 per day, but by 2010 that figure had fallen to 45%.
Geography Rwanda is a small country in East Africa with a surface area of 26,338km². The country has no coastline. It lies a few degrees south of the equator. The hilly landscape of Rwanda is covered with grassland and small farms. In the north-west there is a volcanic area from where a mountain ridge stretches out in a south-easterly direction. This is the location of Mount Karisimbi, which, at 4507 metres, is the country’s highest mountain. The watershed of the river basin of the Nile and the
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Congo runs along the west at a height of about 2743 metres. On the western flanks of this mountain ridge the country descends sharply towards Lake Kivu and the River Ruzizi valley. This region is part of the great African plain. The eastern slopes are more even with a nicely extensive hilly landscape which descends evenly towards the plains, marshes, and lakes in the eastern border region. This landscape has earned Rwanda the nickname ‘Land of a Thousand Hills’. The most remote watercourse of the Nile (i.e. the real source of the River Nile) arises in Nyungwe Forest. The water flows via the rivers Mwogo, Nyabarongo, and Kagera into Lake Victoria in Tanzania.
Politics The 2003 constitution replaced that of 1991. The constitution provides for a multi-party system and democratic elections. The new constitution limits the executive power of the president by setting up the office of prime minister, has a 30% quota of women for all public bodies, and replaces the one-chamber parliament with a two-chamber parliament. Since the 2013 election, the lower house of this parliament has had the largest share of women in the world (initially 64%; 61% on 1 January 2017).
