RW is the abbreviation for Rwanda, the 144th largest country in the world. Officially the Republic of Rwanda, Rwanda is a country located in East Africa, bordering 4 countries – Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, and Uganda. Kigali is the capital city of Rwanda. Major cities include Kigali (population: 745,250), Butare (population: 89,589), Gitarama (population: 87,602), Ruhengeri (population: 86,674), Gisenyi (population: 83,612), Byumba (population: 70,582), Cyangugu (population: 63,872), Kibuye (population: 48,013), Rwamagana (population: 47,192), and Kibungo (population: 46,229).
Country Profile
- Capital: Kigali
- Language: English, French, Kinyarwanda, Swahili
- Area: 26,338 km2
- Population: 11,262,553
- Currency: Rwandan franc (RWF)
- Time zone: UTC+2
- Calling code: 250
- ISO 2-Letter Abbreviation: RW
- UN 3-Letter Abbreviation: RWA
- Internet TLD: .rw
- State Government Website: gov.rw
List of Rwanda Acronyms
The most commonly used abbreviations about Rwanda are RW which stands for Rwanda and RWF which means Rwandan franc (Rwanda currency). In the following table, you can see all acronyms related to Rwanda, including abbreviations for airport, city, school, port, government, and etc.
Geography
Rwanda is a coastal highland. The lowest point is 950 meters above sea level, while the highest peaks are the Virunga volcanic mountains in the northeast at over 4000 meters above sea level. The volcanic soil contributes to fertile land. The climate is tropical, but heavily moderated with altitude. Rwanda has two rainy seasons, and an average annual rainfall of 800 millimeters.
There is a rich wildlife in Rwanda. One third of the world’s mountain gorillas live in the Virunga mountains. Political turmoil and population explosion are a constant threat to wildlife, especially the rare mountain gorilla. Akagera National Park is also at risk. Examples of environmental problems in Rwanda are deforestation due to uncontrolled cutting of trees for fuel, overgrazing, soil erosion, as well as widespread poaching.
History
The first to live in Rwanda were the indigenous peoples, a pygmy people displaced by immigrant Bantu tribes (later Hutus) from the year 1000. They established themselves with resident agriculture. In the 1400s a cattle people settled in the area. They were the ancestors of the Tutsis, and developed a kingdom with feudal rule. The Hutu were charged taxes by the Tutsi king, and later also by the colonial authorities.
In 1916, Rwanda and Burundi were placed under Belgian Congo. The Belgian government intensified the contradictions between the ethnic groups. The Tutsin minority was favored, which led to great dissatisfaction among Hutus. The turmoil between the two peoples started with brutal actions against Tutsis as early as 1959. These acts of violence accelerated Belgium’s withdrawal from Rwanda, and the country became an independent republic in 1962. At that time, the Hutu won most seats in the national assembly. The 60s and 70s were characterized by unrest between the people groups and violence against Tutsis. Many Tutsis were displaced.
In the 1980s, Tutsis in exile founded Rwanda’s Patriotic Front (FPR) and invaded Rwanda. The civil war that arose led to reforms and a multi-party cyst, but the turmoil quickly ignited again. In 1994, an agreement was made for FPR to be incorporated into the government and the army. Shortly after the deal was signed, the president (hutu) was killed when his plane was shot down. This triggered the Rwanda genocide. In three months, at least 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed and three million fled.
Society and politics
Rwanda is formally a republic with a multi-party system. The President is elected for a term of seven years and may be re-elected once. The House has a two-chamber system, with a lower house (80 seats) and an upper house (26 seats). In the lower house, 30 percent of the seats are reserved for women elected by an election committee. The remaining seats are chosen directly by the people. This scheme has led Rwanda to be among the countries in the world with the most women in parliament.
After the genocide, the country has been ruled by various coalition governments with Tutsis and Hutus. Since 2000, however, the Tutsi Party has gained more and more power. The opposition has in recent years been threatened and harassed by the country’s authorities, and is now no real challenger to the government.
Politically, Rwanda is still characterized by the genocide of the 1990s. The country passed a new constitution in 2003, which prohibits political parties from identifying themselves with a particular people group, religion or clan. Nevertheless, there are still differences between the groups. Among other things, there is considerable disagreement over whether it was the Tutsi or Hutu groups that shot down the plane to the president, and thus triggered the genocide.
Economics and Commerce
Rwanda is a poor agricultural country and the genocide set the country back financially. Since then, good work has been done to get the country on its feet, and low corruption and a well-managed economy make Rwanda a popular aid country. The World Bank and the IMF have abandoned large parts of the country’s foreign loans. The authorities prioritize programs to overcome poverty. Yet more than a third of the population is malnourished.
About 90 percent of the population work in agriculture, and the vast majority have only small patches for self-storage. Rwanda is a coastal country, making trade and export more difficult. Political unrest in neighboring countries, as well as poorly developed infrastructure throughout the region, are also important factors that hamper economic growth. The financial crisis hit Rwanda severely, but the economy is on the way. Rwanda has some growth in the tourism industry, and it is in particular the rare mountain gorillas that attract tourists to the country.
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