The African Country of Rwanda

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The African Country ofRwanda
http//online.culturegrams.com/world/world_country
.php?contid1wmnAfricacid133cnRwanda
By Lisa L. Robin CWI 1, Period 4 Dec. 16, 2008
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Location

• Rwanda is a small
• country in East Africa,
• near the center of the
• Region.

http//www.infoplease.com/atlas/africa.html
http//www.fhi.net/images/voc/rwanda-map.gif
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Relative Location

• Separated from the Democratic Republic of the
  Congo by Lake Kivu and the Ruzizi River valley to
  the west
• Bounded on the north by Uganda, to the east by
  Tanzania, and to the south by Burundi

http//www.infoplease.com/atlas/africa.html
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Exact Location of the Capitol of Rwanda

• The exact location of Kigali, the capitol of
  Rwanda is
• Latitude 1 59 South 
• Longitude 30 05 East 

http//www.itu.int/ITU-D/e-strategy/e-applications
/E-government/Rwanda/kigali.jpg
5
Did You Know?

• More than two-thirds of all Rwandans belong to
  Christian churches.
• Rwandan children often fashion soccer balls out
  of plastic bags bundled together with twine.

• http//www.interaction.org/images/campaign//Soccer
  -Orphans.gif

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Background

• Ethnic Twa (Batwa) were likely the original
  inhabitants.
• Hutu farmers became firmly established by the
  10th century and Tutsi pastoralists arrived after
  the 14th century.

• http//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/ImageBatwa_Ugan
  da.jpg

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Background (Continued)

• Germany colonized Rwanda in 1899.
• Belgium took control during WWI (1916).
• The Belgians restructured the political and
  economic systems in a way that increased
  socio-economic divisions between tribes/peoples.
• Hutu leaders protested against the Tutsi monarchy
  

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Place The Land

• http//www.reliefweb.int/mapc/afr_east/index.html

• Called the land of a thousand hills
• dominated by mountain ranges and highland
  plateaus.
• covers 10,170 square miles of central Africa in
  the Great Lakes Region.

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Place Climate

• Rwanda's high altitude allows for a more moderate
  climate.
• The average annual temperature of 66F (19C)
  varies little between rainy and dry seasons.
• The northwest highlands tends to have a cooler
  climate, while the east is warmer.

http//www.odyssei.com/images/maps/big/rwanda.jpg
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Climate Chart of Kigali
http//www.africaguide.com/country/rwanda/info.htm
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Place The People

• Rwanda's 8.4 million inhabitants live in an area
  smaller than the U.S. state of Maryland.
• French, Kinyarwanda, and English are Rwanda's
  official languages.
• Christianity was introduced in the early 20th
  century by European missionaries.

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Place The People (Continued)

• Rwandans are often perceived as reserved and
  stoic.
• They are mindful of their public appearance and
  behavior.
• Rwandans value respect for others, especially
  elders and those in authority.

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Place Customs and Courtesies

• Greetings are extremely important.
• Younger persons must greet older persons first,
  and women greet men first.
• At the end of a social visit, a host accompanies
  the guests to the fence or road.

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Place Greetings

• Common verbal greetings include
• Muraho (Hello, it's been a while)
• Mwaramutse (Good morning)
• Mwiriwe (Good afternoon/evening)
• The initial greeting is usually followed by
  Amakuru? (How's the news?) or, among close
  friends, Bite se? (How are things going?).
• The typical response is Ni meza (Fine) or Ni meza
  cyane (Very fine).

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Place Education

• In theory, all Rwandan children, beginning at age
  seven, have access to six mandatory years of
  primary schooling.
• To enter secondary school, students must pass a
  national exam.

http//www.ptpi.org/graphics/Rwanda-School.gif
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Education Rwanda vs. U.S.
http//online.culturegrams.com/world/create_compar
e_graph.php
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Place Government

• Presidential lead Republic
• Palu Kagame is the current president (First
  Tutsi)
• According to the 2003 constitution, the president
  and the prime minister must belong to different
  political parties.
• The constitution also requires that women fill 24
  seats in the National Assembly

• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Kagame

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Place Economy

• Tea growers in Kitabi

• Agriculture dominates Rwanda's economy.
• The Goal for 2020 is to emerge from
  under-development and poverty status by achieving
  economic growth.
• Prime coffee growing regions

100 high-quality Arabica coffee
http//www.rwandagateway.org/article.php3?id_artic
le75lang
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EconomyRwanda vs. U.S.
http//online.culturegrams.com/world/create_compar
e_graph.php
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Human-Environmental Interactions

• Agricultural expansion is limited by the lack of
  fertile soil.
• Farmers have to use the limited space carefully
  and effectively.
• Overgrazing of livestock is harming the soil.

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Human-Environmental Interactions Current Issues

• Deforestation results from uncontrolled cutting
  of trees for fuel.
• Overgrazing soil exhaustion soil erosion
• Widespread poaching of wild animals

http//www.pulitzercenter.org/openitem.cfm?id280
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Movement

• Many Rwandans moved to the Highlands for refuge
  during the colonial-era slave trade.

http//www.bc.edu/schools/cas/aads/DiasporaMap.htm
l
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Movement Transportation

• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transport_in_Rwanda

• The average Rwandan walks or rides a bicycle for
  local transportation.
• Buses and minivans travel paved roads between
  major cities.

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Movement Communication

• To keep in touch, many Rwandans write letters and
  listen to the radio.
• Numerous weekly and bimonthly newspapers are
  available.
• One television station broadcasts in Kigali.
• Some urban residents and most government offices
  have phones.

http//www.proudly-rwandan.com/images/mtnmap.jpg
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Regions

• Rwanda is divided into five
• Political provinces and
• Subdivided into thirty
• districts.
• The provinces are
• North Province
• East Province
• South Province
• West Province
• Kigali Province
• Provinces_of_Rwanda

http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ImageRwanda_Province
s
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Altitudinal Regions in RwandaLand suitability
classification
http//www.minagri.gov.rw/map.php3?id_document53
id_article60
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Current Event / Issue

• There has been much conflict between the
• Tutsi and Hutu peoples in Rwanda for decades.
• A peace accord was agreed upon in 1993 but
• peace was shattered in April 1994.
• This attack marked the beginning of a 100-day,
  well-organized genocidal rampage in which
  hundreds of thousands of Tutsi and moderate Hutu
  were murdered.
• http//news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3594187.stm

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Rwandan Refugee Camps in Great Lakes Region
http//www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/SKAR-
64GBF2?OpenDocument
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Current Event / Issue (Continued)

• In October 2005, the International Criminal
  Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) began hearing the
  defense of Theoneste Bagosora.
• He and three codefendants are charged with
  genocide, war crimes, and crimes against
  humanity.

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Current Event / Issue (Continued)

• The legacy of genocide has left an indelible mark
  upon the people.
• But many Rwandans are optimistic that with a new
  a stable government in power, their path toward
  normalcy and reconciliation will continue.

http//newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images
www.worldvision.com.au
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Rwanda A Summary

• A small country in East Africa
• Twa (Batwa) were likely the original inhabitants
• Colonized by Germany in 1899.
• Belgium took control during WWI (1916).
• The Belgians rule caused divisions between the
  two main tribes/peoples (Hutu and Tutsi).
• Much conflict between the Tutsi and Hutu peoples
  decades.
• A genocide began in April of 1994 100 days of
  murder
• hundreds of thousands of Tutsi and moderate Hutu
  were murdered by radical Hutu.
• The land of a thousand hills.
• Moderate climate
• Most are Catholic
• Agricultural economy
• Rwandans are optimistic that with a new a stable
  government in power the country will continue to
  heal and become stronger

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Quick QuizTrue or False

• 1. Kigali is the capital city of Rwanda.
• True
• 2. Tutsi were the original inhabitants of
  present-day Rwanda.
• False
• 3. Rwanda is dominated by mountain ranges and
  highland plateaus.
• True
• 4. In Rwanda, younger persons must greet older
  persons first, and women greet men first.
• True
• 5. In rural areas, the mail is delivered to
  people by a mail truck.
• False

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Works Consulted

• CountryWatch Rwanda. 2005 CountryWatch In.16 Dec.
  2008 
• http//search.countrywatch.com/cw_searchresults.a
  spx?searchTermrwanda
• Rwanda. About.com. 2006. 31 May 2006 
  http//geography. about.com/library/maps/blrwanda.
  htm
• "Rwanda." CultureGrams. 2008. ProQuest LLC and
  Brigham Young University. Kentridge High
  School, Kent, Wa. 31 May 2006  http//online.cultu
  regrams.com/world/world_country.php?contid1wmnA
  fricacid133cnRwanda
• Rwanda. Portals to the World. 2006. 31 May 2006
• http//www.loc.gov/rr/international/portals.html
   
• World Factbook Rwanda. 4 Dec 2008 Central
  Intelligence Agency. 16 Dec. 2008 https//www.cia.
  gov/library/publications/the-world
  factbook/geos/rw.html
•