The Republic of Rwanda

Table of Contents

Brief History of Country………………………………………………………. Page 1

Demographics……………………………………………………………………

Population…………………………………………………………………………

Land Size………………………………………………………………………….

Main Industries and GDP…………………………………………………………

Educational System……………………………………………………………….

Religion……………………………………………………………………………

Socioeconomics…………………………………………………………………...

Political System………………………………………………………………………

Criminal Justice System………………………………………………………………Page 6

Recent Issues of Crime……………………………………………………………….Page 7

Terrorism and Other Hazardous Issues…………………………………......................Page 8

Areas of Comparisons………………………………………………….........................Page 9

Possible Practices of United States…………………………………………………Page 10

Student Analysis…………………………………………………………………........Page 11

What I Hope the Reader Will Learn…………………………………………………..Page 12

Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………...Page 12

Plans for the Future………………………………………………………………….Page 13

Brief History of Country

The country that I have chosen to write this report on is Rwanda. As you read, you will learn about the history of Rwanda, the political parties of the country, the criminal justice system, issues of crime, the areas of comparison with the U.S. and possible things the U.S. can practice within their own system. Lastly, what you will be able to take from this paper is what I learned from all of this.  A brief history of Rwanda would include the time before Europeans arrived. There were Tutsi who were considered the elite and they were cattle herders but the majority of the people were peasant farmers and they were known as the Hutu. After the Europeans came and colonized Africa, Rwanda was ruled by Germany, then ruled by Belgium. Rwanda gained its independence from Belgium on July 1, 1962. Rwanda’s first elected president, Gregoire Kayibanda stays in power for eleven years until he is removed by a group of army officers who replace him with a major general named Juvenal Habyarimana. Habyarimana remains in power for 21 years running a conventional self-serving military.

Demographics

Population

The current population of Rwanda is 11,991,463. Males are currently 49.1% of the population and women are 50.9%. For the year of 2016, the Rwanda population is projected to increase by 282,385 people and be at a total population of 12,033,749 by the beginning of 2017. According to the U.S. State department and the Nations Encyclopedia, Rwanda’s population is growing at a rate of 3 percent annually.

Land Size

The Republic of Rwanda is a land-locked country located in central Africa and it is bordered on the east by the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Rwanda is a relatively small country with an area of 26,338. If you were to compare the size of Rwanda to someplace else, it would be about the same size as the state of Maryland. Rwanda is populated by only 3 ethnic groups; 84% is Hutu, 15% is Tutsi, and only 1% is Twa. Rwanda is one of the most densely populated countries in Africa, with 317 people per square kilometer or 820 people per square mile.

Main Industries and GDP

Our-africa.org reports that Rwanda’s economy is still largely based on agriculture, with more than four-fifths of the population involved in small-scale farming. Coffee and tea are among the main industries bringing in over 180 million dollars each year. The country is very dependent upon the profit from coffee and tea that people from across the world bring in. Coffee and tea profits do so much for the economy of Rwanda that if they were to lose money it might harm them. Many people are also self-employed or working in small cottage industries outside of farming. (OurAfrica.org) Although it may seem that Rwanda’s economy is doing great on its on, investment is needed from foreign sources because Rwanda spends more on buying what it needs than from selling its own goods. The Rwandan government plans to transform the country into a middle-income nation under its Vision 2020 act. They want to implement this by focusing on gender equality, anti-corruption measures, technological progress, private-led industry and regional economic integration. The gross domestic product for Rwanda in 2015 was worth 8.10 billion dollars and this represents 0.01% of the world economy.

Educational System

When it comes to the educational system, Rwanda has one of the highest repetition rates in Africa. They have 5 different levels of education which include, primary education, middle education, secondary, vocational, and tertiary education. the period for primary school is normally 6 years and for students who are fortunate enough to make it to middle education spend 3 years at junior secondary school. Once done there, students must take and pass an exam that focuses on 9 different subjects if they want to move on to the next level. Many of the students who pass this exam are not admitted into the schools because there is a shortage of facilities, but, on a brighter side there are about 50,000 students enrolled in Rwanda’s tertiary schools. While at these institutions, the students study for certificates, diplomas, and degrees as admission into these schools are very competitive.

Religion

The most recent statistics on Rwandan religion were updated in 2006 by nationmaster and it states that 56.5% of Rwandans are Roman Catholic, 26% are Protestant, 11.1% are Adventist, and 4.65% are Muslim. Many Rwandans practice their traditional religion and Christianity at the same time; traditional religion is simply a supreme being or spirit which is called “Imana”. (African Studies Center)

Socioeconomics

For the most part, Rwanda is a poor rural country. About 90% of the population is involved in agriculture and some mineral processing. Rwanda relies heavily on the profits that they make from their foreign exchange earner, coffee and tea, which has been their primary earner since 2008. After genocide, Rwanda’s already fragile economic system was plunging and left many of its people impoverished specifically women. In efforts to get their people out of poverty, the country has accepted aid money and debt relief for 2005-06. Rwanda’s government has also accepted an expanding fiscal policy to reduce poverty rates by improving education, infrastructure, and foreign and domestic investments. The Vision 2020 is a long-term strategy for the development of Rwandan economy. The main goal of the plan is to make Rwanda a middle income country by 2020 based on a thriving private sector. (Minecofin)