1Up Travel > Rwanda > Travel & Tourism | Tourist Guide to Rwanda

In 1959, three years before independence, the majority ethnic group, the Hutus overthrew the ruling Tutsi king. Over the next several years thousands of Tutsis were killed, and some 150,000 driven into exile in neighboring countries. The children of these exiles later formed a rebel group, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) and began a civil war in 1990. The war, along with several political and economic upheavals, exacerbated ethnic tensions culminating in April 1994 in the genocide of roughly 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus. The Tutsi rebels defeated the Hutu regime and ended the killing in July 1994, but approximately 2 million Hutu refugees - many fearing Tutsi retribution - fled to neighboring Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zaire, now called the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DROC). Since then most of the refugees have returned to Rwanda. Despite substantial international assistance and political reforms - including Rwanda's first local elections in March 1999 - the country continues to struggle to boost investment and agricultural output and to foster reconciliation. A series of massive population displacements, a nagging Hutu extremist insurgency, and Rwandan involvement in two wars over the past four years in the neighboring DROC continue to hinder Rwanda's efforts.

1UpTravel's Guide to Rwanda

Geography of Rwanda - Highlights the location, map references, area, land boundaries, climate, natural resources, land use, natural hazards, environment, and geography of Rwanda

People of Rwanda - Learn about the population, age structure, birth and death rate, sex ratio, nationality, ethnic groups, religions, languages, and literacy in Rwanda

Government and Politics in Rwanda - Profiles the country name, government type, administrative divisions, independence, national holiday, constitution, legal system, suffrage, executive, legislative, and judicial branches, political parties and leaders, and a flag description of Rwanda.

Economy of Rwanda - Study the GDP, growth rate, per capita, inflation, labor, budget, industries, exports, imports, currency, exchange rates, and economy of Rwanda

Communications in Rwanda - Browse statistics on telephones, mobile and cellular lines in use, radio broadcast stations, televisions, internet country code, ISP's, internet users, and facts on communications in Rwanda

Transportation in Rwanda - Offers statistical details on the railways, highways, waterways, ports & harbors, airports, and other facts on transportation in Rwanda

Military of Rwanda - Provides statistics on military branches, army, air force, navy, manpower, military service, expenditure, and facts on military in Rwanda

Transnational Issues of Rwanda - Explore international disputes and transnational issues of Rwanda

Maps of Rwanda - Discover a detailed map of Rwanda

Map Database of Rwanda - Browse a large collection of city, country, historical, political, thematic, and shaded relief maps of Rwanda

Flags of Rwanda - Uncover the flag images and description of the flag of Rwanda. Includes historical flags, symbols, and related information

Weather for cities of Rwanda - Browse weather forecast, hourly conditions, temperature, sunrise, sunset, and other weather related reports for the cities of Rwanda

1Up Info - Rwanda Political Geography - Encyclopedia resource provides information on the country along with its cities.