26,338 sq km (10,169 sq miles).

5,883,000 (1997).

204.9 per sq km.

Kigali.

234,472 (1991).

Rwanda is a small mountainous country in central Africa, bordered to the north by Uganda, to the east by Tanzania, to the south by Burundi and to the west by the Democratic Republic of Congo. The country is divided by great peaks of up to 3000m (9842ft), which run across the country from north to south. The Birunga volcanoes, rising steeply from Lake Kivu in the west, slope down first to a hilly central plateau and further eastwards to an area of marshy lakes around the upper reaches of the Kagera River, where the Kagera National Park is situated.

Republic since 1962. Gained independence from Belgium in 1962. Head of State: President Pasteur Bizmungu since 1994. Head of Government: Prime Minister Pierre Célestin Rwigyema.

The official languages are Kinyarwanda, French and English. Kiswahili is used for trade and commerce.

Animist (50%), Christian (mostly Roman Catholic) and an Islamic minority.

GMT + 2.

220 volts AC, 50Hz.