Wikipedia:Featured article candidates/Rwanda/archive1/Original lead

Rwanda officially the Republic of Rwanda (Repubulika y'u Rwanda; République du Rwanda), is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million (2011). Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda to the north, Tanzania to the east, Burundi to the south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Rwanda is landlocked but has many lakes. Mountains dominate the centre and west, while the east consists of savanna, plains, and swamps. The climate is temperate due to the high elevation; there are two rainy seasons and two dry seasons every year. The population is young and predominantly rural, with a density amongst the highest in Africa. Rwandans form three groups: the Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa. These groups share a common culture and language and are classified as social groups rather than tribes. Christianity is the largest religion in the country, and the principal language is Kinyarwanda, spoken by most Rwandans.

Hunter gatherers, ancestors of the Twas, settled the territory in the stone and iron ages, followed later by Bantu settlers, who cleared forest land for agriculture. The Bantus at some point divided into Hutu and Tutsi; historians are not certain if the split occurred before the migration to Rwanda or after. The population coalesced, first into clans and then into kingdoms. The Tutsi Kingdom of Rwanda dominated from the mid-eighteenth century, with the Tutsi Kings conquering others militarily, centralising power, and later enacting anti-Hutu policies. Germany colonised Rwanda in 1884, followed by Belgium, which invaded in 1916 during World War I. Both European nations ruled through the Kings and perpetuated pro-Tutsi policy. The Hutu population revolted in 1959, establishing an independent Hutu state in 1962. The Tutsi-led Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) launched a civil war in 1990, which was followed by the 1994 Genocide, in which Hutu extremists killed an estimated 500,000 to 1 million Tutsi and moderate Hutu. The RPF ended the genocide with a military victory.

Rwanda's economy suffered heavily during the 1994 Genocide, but has since strengthened. The country has few natural resources, and the economy is based mostly on subsistence agriculture. Coffee and tea are the major cash crops for export. Tourism is a fast-growing sector and is now the country's leading foreign exchange earner, the most popular activity being the tracking of mountain gorillas. Music and dance are an integral part of Rwandan culture. Drums were of great importance in the King's court, and the most famous traditional dance is the highly-choreographed Intore. Traditional arts and crafts are produced throughout the country, including imigongo, a unique cow dung art.

Rwanda follows a presidential system of government. The President has broad powers, while the Parliament makes legislation and has limited oversight. The incumbent President is Paul Kagame of the RPF party. Kagame and the RPF receive electoral support from across the community, although human rights organisations allege suppression of the opposition. The country has low corruption levels relative to other Sub-Saharan African countries, and has experienced high economic and human development growth under the RPF government. The government provides free education in state-run schools for nine years; however, many poorer children still fail to attend school. The quality of health care is generally low, but the government is attempting to prioritize this, having increased the health budget from 3.2% in 1996 to 9.7% in 2008.