Rwanda holds elections on Monday but the outcome is in little doubt, with President Paul Kagame expected to extend his iron-fisted rule over a country that has has seen dramatic economic growth after the 1994 genocide but also spiralling political repression.
Here are some facts about the Great Lakes nation.
- 'Land of a thousand hills' -
The so-called "land of a thousand hills" is among the region's most densely populated, with a population of a little over 13 million, according to the 2022 census.
Almost three-quarters of its people -- consisting of the Hutu majority, and the Tutsi and Twa ethnic groups -- live in the countryside.
About 65 percent of landlocked Rwanda's people are under the age of 30.
The former kingdom was colonised by Germany in 1898, then administered by Belgium in 1922, before achieving independence in 1962.
Rwanda's first president, Gregoire Kayibanda, was overthrown in 1973 by General Juvenal Habyarimana.
- The 1994 genocide -
On April 6, 1994, Habyarimana's plane was shot down, killing him as he was returning to Kigali from peace talks with Tutsi rebels who had been waging an insurgency since 1990.
It unleashed a genocide orchestrated by the ruling Hutu extremists. An estimated 800,000 people, mainly Tutsis but also moderate Hutus, were slaughtered before Kagame's rebel Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) took power.
The United Nations established the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, which would go on to convict 62 individuals. While all those sought by the international justice system have either died or faced trial, Rwandan authorities continue to pursue thousands of suspects.
Trials have taken place in France, Belgium, and in Rwandan "gacaca" people's courts.
- No political dissent -
The government is often accused by its critics of rampant human rights violations and crushing political dissent.
Kagame has been de facto leader since 1994 and was elected president by parliament in 2000.
He ran for the presidency in 2003 and 2010, winning over 93 percent of the vote.
Controversial constitution amendments allowed him to rule for another seven years, and then run for two five-year terms -- opening up the possibility of him remaining in power until 2034.
His RPF party and its allies have an overwhelming parliamentary majority: just two seats are held by the only authorised opposition, the Democratic Green Party.
Reporters Without Borders ranks Rwanda 144 out of 180 on its press freedom index.
- 'Africa's Singapore' -
Since the genocide, Rwanda has undergone an economic transformation, billing itself as "Africa's Singapore" in a push to attract foreign investors.
Kagame's party dominates the economic landscape, in the form of the sprawling RPF-owned Crystal Ventures investment fund, which has a presence in nearly every sector.
Between 2000 and 2022, Rwanda's overall GDP increased more than six-fold, according to the World Bank, with Kigali reporting annual average growth of around eight percent, and GDP per capita almost quadrupling.
Over the same period, life expectancy rose from 47 years to 67 years, while infant mortality fell by more than 75 percent.
However, some of the country's statistics have been questioned.
A decrease in poverty was queried by Britain's Financial Times in 2019, although Rwanda disputed the findings, as did the World Bank.
The country ranks 161 out of 191 nations on the UN Human Development Index.
- 'Umuganda': community service -
Every last Saturday of the month, Rwandans and residents between 18 and 65 are required to take part in umuganda: voluntary community work.
An age-old informal practice, umuganda -- or "pillar of the house", in the Kinyarwanda language -- was made compulsory in 2007, and can take the form of cleaning, building, or helping an elderly person.
An unjustified absence can be punishable by a fine of up to 5,000 Rwandan francs ($3.80).