compared to an estimated 65,000 in the year 1700. During the early 1980s, the 25 neighbourhoods around the canal were home to one fifth of Brussels population. The surrounding area holds a sense of youth, as it contributes to Brussels having the youngest population of any city in Belgium. The effects of this mass migration to the lower valley in Brussels can be seen in the diversity of cultures. As the trade economy along the waterways continued to grow, immigrants from all over Europe came to benefit off of the booming industries. It has been estimated that the population of immigrants grew from 7% of the total population in the early 1960s to 56% of the total population in the early 2000s. Throughout Brussels history, life centered around the canal has been high energy and progressive. Political issues involving powerful European nations throughout history surely had an effect on the city as a whole, but through thick and thin the canal zone remained the heart and soul of the city dominated by no single culture. Recent history On 17 December 2005, the body of former Rwandan cabinet minister Juvénal Uwilingiyimana was found in the canal. He had gone missing on 21 November 2005, and when his body was found, it was naked and badly decomposed. Uwilingiyimana had been indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda for his participation in the 1994 Rwandan genocide. He had been meeting with ICTR officials, and many thought he was to testify against high-ranking officials from the former Hutu regime. Ronquières inclined plane The Ronquières Inclined Plane has a length of and lifts boats through vertically. It consists of two large caissons mounted on rails. Each caisson measures long by wide and has a water depth between . It can carry one boat of 1,350 tonnes or many smaller boats within the same limits. The weight of each caisson is held by a counterweight of which runs beneath the rails. Eight cables per caisson running around winches at the top allow each caisson to be moved independently of the other. They can be moved between the two canal levels at a speed of , boats taking 50 minutes in total to pass through the entire structure. The inclined plane, while still in use, is now being promoted as a tourist site. Traffic 1987 - Tonnage: 1 094 000 T - 3084 Barges 1990 -