Burundi is located in Central Africa, east of Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Burundi has borders with Congo (Kinshasa) for 233km, Rwanda for 290km and Tanzania for 451km.
Land in Burundi is hilly and mountainous, dropping to a plateau in east, some plains.
Burundian land covers an area of 27830 square kilometers which is slightly smaller than Maryland
As for the Burundian climate; equatorial; high plateau with considerable altitude variation (772 m to 2,670 m above sea level); average annual temperature varies with altitude from 23 to 17 degrees centigrade but is generally moderate as the average altitude is about 1,700 m; average annual rainfall is about 150 cm; two wet seasons (February to May and September to November), and two dry seasons (June to August and December to January).
Burundian(s) speak Kirundi (official), French (official), Swahili (along Lake Tanganyika and in the Bujumbura area).
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Bujumbura Bujumbura Muyinga Ruyigi Gitega Ngozi Rutana Bururi Makamba Kayanza | Muramvya Cibitoke Bubanza Karuzi Cankuzo Kirundo Rumonge Mwaro |
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Bubanza Bujumbura Burundi (general) Bururi (BY05) Cankuzo Cibitoke Gitega Karuzi Kayanza | Kirundo Makamba Muramvya Muyinga Mwaro Ngozi Rutana Ruyigi |
Burundi's first democratically elected president was assassinated in October 1993 after only 100 days in office, triggering widespread ethnic violence between Hutu and Tutsi factions. Over 200,000 Burundians perished during the conflict that spanned almost a dozen years. Hundreds of thousands of Burundians were internally displaced or became refugees in neighboring countries. An internationally brokered power-sharing agreement between the Tutsi-dominated government and the Hutu rebels in 2003 paved the way for a transition process that led to an integrated defense force, established a new constitution in 2005, and elected a majority Hutu government in 2005. The new government, led by President Pierre NKURUNZIZA, faces many challenges, particularly from the country's last rebel group who remains outside of the peace process and continue attacks in the western provinces of Burundi.
Burundi is a landlocked, resource-poor country with an underdeveloped manufacturing sector. The economy is predominantly agricultural with more than 90% of the population dependent on subsistence agriculture. Economic growth depends on coffee and tea exports, which account for 90% of foreign exchange earnings. The ability to pay for imports, therefore, rests primarily on weather conditions and international coffee and tea prices. The Tutsi minority, 14% of the population, dominates the government and the coffee trade at the expense of the Hutu majority, 85% of the population. An ethnic-based war that lasted for over a decade resulted in more than 200,000 deaths, forced more than 48,000 refugees into Tanzania, and displaced 140,000 others internally. Only one in two children go to school, and approximately one in 10 adults has HIV/AIDS. Food, medicine, and electricity remain in short supply. Political stability and the end of the civil war have improved aid flows and economic activity has increased, but underlying weaknesses - a high poverty rate, poor education rates, a weak legal system, and low administrative capacity - risk undermining planned economic reforms.
Burundian natural resources include nickel, uranium, rare earth oxides, peat, cobalt, copper, platinum, vanadium, arable land, hydropower, niobium, tantalum, gold, tin, tungsten, kaolin, limestone
landlocked; straddles crest of the Nile-Congo watershed; the Kagera, which drains into Lake Victoria, is the most remote headstream of the White Nile
Burundian religion is Christian 67% (Roman Catholic 62%, Protestant 5%), indigenous beliefs 23%, Muslim 10%.
Natural hazards in Burundi include flooding, landslides, drought.