World Countries Info Burundi's first democratically elected president was assassinated in October
1993 after only four months in office. Since then, some 200,000 Burundians
have perished in widespread, often intense ethnic violence between Hutu and
Tutsi factions. Hundreds of thousands have been internally displaced or have
become refugees in neighboring countries. Burundi troops, seeking to secure
their borders, intervened in the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the
Congo in 1998. More recently, many of these troops have been redeployed back
to Burundi to deal with periodic upsurges in rebel activity. A new
transitional government, inaugurated on 1 November 2001, was to be the first
step toward holding national elections in three years. While the Government of
Burundi signed a cease-fire agreement in December 2002 with three of Burundi's
four Hutu rebel groups, implementation of the agreement has been problematic
and one rebel group refuses to sign on, clouding prospects for a sustainable
peace.
Geography of Burundi
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Location:
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Central Africa, east of
Democratic Republic of the Congo |
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Geographic coordinates:
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3 30 S, 30 00 E |
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Area:
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total: 27,830 sq km
water: 2,180 sq km
land: 25,650 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
|
slightly smaller than
Maryland |
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Land boundaries:
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total: 974 km
border countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo 233 km, Rwanda
290 km, Tanzania 451 km |
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Coastline:
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0 km (landlocked) |
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Maritime claims:
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none (landlocked) |
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Climate:
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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; wet seasons from
February to May and September to November, and dry seasons from June to
August and December to January |
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Terrain:
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hilly and mountainous,
dropping to a plateau in east, some plains |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Lake
Tanganyika 772 m
highest point: Mount Heha 2,670 m |
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Natural resources:
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nickel, uranium, rare earth
oxides, peat, cobalt, copper, platinum (not yet exploited), vanadium,
arable land, hydropower |
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Land use:
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arable land: 29.98%
permanent crops: 12.85%
other: 57.17% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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740 sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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flooding, landslides,
drought |
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Environment - current issues:
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soil erosion as a result of
overgrazing and the expansion of agriculture into marginal lands;
deforestation (little forested land remains because of uncontrolled
cutting of trees for fuel); habitat loss threatens wildlife populations |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to:
Biodiversity, Kyoto Protocol,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer
Protection
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban |
|
Geography - note:
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landlocked; straddles crest
of the Nile-Congo watershed; the Kagera, which drains into Lake
Victoria, is the most remote headstream of the White Nile
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Population of Burundi
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Population:
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6,231,221
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess
mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality
and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2004 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 46.4% (male 1,459,251;
female 1,430,332)
15-64 years: 50.9% (male 1,566,274; female 1,607,705)
65 years and over: 2.7% (male 66,306; female 101,353) (2004 est.) |
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Median age:
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total: 16.5 years
male: 16.1 years
female: 16.8 years (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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2.2% (2004 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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39.68 births/1,000 |
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Death rate:
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17.61 deaths/1,000 |
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Net migration rate:
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-0.06 migrant(s)/1,000 |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 70.4 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 63.45 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 77.15 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 43.36 years
male: 42.73 years
female: 44 years (2004 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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5.9 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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8.3% (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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390,000 (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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40,000 (2001 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun: Burundian(s)
adjective: Burundian |
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Ethnic groups:
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Hutu (Bantu) 85%, Tutsi (Hamitic) 14%, Twa
(Pygmy) 1%, Europeans 3,000, South Asians 2,000 |
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Religions:
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Christian 67% (Roman Catholic 62%,
Protestant 5%), indigenous beliefs 23%, Muslim 10% |
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Languages:
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Kirundi (official), French (official),
Swahili (along Lake Tanganyika and in the Bujumbura area) |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read
and write
total population: 51.6%
male: 58.5%
female: 45.2% (2003 est.)
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Government
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Republic of
Burundi
conventional short form: Burundi
local short form: Burundi
local long form: Republika y'u Burundi
former: Urundi |
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Government type:
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republic |
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Capital:
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Bujumbura |
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Administrative divisions:
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16 provinces; Bubanza, Bujumbura, Bururi,
Cankuzo, Cibitoke, Gitega, Karuzi, Kayanza, Kirundo, Makamba, Muramvya, Muyinga, Mwaro,
Ngozi, Rutana, Ruyigi |
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Independence:
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1 July 1962 (from UN trusteeship under
Belgian administration) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 1 July (1962) |
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Constitution:
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13 March 1992; provided for establishment
of a plural political system; supplanted on 6 June 1998 by a Transitional Constitution
which enlarged the National Assembly and created two vice presidents |
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Legal system:
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based on German and Belgian civil codes and
customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
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Suffrage:
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NA years of age; universal adult |
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Executive branch:
|
chief of state: President Domitien
NDAYIZEYE (since 30 April 2003); note - NDAYIZEYE, a Hutu, was sworn in as president for
the second half of the three-year transitional government inaugurated on 1 November 2001;
Vice President Alphonse KADEGE (since 30 April 2003); note - KADEGE is from the Tutsi
minority
head of government: President Domitien NDAYIZEYE (since 30 April 2003); note -
NDAYIZEYE, a Hutu, was sworn in as president for the second half of the three-year
transitional government inaugurated on 1 November 2001; Vice President Alphonse KADEGE
(since 30 April 2003); note - KADEGE is from the Tutsi minority
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by president
elections: NA; current president assumed power on 30 April 2003 as part of the
transitional government established by the 2000 Arusha Accord |
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Legislative branch:
|
bicameral, consists of a National Assembly
or Assemblee Nationale (expanded from 121 to approximately 140 seats under the
transitional government inaugurated 1 November 2001; members are elected by popular vote
to serve five-year terms) and a Senate (54 seats; term length is undefined, the current
senators will likely serve out the three-year transition period)
elections: last held 29 June 1993 (next was scheduled to be held in 1998, but was
suspended by presidential decree in 1996; elections are planned to follow the completion
of the three-year transitional government)
election results: percent of vote by party - FRODEBU 71.04%, UPRONA 21.4%, other
7.56%; seats by party - FRODEBU 65, UPRONA 16, civilians 27, other parties 13 |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court or Cour Supreme;
Constitutional Court; Courts of Appeal (there are three in separate locations); Tribunals
of First Instance (17 at the province level and 123 small local tribunals) |
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Political parties and leaders:
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the two national, mainstream, governing
parties are: Unity for National Progress or UPRONA [Alphonse KADEGE, president]; Burundi
Democratic Front or FRODEBU [Jean MINANI, president]
note: a multiparty system was introduced after 1998, included are: Burundi African
Alliance for the Salvation or ABASA [Terrence NSANZE]; Rally for Democracy and Economic
and Social Development or RADDES [Joseph NZEYIMANA]; Party for National Redress or PARENA
[Jean-Baptiste BAGAZA]; People's Reconciliation Party or PRP [Mathias HITIMANA] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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loosely organized Hutu and Tutsi militias,
often affiliated with Hutu and Tutsi extremist parties or subordinate to government
security forces |
Economy
Burundi is a landlocked, resource-poor country with an underdeveloped manufacturing
sector. The economy is predominantly agricultural with roughly 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. Since October
1993 an ethnic-based war has resulted in more than 200,000 deaths, forced 800,000
refugees into Tanzania, and displaced 525,000 others internally. Doubts about the
prospects for sustainable peace continue to impede development. Only one in two children
go to school, and approximately one in ten adults has HIV/AIDS. Food, medicine, and
electricity remain in short supply.
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GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $3.83 billion
(2003 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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0% (2003 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $600 (2003 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 40.5%
industry: 18.6%
services: 40.9% (2002 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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68% (2002 est.) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: 1.8%
highest 10%: 32.9% (1998) |
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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42.5 (1998) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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11% (2003 est.) |
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Labor force:
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2.99 million (2002) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 93.6%, industry 2.3%, services
4.1% (2002 est.) |
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Unemployment rate:
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NA% (2003 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $125 million
expenditures: $176 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) |
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Industries:
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light consumer goods such as blankets,
shoes, soap; assembly of imported components; public works construction; food processing |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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18% (2001) |
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Electricity - production:
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155.4 million kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel: 0.6%
hydro: 99.4%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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177.5 million kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - imports:
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33 million kWh; note - supplied by the
Democratic Republic of the Congo (2001) |
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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2,750 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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coffee, cotton, tea, corn, sorghum, sweet
potatoes, bananas, manioc (tapioca); beef, milk, hides |
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Exports:
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$40 million f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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coffee, tea, sugar, cotton, hides |
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Exports - partners:
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Germany 25%, Belgium 14.3%, Kenya 10.7%,
Netherlands 7.1%, Rwanda 7.1% (2002) |
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Imports:
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$128 million f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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capital goods, petroleum products,
foodstuffs |
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Imports - partners:
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Belgium 12%, Saudi Arabia 12%, France 7.5%,
Kenya 7.5%, Tanzania 6%, Algeria 5.3%, India 4.5% (2002) |
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Debt - external:
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$1,132.5 million (2002) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$92.7 million (2000) |
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Currency:
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Burundi franc (BIF) |
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Currency code:
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BIF |
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Exchange rates:
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Burundi francs per US dollar - 1,082.62
(2003), 930.75 (2002), 830.35 (2001), 720.67 (2000), 563.56 (1999) |
SOURCES: The CIA World Factbook, U.S. Department of State, Area Handbook of the US Library of Congress
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