Location of Burundi. Source: Vardion/Wikipedia

Source: CIA World Factbook

Burundi is a small, densely populated nation in the Great Lakes Region of Africa whose history, like that of its neighbor Rwanda, has been marked by conflict and tension between its two major ethic groups Hutu and Tutsi. Although nominally landlocked, it has a significant part of its border on Lake Tanganyika. Burundi is one of the poorest nations in the world and its Human Development Index ranks 172nd of 177 nations.

Burundi's major environmental issues include: 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); and habitat loss which threatens wildlife populations.It is susceptible to flooding, landslides, and drought.

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. More than 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, signed a South African brokered ceasefire with the country's last rebel group in September of 2006 but still faces many challenges.

Geography

Location: Central Africa, east of Democratic Republic of the Congo

Geographic Coordinates: 3 30 S, 30 00 E

Area: 27,830 km² (25,650 km² land and 2,180 km² water)

arable land: 35.57%
permanent crops: 13.12%
other: 51.31% (2005) 

Land Boundaries: 974 km. Border countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo 233 km, Rwanda 290 km, Tanzania 451 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime Claims: none (landlocked)

Natural Hazards: flooding, landslides, drought

Terrain: Hilly and mountainous, dropping to a plateau in east, some plains. Its lowest point is  Lake Tanganyika (772 metres) and its highest point is Heha (2,670 metres).

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)

Government

Government Type: republic

Capital: [[Bujumbura]]</p><p><strong>Independence Date: 1 July 1962 (from UN trusteeship under Belgian administration)

Legal System: based on German and Belgian civil codes and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: NA years of age; universal (adult)

International Environmental Agreements

Burundi is party to international agreements on: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, and Wetlands. It has signed, but not ratified the intetnational Law of the Sea.

People and Society

Population: 8,691,005

Age Structure:

0-14 years: 46.3% (male 2,021,320/female 1,998,502)
15-64 years: 51.2% (male 2,210,157/female 2,240,921)
65 years and over: 2.5% (male 87,600/female 132,505) (2008 est.)

Population Growth Rate: 3.443% (2008 est.)

Birthrate: 41.72 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death Rate: 12.91 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net Migration Rate: 5.62 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth: 51.71 years

Total Fertility Rate: 6.4 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Languages: Kirundi (official), French (official), Swahili (along Lake Tanganyika and in the Bujumbura area)

Literacy: 59.3% (male: 67.3% - female: 52.2% (2000 est.)

Water

Total renewable Water Resources: 3.6 cu km (1987)

Freshwater Withdrawal: Total: 0.29 cu km/yr (17% domestic, 6% industrial, 77% agricultural). Per capita: 38 cu m/yr (2000)

Agriculture

Agricultural Products: coffee, cotton, tea, corn, sorghum, sweet potatoes, bananas, manioc (tapioca); beef, milk, hides

Irrigated Lands: 210 sq km (2003)

Resources

Natural Resources: nickel, uranium, rare earth oxides, peat, cobalt, copper, platinum, vanadium, arable land, hydropower, niobium, tantalum, gold, tin, tungsten, kaolin, limestone.

Energy

Health

Prevalence Rate of HIV/AIDS in Adults: 6% (2003 est.)

Conflict

International Disputes: Burundi and Rwanda dispute sections of border on the Akanyaru/Kanyaru and the Kagera/Nyabarongo rivers, which have changed course since the 1960s, when the boundary was delimited; cross-border conflicts among Tutsi, Hutu, other ethnic groups, associated political rebels, armed gangs, and various government forces persist in the Great Lakes region

Refugees and internally Displaced Persons (country of origin): 9,849 (Democratic Republic of the Congo). Displaced Persons: 100,000 (armed conflict between government and rebels; most IDPs in northern and western Burundi) (2007)

Economy

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 15 adults has HIV/AIDS. Food, medicine, and electricity remain in short supply. Burundi's GDP grew around 5% annually in 2006-07. 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. Burundi will continue to remain heavily dependent on aid from bilateral and multilateral donors; the delay of funds after a corruption scandal cut off bilateral aid in 2007 reduced government's revenues and its ability to pay salaries.

GDP (Purchasing Power Parity): $2.896 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (Official Exchange Rate): $1.001 billion (2007 est.)

GDP-real growth rate: 3.6% (2007 est.)

GDP-per capita (PPP): $400 (2007 est.)

GDP-composition by sector:

agriculture: 33.7%
industry: 20.9%
services: 45.4% (2007 est.)

Industries: light consumer goods such as blankets, shoes, soap; assembly of imported components; public works construction; food processing

Exports: coffee, tea, sugar, cotton, hides

Export Partners: Germany 25.3%, Switzerland 20.5%, Pakistan 5.5%, Belgium 4.6% (2006)

Imports: capital goods, petroleum products, foodstuffs

Import Partners: Saudi Arabia 15.4%, Kenya 10.4%, Belgium 7.8%, France 5.5%, Uganda 4.9%, Germany 4.9%, India 4.3%, Russia 4.2% (2006)

Economic Aid Recipient: $365 million (2005)

Currency: Burundi franc (BIF)

Ports and Terminals: Bujumbura

Further Reading

1. CIA World Factbook