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.
Location
Central Africa, east of Democratic Republic of the Congo
Geographic coordinates
3 30 S, 30 00 E
Map references
Africa
Area
total
27,830 sq km
land
25,650 sq km
water
2,180 sq km
Area - comparative
slightly smaller than Maryland
Land boundaries
total
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)
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)
Terrain
hilly and mountainous, dropping to a plateau in east, some plains
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
landlocked; straddles crest of the Nile-Congo watershed; the Kagera, which drains into Lake Victoria, is the most remote headstream of the White Nile
Population
8,390,505
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 2007 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years
46.3% (male 1,951,879/female 1,930,371)
15-64 years
51.2% (male 2,131,759/female 2,162,093)
65 years and over
2.6% (male 85,522/female 128,881) (2007 est.)
Median age
total
16.7 years
male
16.4 years
female
16.9 years (2007 est.)
Population growth rate
3.593% (2007 est.)
Birth rate
41.97 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Death rate
13.17 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Net migration rate
7.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth
1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years
1.011 male(s)/female
15-64 years
0.986 male(s)/female
65 years and over
0.664 male(s)/female
total population
0.988 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total
61.93 deaths/1,000 live births
male
68.91 deaths/1,000 live births
female
54.75 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population
51.29 years
male
50.48 years
female
52.12 years (2007 est.)
Total fertility rate
6.48 children born/woman (2007 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
6% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
250,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths
25,000 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases
degree of risk
very high
food or waterborne diseases
bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease
malaria (2007)
Nationality
noun
Burundian(s)
adjective
Burundian
Ethnic groups
Hutu (Bantu) 85%, Tutsi (Hamitic) 14%, Twa (Pygmy) 1%, Europeans 3,000, South Asians 2,000
Religions
Christian 67% (Roman Catholic 62%, Protestant 5%), indigenous beliefs 23%, Muslim 10%
Languages
Kirundi (official), French (official), Swahili (along Lake Tanganyika and in the Bujumbura area)
Literacy
definition
age 15 and over can read and write
total population
59.3%
male
67.3%
female
52.2% (2000 est.)
Country name
conventional long form
Republic of Burundi
conventional short form
Burundi
local long form
Republique du Burundi/Republika y'u Burundi
local short form
Burundi
former
Urundi
Government type
republic
Capital
name
Bujumbura
geographic coordinates
3 23 S, 29 22 E
time difference
UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
1 July 1962 (from UN trusteeship under Belgian administration)
National holiday
Independence Day, 1 July (1962)
Constitution
28 February 2005; ratified by popular referendum
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)
Executive branch
chief of state
President Pierre NKURUNZIZA (since 26 August 2005); First Vice President Martin NDUWIMANA - Tutsi (since 29 August 2005); Second Vice President Gabriel NTISEZERANA - Hutu (since 9 February 2007)
head of government
President Pierre NKURUNZIZA (since 26 August 2005); First Vice President Martin NDUWIMANA - Tutsi (since 29 August 2005); Second Vice President Gabriel NTISEZERANA - Hutu (since 9 February 2007)
cabinet
Council of Ministers appointed by president
elections
the president is elected by popular vote to a five-year term (eligible for a second term); note - the constitution adopted in February 2005 permits the post-transition president to be elected by a two-thirds majority of the parliament; vice presidents nominated by the president, endorsed by parliament
election results
Pierre NKURUNZIZA was elected president by the parliament by a vote of 151 to 9; note - the constitution adopted in February 2005 permits the post-transition president to be elected by a two-thirds majority of the legislature
Legislative branch
bicameral Parliament or Parlement, consists of a National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (minimum 100 seats, 60% Hutu and 40% Tutsi with at least 30% being women; additional seats appointed by a National Independent Electoral Commission to ensure ethnic representation; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and a Senate (54 seats; 34 members elected by indirect vote to serve five-year terms, with remaining seats assigned to ethnic groups and former chiefs of state)
elections: National Assembly - last held 4 July 2005 (next to be held in 2010); Senate - last held 29 July 2005 (next to be held in 2010)
election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - CNDD-FDD 58.6%, FRODEBU 21.7%, UPRONA 7.2%, CNDD 4.1%, MRC-Rurenzangemero 2.1%, others 6.2%; seats by party - CNDD-FDD 59, FRODEBU 25, UPRONA 10, CNDD 4, MRC-Rurenzangemero 2; Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - CNDD-FDD 30, FRODEBU 3, CNDD 1
Judicial branch
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)
Political parties and leaders
governing parties
Burundi Democratic Front or FRODEBU [Leonce NGENDAKUMANA]; National Council for the Defense of Democracy, Front for the Defense of Democracy or CNDD-FDD [Jeremie NGENDAKUMANA]; Unity for National Progress or UPRONA [Aloys RUBUKA]
note
a multiparty system was introduced after 1998, included are: National Council for the Defense of Democracy or CNDD; National Resistance Movement for the Rehabilitation of the Citizen or MRC-Rurenzangemero [Epitace BANYAGANAKANDI]; Party for National Redress or PARENA [Jean-Baptiste BAGAZA]
Suite 212, 2233 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone
[1] (202) 342-2574
FAX
[1] (202) 342-2578
Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission
Ambassador Patricia Newton MOLLER
embassy
Avenue des Etats-Unis, Bujumbura
mailing address
B. P. 1720, Bujumbura
telephone
[257] 223454
FAX
[257] 222926
Flag description
divided by a white diagonal cross into red panels (top and bottom) and green panels (hoist side and fly side) with a white disk superimposed at the center bearing three red six-pointed stars outlined in green arranged in a triangular design (one star above, two stars below)
Economy - overview
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. 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 grew about 5 percent in 2006. Delayed disbursements of funds from the World Bank may add to budget pressures in 2007. Burundi will continue to remain heavily dependent on aid from bilateral and multilateral donors.
GDP (purchasing power parity)
$5.781 billion (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)
$776 million (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate
3.8% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP)
$700 (2006 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture
44.9%
industry
20.9%
services
34.1% (2006 est.)
Labor force
2.99 million (2002)
Labor force - by occupation
agriculture
93.6%
industry
2.3%
services
4.1% (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate
NA%
Population below poverty line
68% (2002 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%
1.8%
highest 10%
32.9% (1998)
Distribution of family income - Gini index
33.3 (1998)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
11% (2006 est.)
Investment (gross fixed)
11.9% of GDP (2006 est.)
Budget
revenues
$239.9 million
expenditures
$297 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.)
Kenya 19%, Italy 15.1%, Tanzania 11.1%, Belgium 9.7%, Uganda 5.6%, France 4.5%, India 4.3% (2006)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$87.69 million (2006 est.)
Debt - external
$1.2 billion (2003)
Economic aid - recipient
$105.5 million (2003)
Currency (code)
Burundi franc (BIF)
Currency code
BIF
Exchange rates
Burundi francs per US dollar - 1,030 (2006), 1,138 (2005), 1,100.91 (2004), 1,082.62 (2003), 930.75 (2002)
Fiscal year
calendar year
Telephones - main lines in use
27,700 (2004)
Telephones - mobile cellular
153,000 (2005)
Telephone system
general assessment
primitive system
domestic
sparse system of open-wire, radiotelephone communications, and low-capacity microwave radio relay
international
country code - 257; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations
AM 0, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2001)
Radios
440,000 (2001)
Television broadcast stations
1 (2001)
Televisions
25,000 (1997)
Internet country code
.bi
Internet hosts
160 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
1 (2000)
Internet users
25,000 (2005)
Airports
8 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways
total
1
over 3,047 m
1 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total
7
914 to 1,523 m
4
under 914 m
3 (2006)
Roadways
total
12,322 km
paved
1,286 km
unpaved
11,036 km (2004)
Waterways
mainly on Lake Tanganyika (2005)
Ports and terminals
Bujumbura
Military branches
National Defense Force (Forces de Defense Nationales, FDN): Army (includes Naval Detachment and Air Wing) (2006)
Military service age and obligation
16 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service (2001)
Manpower available for military service
males age 16-49
1,676,855
females age 16-49
1,656,366 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service
males age 16-49
955,616
females age 16-49
932,767 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually
males age 18-49
91,331
females age 16-49
90,685 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
5.9% (2006 est.)
Disputes - international
conflicts among Tutsi, Hutu, other ethnic groups, associated political rebels, armed gangs, and various government forces have abated somewhat in the Great Lakes region; UN Operation in Burundi (ONUB) completed its mandate in December 2006 after a three-year peace-keeping mission
Refugees and internally displaced persons
refugees (country of origin)
20,359 (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
IDPs
100,000 (armed conflict between government and rebels; most IDPs in northern and western Burundi) (2006)
