Burundi

Burundi 

 

Geography                 Economy                 Defense Forces
 

People                    Transportation          Government



Communications            History      	          Travel

GEOGRAPHY

Location

Central Africa, east of Democratic Republic Congo

Area

Land Boundaries

Total 974 km, Rwanda 290 km, Tanzania 451 km, Democratic Republic Congo 233 km

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime Claims

None; landlocked

International Disputes

None

Climate

Temperate; warm; occasional frost in uplands; dry season from June to September

Terrain

Hilly and mountainous, dropping to a plateau in east, some plains
lowest point: Lake Tanganyika 772 m
highest point: Mount Heha 2,760 m

Natural Resources

Land Use

Irrigated Land

720 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment

Note: Landlocked; straddles crest of the Nile-Congo watershed

PEOPLE

Population

5,943,057 (July 1996 est.)
6,262,429 (July 1995 est.)

Age Structure

0-14 Years

47% (male 1,404,375; female 1,398,228)
48% (male 1,494,730; female 1,489,721)

15-64 Years

50% (male 1,454,545; female 1,527,644)
50% (male 1,498,021; female 1,606,307)

65 Years and Over

3% (male 62,955; female 95,310) (July 1996 est.)
2% (male 68,204; female 105,446) (July 1995 est.)

Population Growth Rate

1.54% (1996 est.)
2.18% (1995 est.)

Birth Rate

43.02 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
43.35 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death Rate

15.15 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
21.51 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net Migration Rate

-12.47 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Note: In a number of waves since October 1993, hundreds of thousands of refugees have fled the civil strife between the Hutu and Tutsi factions in Burundi and crossed into Rwanda, Tanzania, and Democratic Republic Congo; the refugee flows were continuing in 1996 as the ethnic violence persisted

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female
all ages: 0.97 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate

102.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
111.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth

Total Fertility Rate

6.55 children born/woman (1996 est.)
6.63 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality

Ethnic Divisions

Africans

Hutu (Bantu) 85%, Tutsi (Hamitic) 14%, Twa (Pygmy) 1%

Religions

Languages

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

Literacy

Age 15 and over that can read and write (1995 est.)

Labor Force

1.9 million (1983 est.)

By occupation:

GOVERNMENT

Names

Digraph

BY

Type

Republic

Capital

Bujumbura

Administrative Divisions

15 provinces; Bubanza, Bujumbura, Bururi, Cankuzo, Cibitoke, Gitega, Karuzi, Kayanza, Kirundo, Makamba, Muramvya, Muyinga, Ngozi, Rutana, Ruyigi

Independence

1 July 1962 (from UN trusteeship under Belgian administration)

National Holiday

Independence Day, 1 July (1962)

Constitution

13 March 1992; provides for establishment of a plural political system

Legal System

Based on German and Belgian civil codes and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage

Universal adult at age NA

Executive Branch

Note: President Melchior NDADAYE, Burundi's first democratically elected president, died in the military coup of 21 October 1993 and was succeeded on 5 February 1994 by President Cyprien NTARYAMIRA, who was killed in a mysterious airplane explosion on 6 April 1994

Legislative Branch

Unicameral

National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale)

Elections last held 29 June 1993 (next to be held NA); results - FRODEBU 71%, UPRONA 21.4%; seats - (81 total) FRODEBU 65, UPRONA 16; other parties won too small shares of the vote to win seats in the assembly

Note: The National Unity Charter outlining the principles for constitutional government was adopted by a national referendum on 5 February 1991

Judicial Branch

Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)

Political Parties and Leaders

Unity for National Progress (UPRONA); Burundi Democratic Front (FRODEBU); Organization of the People of Burundi (RBP); Socialist Party of Burundi (PSB); People's Reconciliation Party (PRP); opposition parties, legalized in March 1992, include Burundi African Alliance for the Salvation (ABASA); Rally for Democracy and Economic and Social Development (RADDES); and Party for National Redress (PARENA)

Other Political or Pressure Groups

NA;

Member of

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEEAC, CEPGL, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

National Anthem

Flag

Divided by a white diagonal cross into red panels (top and bottom) and green panels (hoist side and outer 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 in an early stage of economic development. The economy is predominately agricultural with roughly 90% of the population dependent on subsistence agriculture. Its economic health depends on the coffee crop, which accounts for 80% of foreign exchange earnings. The ability to pay for imports therefore rests largely on the vagaries of the climate and the international coffee market. As part of its economic reform agenda, launched in February 1991 with IMF and World Bank support, Burundi is trying to diversify its agricultural exports, attract foreign investment in industry, and modernize government budgetary practices. Since October 1993 the nation has suffered from massive ethnic-based violence which has resulted in the death of perhaps 100,000 persons and the displacement of a million others; production has fallen sharply, and an impoverished and disorganized government can hardly implement these needed reform programs.

National Product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $4 billion (1995 est.), $3.7 billion (1994 est.)

National Product Real Growth Rate

2.7% (1995 est.)
-13.5% (1994 est.)

National Product Per Capita

$600 (1995 est.)
$600 (1994 est.)

Inflation Rate (consumer Prices)

10% (1993 est.)

Unemployment Rate

NA

Budget

Exports

$68 million (f.o.b., 1993)

Commodities:

Partners:

Imports

$203 million (c.i.f., 1993)

Commodities:

Partners:

External Debt

$1.05 billion (1994 est.)

Industrial Production

Growth rate 11% (1991 est.); accounts for about 15% of GDP

Electricity

Industries

Agriculture

Accounts for 50% of GDP; cash crops - coffee, cotton, tea; food crops - corn, sorghum, sweet potatoes, bananas, manioc; livestock - meat, milk, hides and skins

Economic Aid

Currency

1 Burundi franc (FBu) = 100 centimes

Exchange Rates

Burundi francs (FBu) per US$1 - 268.13 (November 1995), 252.66 (1994), 242.78 (1993), 208.30 (1992), 181.51 (1991), 171.26 (1990), 158.67 (1989), 140.40 (1988)

Fiscal Year

Calendar year

TRANSPORTATION

Railroads

0 km

Highways

Inland Waterways

Lake Tanganyika

Ports

Bujumbura

Airports

COMMUNICATIONS

Telephone System

7,200 telephones (1987 est.); primative system

Radio

Television

DEFENSE FORCES

Branches

Army (includes naval and air units), paramilitary Gendarmerie

Manpower Availability

Males age 15-49 1,350,042; males fit for military service 705,864; males reach military age (16) annually 73,308 (1995 est.)

Defense Expenditures

Exchange rate conversion - $25 million, 2.6% of GDP (1993)

History
World Atlas

last updated: 25 november 1997