1983 Edition

Airfields

90 total, 86 usable; 22 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 38 with runways 1,2202,439 m

Branches

Army, Navy, Air Force

executive (President and Cabinet); judicial; legislature (National Assembly) convened in 1982

Capital

Bujumbura

Civil air

about 17 major transport aircraft (including 3 helicopters)

Communists

no Communist party; resumed diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China in October 1971, following a six-year suspension; USSR, North Korea, and Romania also have diplomatic missions in

Elections

new constitution approved by national referendum in November 1981; election to National Assembly held in October 1982 Political parties and leaders: National Party of Unity and Progress (UPRONA), a Tutsi-led party, declared sole legitimate party in 1966; Col. Jean-Baptiste Bagaza

Ethnic divisions

Africans — 85% Hutu (Bantu), 14% Tutsi (Hamitic), 1% Twa (Pygmy); other Africans include around 70,000 refugees, mostly Rwandans and Zairians; non-Africans include about 3,000 Europeans and 2,000 South Asians

Government leader

Col. Jean-Baptiste BAGAZA, President and Head of State

Highways

27,000 km total; 3,200 km bituminous, 17,700 km improved earth, gravel, 6,100 km unimproved earth

Inland waterways

12,800 km; 3,200 km navigable by large commercial vessels

Labor force

about 1.9 million (1983); 93% agriculture, 4% government, 1.5% industry and commerce, 1.5% services

Land boundaries

974 km People

Language

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

Legal system

based on German and French civil codes and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Literacy

25%

Military manpower

eligible 15-49, 16,743,000; of the 8,338,000 males 15-49, 4,615,000 are fit for military service; of the 8,405,000 females 15-49, 4,638,000 are fit for military service; about 395,000 males and 385,000 females reach military age (18) annually; both sexes are liable for military service Land 27,834 km2; about 37% arable (about 66% cultivated); 23% pasture; 10% scrub and forest; 30% other

National holiday

Independence Day, 1 July

Nationality

noun — Burundian(s); adjective — Burundi

Official name

Republic of Burundi

Organized labor

sole group is the Union of Burundi Workers (UTB); by charter, membership is extended to all Burundi workers (informally); figures denoting "active membership" have been unobtainable Government

Pipelines

crude, 530 km

Political subdivisions

15 provinces, subdivided into arrondissements and communes according to a 1982 redistricting

Population

4,691,000 (July 1984), average annual growth rate 2.8%

Ports

4 major, 6 minor

Religion

about 67% Christian (62% Roman Catholic, 5% Protestant), 32% indigenous beliefs, about 1% Muslim

Suffrage

universal

Telecommunications

provide minimum requirements for local and intercity service; international service is good; radiobroadcast coverage is limited to the most populous areas; 49,597 telephones (1982/83; 1 per 1,000 popl.); 1 AM station, no FM stations, and 2 TV stations (December 1982); 1 ground satellite station Defense Forces

Type

republic; presidential system; previous military government overthrown in military coup in 1976