1990 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1990 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
temperate; warm; occasional frost in uplands
Coastline
none--landlocked
Comparative area
slightly larger than Maryland
Environment
soil exhaustion; soil erosion; deforestation
Land boundaries
974 km total; Rwanda 290 km, Tanzania 451 km, Zaire 233 km
Land use
43% arable land; 8% permanent crops; 35% meadows and pastures; 2% forest and woodland; 12% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Maritime claims
none--landlocked
Natural resources
nickel, uranium, rare earth oxide, peat, cobalt, copper, platinum (not yet exploited), vanadium
Note
landlocked; straddles crest of the Nile-Congo watershed
Terrain
mostly rolling to hilly highland; some plains
Total area
27,830 km2; land area: 25,650 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
47 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate
15 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Ethnic divisions
Africans--85% Hutu (Bantu), 14% Tutsi (Hamitic), 1% Twa (Pygmy); other Africans include about 70,000 refugees, mostly Rwandans and Zairians; non-Africans include about 3,000 Europeans and 2,000 South Asians
Infant mortality rate
111 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Labor force
1,900,000 (1983 est.); 93.0% agriculture, 4.0% government, 1.5% industry and commerce, 1.5% services; 52% of population of working age
Language
Kirundi and French (official); Swahili (along Lake Tanganyika and in the Bujumbura area)
Life expectancy at birth
50 years male, 54 years female (1990)
Literacy
33.8%
Nationality
noun--Burundian(s); adjective--Burundi
Net migration rate
0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
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 unobtainable
Population
5,645,997 (July 1990), growth rate 3.2% (1990)
Religion
about 67% Christian (62% Roman Catholic, 5% Protestant), 32% indigenous beliefs, 1% Muslim
Total fertility rate
7.0 children born/woman (1990)
Government
Administrative divisions
15 provinces; Bubanza, Bujumbura, Bururi, Cankuzo, Cibitoke, Gitega, Karuzi, Kayanza, Kirundo, Makamba, Muramvya, Muyinga, Ngozi, Rutana, Ruyigi
Capital
Bujumbura
Communists
no Communist party
Constitution
20 November 1981; suspended following the coup of 3 September 1987
Diplomatic representation
Ambassador Julien KAVAKURE; Chancery at Suite 212, 2233 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington DC 20007; telephone (202) 342-2574; US--Ambassador Cynthia Shepherd PERRY; Embassy at Avenue du Zaire, Bujumbura (mailing address is B. P. 1720, Bujumbura); telephone 234-54 through 56
Elections
National Assembly--dissolved after the coup of 3 September 1987; no elections are planned
Executive branch
president, Military Committee for National Salvation, prime minister, Council of Ministers
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)
Independence
1 July 1962 (from UN trusteeship under Belgian administration)
Judicial branch
Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)
Leaders
Chief of State--President Pierre BUYOYA (since 9 September 1987); Head of Government Prime Minister Adrien SIBOMANA (since 26 October 1988)
Legal system
based on German and Belgian civil codes and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch
unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale) was dissolved following the coup of 3 September 1987
Long-form name
Republic of Burundi
Member of
ACP, AfDB, CCC, EAMA, ECA, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTERPOL, ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
National holiday
Independence Day, 1 July (1962)
Political parties and leaders
only party--National Party of Unity and Progress (UPRONA), a Tutsi-led party, Libere Bararunyeretse, coordinator of the National Permanent Secretariat
Suffrage
universal adult at age NA
Type
republic
Economy
Agriculture
accounts for 60% of GDP; 90% of population dependent on subsistence farming; marginally self-sufficient in food production; cash crops--coffee, cotton, tea; food crops--corn, sorghum, sweet potatoes, bananas, manioc; livestock--meat, milk, hides, and skins
Aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $68 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $10 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $32 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $175 million
Budget
revenues $213 million; expenditures $292 million, including capital expenditures of $131 million (1988 est.)
Currency
Burundi franc (plural--francs); 1 Burundi franc (FBu) = 100 centimes
Electricity
51,000 kW capacity; 105 million kWh produced, 19 kWh per capita (1989)
Exchange rates
Burundi francs (FBu) per US$1--176.20 (January 1990), 158.67 (1989), 140.40 (1988), 123.56 (1987), 114.17 (1986), 120.69 (1985)
Exports
$128 million (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--coffee 88%, tea, hides and skins; partners--EC 83%, US 5%, Asia 2%
External debt
$795 million (December 1989 est.)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
$1.3 billion, per capita $255; real growth rate 2.8% (1988)
Imports
$204 million (c.i.f., 1988); commodities--capital goods 31%, petroleum products 15%, foodstuffs, consumer goods; partners--EC 57%, Asia 23%, US 3%
Industrial production
real growth rate 5.1% (1986)
Industries
light consumer goods such as blankets, shoes, soap; assembly of imports; public works construction; food processing
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
4.4% (1988 est.)
Overview
A landlocked, resource-poor country in an early stage of economic development, Burundi is predominately agricultural with only a few basic industries. Its economic health is dependent on the coffee crop, which accounts for an average 90% of foreign exchange earnings each year. The ability to pay for imports therefore continues to rest largely on the vagaries of the climate and the international coffee market.
Unemployment rate
NA%
Communications
Airports
8 total, 7 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; none with runways 1,220 to 2,439 m
Civil air
1 major transport aircraft
Highways
5,900 km total; 400 km paved, 2,500 km gravel or laterite, 3,000 km improved or unimproved earth
Inland waterways
Lake Tanganyika
Ports
Bujumbura (lake port) connects to transportation systems of Tanzania and Zaire
Telecommunications
sparse system of wire, radiocommunications, and low-capacity radio relay links; 8,000 telephones; stations--2 AM, 2 FM, 1 TV; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station
Military and Security
Branches
Army (includes naval and air units); paramilitary Gendarmerie
Defense expenditures
3.1% of GDP (1987)
Military manpower
males 15-49, 1,230,559; 642,927 fit for military service; 61,418 reach military age (16) annually