1992 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1992 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
temperate; warm; occasional frost in uplands
Coastline
none - landlocked
Comparative area
slightly larger than Maryland
Disputes
none
Environment
soil exhaustion; soil erosion; deforestation
Land area
25,650 km2
Land boundaries
974 km; Rwanda 290 km, Tanzania 451 km, Zaire 233 km
Land use
arable land 43%; permanent crops 8%; meadows and pastures 35%; forest and woodland 2%; other 12%; includes irrigated NEGL%
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
People and Society
Birth rate
46 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate
14 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Ethnic divisions
Africans - Hutu (Bantu) 85%, Tutsi (Hamitic) 14%, Twa (Pygmy) 1%; 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
106 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Labor force
1,900,000 (1983 est.); agriculture 93.0%, government 4.0%, industry and commerce 1.5%, services 1.5%; 52% of population of working age (1985)
Languages
Kirundi and French (official); Swahili (along Lake Tanganyika and in the Bujumbura area)
Life expectancy at birth
51 years male, 55 years female (1992)
Literacy
50% (male 61%, female 40%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Nationality
noun - Burundian(s); adjective - Burundi
Net migration rate
0 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Organized labor
sole group is the Union of Burundi Workers (UTB); by charter, membership is extended to all Burundi workers (informally); active membership figures NA
Population
6,022,341 (July 1992), growth rate 3.2% (1992)
Religions
Christian about 67% (Roman Catholic 62%, Protestant 5%), indigenous beliefs 32%, Muslim 1%
Total fertility rate
6.8 children born/woman (1992)
Government
Administrative divisions
15 provinces; Bubanza, Bujumbura, Bururi, Cankuzo, Cibitoke, Gitega, Karuzi, Kayanza, Kirundo, Makamba, Muramvya, Muyinga, Ngozi, Rutana, Ruyigi
Capital
Bujumbura
Chief of State
Major Pierre BUYOYA, President (since 9 September 1987)
Constitution
20 November 1981; suspended following the coup of 3 September 1987; a constitutional committee was charged with drafting a new constitution created in February 1991; a referendum on the new constitution scheduled for March 1992
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; B. P. 1720, Avenue des Etats-Unis, Bujumbura; telephone [257] (222) 454; FAX [257] (222) 926
Executive branch
president; chairman of the Central Committee of the National Party of Unity and Progress (UPRONA), prime minister
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)
Head of Government
Prime Minister Adrien SIBOMANA (since 26 October 1988)
Independence
1 July 1962 (from UN trusteeship under Belgian administration)
Judicial branch
Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)
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; at an extraordinary party congress held from 27 to 29 December 1990, the Central Committee of the National Party of Unity and Progress (UPRONA) replaced the Military Committee for National Salvation, and became the supreme governing body during the transition to constitutional government
Long-form name
Republic of Burundi
Member of
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEEAC, CEPGL, ECA, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTERPOL, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
National Assembly
dissolved after the coup of 3 September 1987; note - The National Unity Charter outlining the principles for constitutional government was adopted by a national referendum on 5 February 1991
National holiday
Independence Day, 1 July (1962)
Political parties and leaders
only party - National Party of Unity and Progress (UPRONA), Nicolas MAYUGI, secretary general; note - although Burundi is still officially a one-party state, at least four political parties were formed in 1991 in anticipation of proposed constitutional reform in 1992 - Burundi Democratic Front (FRODEBU), Organization of the People of Burundi (RPB), Socialist Party of Burundi (PSB), Movement for Peace and Democracy (MPD) - the Party for the Liberation of the Hutu People (PALIPEHUTU), formed in exile in the early 1980s, is an ethnically based political party dedicated to majority rule; the government has long accused PALIPEHUTU of practicing devisive ethnic politics and fomenting violence against the state. PALIPEHUTU's exclusivist charter makes it an unlikely candidate for legalization under the new constitution that will require party membership open to all ethnic groups
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
Budget
revenues $158 million; expenditures $204 million, including capital expenditures of $131 million (1989 est.)
Currency
Burundi franc (plural - francs); 1 Burundi franc (FBu) = 100 centimes
Economic aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $71 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $10.2 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $32 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $175 million
Electricity
55,000 kW capacity; 105 million kWh produced, 20 kWh per capita (1991)
Exchange rates
Burundi francs (FBu) per US$1 - 193.72 (January 1992), 181.51 (1991), 171.26 (1990), 158.67 (1989), 140.40 (1988), 123. 56 (1987)
Exports
$74.7 million (f.o.b., 1990) commodities: coffee 88%, tea, hides, and skins partners: EC 83%, US 5%, Asia 2%
External debt
$1.0 billion (1990 est.)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
exchange rate conversion - $1.13 billion, per capita $200; real growth rate 3.4% (1990 est.)
Imports
$234.6 million (c.i.f., 1990) 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); accounts for about 10% of GDP
Industries
light consumer goods such as blankets, shoes, soap; assembly of imports; public works construction; food processing
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
7.1% (1990 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 depends 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. As part of its economic reform agenda, launched in February 1991 with IMF and World Bank support, Burundi is trying to diversify its export agriculture capability and attract foreign investment in industry. Several state-owned coffee companies were privatized via public auction in September 1991.
Unemployment rate
NA%
Communications
Airports
6 total, 6 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
no 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; broadcast 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
exchange rate conversion - $28 million, 3.7% of GDP (1989)
Manpower availability
males 15-49, 1,306,611; 681,050 fit for military service; 59,676 reach military age (16) annually