1996 Edition

Description

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)

Location

3 30 S, 30 00 E -- Central Africa, east of Zaire Flag ----

Area

comparative area

slightly larger than Maryland

land area

25,650 sq km

total area

27,830 sq km

Climate

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

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Environment

current issues

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

international agreements

party to - Endangered Species; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban

natural hazards

flooding, landslides

Geographic coordinates

3 30 S, 30 00 E

Geographic note

landlocked; straddles crest of the Nile-Congo watershed

International disputes

none

Irrigated land

720 sq km (1989 est.)

Land boundaries

border countries

Rwanda 290 km, Tanzania 451 km, Zaire 233 km

total

974 km

Land use

arable land

43%

forest and woodland

2%

meadows and pastures

35%

other

12%

permanent crops

8%

Location

Central Africa, east of Zaire

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Natural resources

nickel, uranium, rare earth oxides, peat, cobalt, copper, platinum (not yet exploited), vanadium

Terrain

hilly and mountainous, dropping to a plateau in east, some plains

highest point

Mount Heha 2,760 m

lowest point

Lake Tanganyika 772 m

Africans

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

non-Africans

Europeans 3,000, South Asians 2,000

Age structure

0-14 years: 47% (male 1,404,375; female 1,398,228) 15-64 years: 50% (male 1,454,545; female 1,527,644) 65 years and over: 3% (male 62,955; female 95,310) (July 1996 est.)

Birth rate

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

Death rate

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

Infant mortality rate

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

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

female

50.42 years (1996 est.)

male

48.28 years

total population

49.33 years

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1995 est.)

female

22.5%

male

49.3%

total population

35.3%

Nationality

adjective

Burundi

noun

Burundian(s)

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 Zaire; the refugee flows are continuing in 1996 as the ethnic violence persists

Population

5,943,057 (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate

1.54% (1996 est.)

Religions

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

Sex ratio

all ages

0.97 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

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

Total fertility rate

6.55 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Administrative divisions

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

Capital

Bujumbura

Constitution

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

Data code

BY

Diplomatic representation in US

chancery

Suite 212, 2233 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007

chief of mission

Ambassador Severin NTAHOMVUKIYE

telephone

[1] (202) 342-2574

Executive branch

cabinet

Council of Ministers; appointed by prime minister

chief of state

President Sylvestre NTIBANTUNGANYA (acting president from 8 April 1994 to 30 September 1994, president since 1 October 1994); note - NTIBANTUNGANYA, in his capacity as President of the National Assembly, became acting president upon the death of President Cyprien NTARYAMIRE in an airplane crash on 6 April 1994; NTIBANTUNGANYA was sworn in on 1 October 1994 as president by the "Convention on Government" to serve a four year transitional term

head of government

Prime Minister Antoine NDUWAYO (since February 1995)

FAX

[257] (2) 22926

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)

International organization participation

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

Judicial branch

Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)

Legal system

based on German and Belgian civil codes and customary law; does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch

unicameral

Name of country

conventional long form

Republic of Burundi

conventional short form

Burundi

local long form

Republika y'u Burundi

local short form

Burundi

National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale)

election 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

National holiday

Independence Day, 1 July (1962)

Other political or pressure groups

NA

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)

Suffrage

NA years of age; universal adult

Type of government

republic

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission

(vacant); Charge d'Affaires Charles YELLIN

embassy

Avenue des Etats-Unis, Bujumbura

mailing address

B. P. 1720, Bujumbura

telephone

[257] (2) 23454

Agriculture

coffee, cotton, tea, corn, sorghum, sweet potatoes, bananas, manioc; meat, milk, hides

Budget

expenditures

$326 million, including capital expenditures of $150 million (1991 est.)

revenues

$318 million

Currency

1 Burundi franc (FBu) = 100 centimes

Economic aid

recipient

ODA, $NA

Economic 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.

Electricity

capacity

55,000 kW

consumption per capita

20 kWh (1993)

production

100 million kWh

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)

Exports

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

commodities

coffee 81%, tea, cotton, hides

partners

EC 57%, US 19%, Asia 1%

External debt

$1.05 billion (1994 est.)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $4 billion (1995 est.)

GDP composition by sector

agriculture

54.1%

industry

16.8%

services

29.1% (1993 est.)

GDP per capita

$600 (1995 est.)

GDP real growth rate

2.7% (1995 est.)

Imports

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

commodities

capital goods 31%, petroleum products 15%, foodstuffs, consumer goods

partners

EC 45%, Asia 29%, US 2%

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Industries

light consumer goods such as blankets, shoes, soap; assembly of imported components; public works construction; food processing

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

10% (1993 est.)

Labor force

1.9 million (1983 est.)

by occupation

agriculture 93.0%, government 4.0%, industry and commerce 1.5%, services 1.5%

Unemployment rate

NA%

Branches

Army (includes naval and air units), paramilitary Gendarmerie

Defense expenditures

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

Manpower availability

males age 15-49

1,312,458

males fit for military service

683,073

males reach military age (16) annually

67,990 (1996 est.)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 2, FM 2, shortwave 0

Radios

NA

Telephone system

primitive system

domestic

sparse system of open wire, radiotelephone communications, and low-capacity microwave radio relay

international

satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)

Telephones

7,200 (1987 est.)

Television broadcast stations

1

Televisions

4,500 (1993 est.) Defense

Airports

total

3

with paved runways over 3 047 m

1

with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m

2 (1995 est.)

Highways

paved

1,028 km

total

14,473 km

unpaved

13,445 km (1992 est.)

Ports

Bujumbura

Railways

0 km

Waterways

Lake Tanganyika