2000 Edition

Background

Between 1993 and 1999, ethnic violence between Hutu and Tutsi factions in Burundi created hundreds of thousands of refugees and left at least 250,000 dead. Although many refugees have returned from neighboring countries, continued ethnic strife has forced others to flee. Burundian troops, seeking to secure their borders, have intervened in the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Area

land

25,650 sq km

total

27,830 sq km

water

2,180 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Maryland

Climate

equatorial; high plateau with considerable altitude variation (772 m to 2,670 m); average annual temperature varies with altitude from 23 to 17 degrees centigrade but is generally moderate as the average altitude is about 1,700 m; average annual rainfall is about 150 cm; wet seasons from February to May and September to November, and dry seasons from June to August and December to January

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Elevation extremes

highest point

Mount Heha 2,670 m

lowest point

Lake Tanganyika 772 m

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

Environment - international agreements

party to

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban

Geographic coordinates

3 30 S, 30 00 E

Geography - note

landlocked; straddles crest of the Nile-Congo watershed

Irrigated land

140 sq km (1993 est.)

Land boundaries

border countries

Democratic Republic of the Congo 233 km, Rwanda 290 km, Tanzania 451 km

total

974 km

Land use

arable land

44%

forests and woodland

3%

other

8% (1993 est.)

permanent crops

9%

permanent pastures

36%

Location

Central Africa, east of Democratic Republic of the Congo

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Natural hazards

flooding, landslides

Natural resources

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

Terrain

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

Age structure

0-14 years: 47% (male 1,442,585; female 1,411,908) 15-64 years: 50% (male 1,485,177; female 1,541,754) 65 years and over: 3% (male 71,998; female 101,292) (2000 est.)

Birth rate

40.46 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate

16.44 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Ethnic groups

Hutu (Bantu) 85%, Tutsi (Hamitic) 14%, Twa (Pygmy) 1%, Europeans 3,000, South Asians 2,000

Infant mortality rate

71.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

female

47.16 years (2000 est.)

male

45.23 years

total population

46.18 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

22.5% (1995 est.)

male

49.3%

total population

35.3%

Nationality

adjective

Burundi

noun

Burundian(s)

Net migration rate

7.43 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Population

6,054,714

note

estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2000 est.)

Population growth rate

3.15% (2000 est.)

Religions

Christian 67% (Roman Catholic 62%, Protestant 5%), indigenous beliefs 23%, Muslim 10%

Sex ratio

at birth

1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female

total population

0.98 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate

6.25 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Administrative divisions

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

note

there may be a new province named Mwaro

Capital

Bujumbura

Constitution

13 March 1992; provided for establishment of a plural political system; supplanted on 6 June 1998 by a Transitional Constitution which enlarged the National Assembly and created two vice presidents

Country name

conventional long form

Republic of Burundi

conventional short form

Burundi

local long form

Republika y'u Burundi

local short form

Burundi

Data code

BY

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Mary Catlin YATES

embassy

Avenue des Etats-Unis, Bujumbura

mailing address

B. P. 1720, Bujumbura

telephone

(2) 223454

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

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

chief of mission

Ambassador Thomas NDIKUMANA

telephone

(202) 342-2574

Executive branch

cabinet

Council of Ministers appointed by president

chief of state

President Pierre BUYOYA (interim president since 27 September 1996, officially sworn in 11 June 1998), First Vice President Frederic BAMVUGINYUMVIRA (since NA May 1998), Second Vice President Mathias SINAMENYA (since NA May 1998); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government

elections

NA; current president assumed power following a coup on 25 July 1996 in which former President NTIBANTUNGANYA was overthrown

head of government

President Pierre BUYOYA (interim president since 27 September 1996, officially sworn in 11 June 1998), First Vice President Frederic BAMVUGINYUMVIRA (since NA May 1998), Second Vice President Mathias SINAMENYA (since NA May 1998); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government

FAX

(202) 342-2578

(2) 222926

Flag 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)

Government type

republic

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, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Judicial branch

Supreme Court or Cour Supreme

Legal system

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

Legislative branch

unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (121 seats; note - new Transitional Constitution expanded the number of seats from 81 to 121 in 1998; members are elected by popular vote on a proportional basis to serve five-year terms)

election results

percent of vote by party - FRODEBU 71.04%, UPRONA 21.4%, other 7.56%; seats by party - FRODEBU 65, UPRONA 16, various other parties 40

elections

last held 29 June 1993 (next was scheduled to be held in 1998, but suspended by presidential decree in 1996)

National holiday

Independence Day, 1 July (1962)

Political parties and leaders

Unity for National Progress or UPRONA ; Burundi Democratic Front or FRODEBU [Jean MINANI, president]

note

opposition parties, legalized in March 1992, include Burundi African Alliance for the Salvation or ABASA ; Rally for Democracy and Economic and Social Development or RADDES [Cyrille SIGEJEJE, chairman]; Party for National Redress or PARENA ; Socialist Party of Burundi or PSB ; People's Reconciliation Party or PRP

Political pressure groups and leaders

Loosely organized Tutsi militias

Suffrage

NA years of age; universal adult

Agriculture - products

coffee, cotton, tea, corn, sorghum, sweet potatoes, bananas, manioc (tapioca); beef, milk, hides

Budget

expenditures

$176 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)

revenues

$125 million

Currency

1 Burundi franc (FBu) = 100 centimes

Debt - external

$1.247 billion (1997 est.)

Economic aid - recipient

$1.344 billion (1999 est.)

Economy - overview

Burundi is a landlocked, resource-poor country with an underdeveloped manufacturing sector. The economy is predominantely 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. Since October 1993 the nation has suffered from massive ethnic-based violence which has resulted in the death of perhaps 250,000 persons and the displacement of about 800,000 others. Foods, medicines, and electricity remain in short supply.

Electricity - consumption

153 million kWh (1998)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (1998)

Electricity - imports

35 million kWh

note

imports some electricity from Democratic Republic of the Congo (1998)

Electricity - production

127 million kWh (1998)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

1.57%

hydro

98.43%

nuclear

0%

other

0% (1998)

Exchange rates

Burundi francs (FBu) per US$1 - 626.79 (January 2000), 563.56 (1999), 477.77 (1998), 352.35 (1997), 302.75 (1996), 249.76 (1995)

Exports

$56 million (f.o.b., 1999)

Exports - commodities

coffee, tea, sugar, cotton, hides

Exports - partners

UK, Germany, Benelux, Switzerland (1998)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $4.2 billion (1999 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

46%

industry

17%

services

37% (1998 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $730 (1999 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

-1% (1999 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Imports

$108 million (f.o.b., 1999)

Imports - commodities

capital goods, petroleum products, foodstuffs

Imports - partners

Benelux, France, Zambia, Germany, Kenya, Japan (1998)

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)

26% (1999 est.)

Labor force

1.9 million

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 93%, government 4%, industry and commerce 1.5%, services 1.5% (1983 est.)

Population below poverty line

36.2% (1990 est.)

Unemployment rate

NA%

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

NA

Radio broadcast stations

AM 2, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios

440,000 (1997)

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 - main lines in use

17,000 (1995)

Telephones - mobile cellular

343 (1995)

Television broadcast stations

1 (1999)

Televisions

25,000 (1997)

Airports

4 (1999 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total

1 over 3,047 m: 1 (1999 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

3 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (1999 est.)

Highways

paved

1,028 km

total

14,480 km

unpaved

13,452 km (1996 est.)

Ports and harbors

Bujumbura

Railways

0 km

Waterways

Lake Tanganyika

Military branches

Army (includes naval and air units), paramilitary Gendarmerie

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$25 million (FY93)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

2.6% (FY93)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 1,344,177 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 701,367 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - military age

16 years of age

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males

76,866 (2000 est.)

Disputes - international

none

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