Edition 2005 — Burundi — World Factbook

Administrative divisions

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

Age structure

0-14 years: 46% (male 1,479,941/female 1,450,808) 15-64 years: 51.3% (male 1,617,864/female 1,653,331) 65 years and over: 2.6% (male 66,199/female 102,466) (2005 est.)

Agriculture - products

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

Airports

8 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 3 (2004 est.) Military Burundi

Area

land: 25,650 sq km
total: 27,830 sq km
water: 2,180 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Maryland

Background

Burundi's first democratically elected president was assassinated in October 1993 after only one hundred days in office. Since then, some 200,000 Burundians have perished in widespread, often intense ethnic violence between Hutu and Tutsi factions. Hundreds of thousands have been internally displaced or have become refugees in neighboring countries. Burundi troops, seeking to secure their borders, briefly intervened in the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1998. A new transitional government, inaugurated on 1 November 2001, signed a power-sharing agreement with the largest rebel faction in December 2003 and set in place a provisional constitution in October 2004. Implementation of the agreement has been problematic, however, as one remaining rebel group refuses to sign on and elections have been repeatedly delayed, clouding prospects for a sustainable peace. Geography Burundi

Birth rate

39.66 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Budget

expenditures: $187.7 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)
revenues: $152.5 million

Capital

Bujumbura

Climate

equatorial; high plateau with considerable altitude variation (772 m to 2,670 m above sea level); 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)

Constitution

13 March 1992; provided for establishment of a plural political system; supplanted on 20 October 2004 by a provisional constitution approved by the parliament which extended the transition; a 28 February 2005 popular referendum ratified the new constitution which set ethnic quotas for government positions, and tentatively scheduled general elections for April 2005

Country name

conventional long form: Republic of Burundi
conventional short form: Burundi
former: Urundi
local long form: Republika y'u Burundi
local short form: Burundi

Currency (code)

Burundi franc (BIF)

Currency code

BIF

Current account balance

$-59.5 million (2004 est.)

Death rate

17.43 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Debt - external

$1.133 billion (2002)

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador James Howard YELLIN
embassy: Avenue des Etats-Unis, Bujumbura
FAX: [257] 222926
mailing address: B. P. 1720, Bujumbura
telephone: [257] 223454

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery: Suite 212, 2233 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007
chief of mission: Ambassador Antoine NTAMOBWA
FAX: [1] (202) 342-2578
telephone: [1] (202) 342-2574

Disputes - international

Tutsi, Hutu, other conflicting ethnic groups, associated political rebels, armed gangs, and various government forces continue fighting in the Great Lakes region, transcending the boundaries of Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda in an effort to gain control over populated and natural resource areas; government heads pledge to end conflict, but localized violence continues despite the presence of about 6,000 peacekeepers from the UN Operation in Burundi (ONUB) since 2004; although some 150,000 Burundian refugees have been repatriated, as of February 2005, Burundian refugees still reside in camps in western Tanzania as well as the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Distribution of family income - Gini index

42.5 (1998)

Economic aid - recipient

$92.7 million (2000)

Economy - overview

Burundi is a landlocked, resource-poor country with an underdeveloped manufacturing sector. The economy is predominantly agricultural with roughly 90% of the population dependent on subsistence agriculture. Economic growth depends on coffee and tea exports, which account for 90% of foreign exchange earnings. The ability to pay for imports, therefore, rests primarily on weather conditions and international coffee and tea prices. The Tutsi minority, 14% of the population, dominates the government and the coffee trade at the expense of the Hutu majority, 85% of the population. Since October 1993 an ethnic-based war has resulted in more than 200,000 deaths, forced 450,000 refugees into Tanzania, and displaced 140,000 others internally. Doubts about the prospects for sustainable peace continue to impede development. Only one in two children go to school, and approximately one in ten adults has HIV/AIDS. Food, medicine, and electricity remain in short supply.

Electricity - consumption

137.8 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports

15 million kWh; note - supplied by the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2002)

Electricity - production

132 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel: 0.6%
hydro: 99.4%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Elevation extremes

highest point: 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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Ethnic groups

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

Exchange rates

Burundi francs per US dollar - 1,100.91 (2004), 1,082.62 (2003), 930.75 (2002), 830.35 (2001), 720.67 (2000)

Executive branch

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by president
chief of state: President Domitien NDAYIZEYE (since 30 April 2003); note - NDAYIZEYE, a Hutu, was sworn in as president for the second half of the three-year transitional government inaugurated on 1 November 2001; Vice President Frederic NGENZEBUHORO (since 11 November 2004)
elections: NA; current president assumed power on 30 April 2003 as part of the transitional government established by the 2000 Arusha Accord; note - next presidential election is scheduled for 22 April 2005
head of government: President Domitien NDAYIZEYE (since 30 April 2003); note - NDAYIZEYE, a Hutu, was sworn in as president for the second half of the three-year transitional government inaugurated on 1 November 2001; Vice President Frederic NGENZEBUHORO (since 11 November 2004)

Exports

$31.84 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities

coffee, tea, sugar, cotton, hides

Exports - partners

Germany 19.6%, Belgium 8.2%, Pakistan 6.7%, US 5.6%, Rwanda 5.6%, Thailand 5.4% (2004)

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications Burundi

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) Economy Burundi

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 48.1%
industry: 19%
services: 32.9% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $600 (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

3% (2004 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$4.001 billion (2004 est.)

Geographic coordinates

3 30 S, 30 00 E

Geography - note

landlocked; straddles crest of the Nile-Congo watershed; the Kagera, which drains into Lake Victoria, is the most remote headstream of the White Nile People Burundi

Government type

republic

Highways

paved: 1,028 km
total: 14,480 km
unpaved: 13,452 km (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

6% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

25,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

250,000 (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 1.8% highest 10%: 32.9% (1998)

Imports

$138.2 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities

capital goods, petroleum products, foodstuffs

Imports - partners

Kenya 13.7%, Tanzania 11.2%, US 8.9%, Belgium 8.5%, France 8.4%, Italy 6%, Uganda 5.6%, Japan 4.6%, Germany 4.5% (2004)

Independence

1 July 1962 (from UN trusteeship under Belgian administration)

Industrial production growth rate

18% (2001)

Industries

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

Infant mortality rate

female: 62.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
male: 75.87 deaths/1,000 live births
total: 69.29 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

8.5% (2004 est.)

International organization participation

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, CEPGL, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (subscriber), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Internet country code

.bi

Internet hosts

22 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

1 (2000)

Internet users

14,000 (2003) Transportation Burundi

Investment (gross fixed)

10.7% of GDP (2004 est.)

Irrigated land

740 sq km (1998 est.)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Constitutional Court; Courts of Appeal (there are three in separate locations); Tribunals of First Instance (17 at the province level and 123 small local tribunals)

Labor force

2.99 million (2002)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 93.6%, industry 2.3%, services 4.1% (2002 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: 35.05%
other: 50.93% (2001)
permanent crops: 14.02%

Languages

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

Legal system

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

Legislative branch

bicameral, consists of a National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (expanded from 121 to approximately 140 seats under the transitional government inaugurated 1 November 2001; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and a Senate (54 seats; term length is undefined, the current senators will likely serve out the three-year transition period)
election results: percent of vote by party - FRODEBU 71.04%, UPRONA 21.4%, other 7.56%; seats by party - FRODEBU 65, UPRONA 16, civilians 27, other parties 13
elections: last held 29 June 1993 (next was scheduled to be held in 1998, but was suspended by presidential decree in 1996; elections are currently planned to be held by April 2005)

Life expectancy at birth

female: 50.99 years (2005 est.)
male: 49.61 years
total population: 50.29 years

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
female: 45.2% (2003 est.) Government Burundi
male: 58.5%
total population: 51.6%

Location

Central Africa, east of Democratic Republic of the Congo

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: malaria (2004)

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 1,379,793 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 693,956 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually

males: 84,597 (2005 est.)

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Median age

female: 16.95 years (2005 est.)
male: 16.27 years
total: 16.6 years

Military branches

National Defense Force (Forces de Defense Nationales, FDN): Army (includes Naval Detachment and Air Wing), National Gendarmerie (2005)

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$38.7 million (2004)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

6% (2004) Transnational Issues Burundi

Military service age and obligation

16 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service (2001)

National holiday

Independence Day, 1 July (1962)

Nationality

adjective: Burundian
noun: Burundian(s)

Natural hazards

flooding, landslides, drought

Natural resources

nickel, uranium, rare earth oxides, peat, cobalt, copper, platinum, vanadium, arable land, hydropower, niobium, tantalum, gold, tin, tungsten, kaolin, limestone

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption

2,750 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

NA

Oil - imports

NA

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Political parties and leaders

the three national, mainstream, governing parties are: Unity for National Progress or UPRONA [Jean-Baptiste MANWANGARI, secretary general]; Burundi Democratic Front or FRODEBU [Jean MINANI, president]; National Council for the Defense of Democracy, Front for the Defense of Democracy of CNDD-FDD [Pierre NKURUNZIZA, president] note: a multiparty system was introduced after 1998, included are: National Resistance Movement for the Rehabilitation of the Citizen or MRC-Rurenzangemero [Epitace BANYAGANAKANDI]; Party for National Redress or PARENA [Jean-Baptiste BAGAZA]

Political pressure groups and leaders

loosely organized Hutu and Tutsi militias, often affiliated with Hutu and Tutsi extremist parties or subordinate to government security forces

Population

6,370,609 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 2005 est.)

Population below poverty line

68% (2002 est.)

Population growth rate

2.22% (2005 est.)

Ports and harbors