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Burundi

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: African Countries;
Countries

   SOS Children works in Burundi. For more information see SOS Children in
   Burundi, Africa
   Republika y'u Burundi
   République du Burundi
   Republic of Burundi

   Flag of Burundi Coat of arms of Burundi
   Flag            Coat of arms
   Motto: "Ubumwe, Ibikorwa, Iterambere"  ( Kirundi)
   "Unité, Travail, Progrès"  (French)
   "Unity, Work, Progress" ^1
   Anthem: Burundi bwacu
   Location of Burundi
   Capital
   (and largest city) Bujumbura
   3°30′S 30°00′E
   Official languages Kirundi, French
   Government Republic
    - President Pierre Nkurunziza
   Independence from Belgium
    - Date July 1, 1962
   Area
    - Total 27,830 km² ( 146th)
   10,745 sq mi
    - Water (%) 7.8%
   Population
    - 2005 estimate 7,548,000 ( 94th)
    - 1978 census 3,589,434
    - Density 206.1/km² ( 43rd)
   533.8/sq mi
   GDP ( PPP) 2003 estimate
    - Total 4,517 ^2 ( 142)
    - Per capita US $739 ( 163)
   HDI  (2004) 0.384 (low) ( 169th)
   Currency Burundi franc (FBu) ( BIF)
   Time zone CAT ( UTC+2)
    - Summer ( DST) not observed ( UTC+2)
   Internet TLD .bi
   Calling code +257
   ^1 1966 Before from "Ganza Sabwa".
   ^2 Estimate is based on regression; other PPP figures are extrapolated
   from the latest International Comparison Programme benchmark estimates.

   'Burundi ( IPA: /bəˈɹʊndɪ/), officially the Republic of Burundi, is a
   small country in the Great Lakes region of Africa. The former name was
   Urundi-Ubrundi-Bruwanda. Urundi is the shortened form of "Urundi
   Rwanda" ("The other Rwanda"), as the Belgian colonial powers formerly
   referred to the territory. It is bordered by Rwanda on the north,
   Tanzania on the south and east, and the Democratic Republic of the
   Congo on the west. Although the country is landlocked, much of its
   western border is adjacent to Lake Tanganyika. The country's modern
   name is derived from its Bantu language, Kirundi.

   Geographically isolated, facing population pressures and having sparse
   resources, Burundi is one of the poorest and most conflict-ridden
   countries in Africa and in the world. Its small size belies the
   magnitude of the problems it faces in reconciling the claims of the
   Tutsi minority with the Hutu majority.

History

   The earliest inhabitants of the area were Pygmy peoples. They were
   largely replaced and absorbed by Bantu tribes during Bantu migrations.
   Burundi existed as an independent kingdom from the 16th century. In
   1903, it became a German colony and passed to Belgium in World War I.
   It was part of the Belgian League of Nations mandate of Ruanda-Urundi
   in 1923, later a United Nations Trust Territory under Belgian
   administrative authority following World War II. The origins of Burundi
   monarchy are veiled in myth. According to some legends, Ntare Rushatsi,
   founder of the original dynasty, came to Burundi from Rwanda in 17th
   century; other, more reliable sources, suggest that Ntare came from
   Buha, in the south-east, and laid the foundation for his kingdom in the
   Nkoma region.

   Until the downfall of the monarchy in 1966, kingship remained one of
   last links that bound Burundi with its past.

   From independence in 1962, until the elections of 1993, Burundi was
   controlled by a series of military dictators, all from the Tutsi
   minority. These years saw extensive ethnic violence including major
   incidents in 1964 and the late 1980s, and the Burundian genocide in
   1972. In 1993, Burundi held its first democratic elections, which were
   won by the Hutu-dominated Front for Democracy in Burundi (FRODEBU).
   FRODEBU leader Melchior Ndadaye became Burundi's first Hutu President,
   but a few months later he was assassinated by a group of Tutsi army
   officers. The killing plunged Burundi into a vicious civil war.

   In retaliation for Ndadaye's killing, Hutu extremists massacred
   thousands of Tutsi civilians. The Tutsi-dominated army responded by
   massacring hundreds of thousands of Hutus. Years of instability
   followed until 1996, when former president Pierre Buyoya took power in
   a coup. In August 2000, a peace-deal agreed by all but two of Burundi's
   political groups laid out a timetable for the restoration of democracy.
   After several more years of violence, a cease-fire was signed in 2003
   between Buyoya's government and the largest Hutu rebel group, CNDD-FDD.
   Later that year, FRODEBU leader Domitien Ndayizeye replaced Buyoya as
   President. Yet the most extreme Hutu group, Palipehutu-FNL (commonly
   known as "FNL"), continued to refuse negotiations. In August 2004, the
   group massacred 152 Congolese Tutsi refugees at the Gatumba refugee
   camp in western Burundi. In response to the attack, the Burundian
   government issued arrest warrants for the FNL leaders Agathon Rwasa and
   Pasteur Habimana, and declared the group a terrorist organisation.

   In May 2005 a cease-fire was finally agreed between the FNL and the
   Burundian government, but fighting continued. Renewed negotiations are
   now under way, amid fears that the FNL will demand a blanket amnesty in
   exchange for laying down their arms. A series of elections, held in
   mid-2005 were won by the former Hutu rebel National Council for the
   Defense of Democracy-Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD-FDD). On
   September 7, 2006, a second ceasefire agreement was signed.

Politics

   Pierre Nkurunziza, president of Burundi
   Enlarge
   Pierre Nkurunziza, president of Burundi

   Politics of Burundi takes place in a framework of a transitional
   presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President
   of Burundi is both head of state and head of government, and of a
   pluriform multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the
   government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the
   two chambers of parliament, the Senate and the National Assembly. The
   President has officially called a cease-fire between the two warring
   parties in the civil war.

Administrative Divisions

   Burundi is divided into 17 provinces, 117 communes, and 2,638 colonies.
   The capital city, Bujumbura, has by far the largest population. Smaller
   cities of Burundi include Gitega, Muyinga, Ngozi and Ruyigi.

   The provinces include: Bubanza, Bujumbura Mairie, Bujumbura Rural,
   Bururi, Cankuzo, Cibitoke, Gitega, Karuzi, Kayanza, Kirundo, Makamba,
   Muramvya, Muyinga, Mwaro, Ngozi, Rutana, and Ruyigi

   Communes: See Communes of Burundi

   Collines: See Collines of Burundi

Geography

   Map of Burundi
   Enlarge
   Map of Burundi
   Satellite image of Burundi, generated from raster graphics data
   supplied by The Map Library
   Enlarge
   Satellite image of Burundi, generated from raster graphics data
   supplied by The Map Library
   NASA photo of the Bujumbura region
   Enlarge
   NASA photo of the Bujumbura region
   Satellite image of Burundi & the surrounding region
   Enlarge
   Satellite image of Burundi & the surrounding region

   Burundi is a landlocked country with an equatorial climate. Called "The
   heart of Africa" it lies on a rolling plateau, with Lake Tanganyika in
   its south west corner. The average elevation of the central plateau is
   5,600 feet, with lower elevations at the borders. The highest peak,
   Mount Karonje, at 8,809 feet (2,685 m), lies to the southeast of the
   capital, Bujumbura. The southeastern and southern borders are at
   roughly 4,500 feet (1,370 m). A strip of land along the Ruzizi River,
   north of Lake Tanganyika, is the only area below 3,000 feet (915 m):
   this area forms part of the Albertine Rift, the western extension of
   the Great Rift Valley.

   The land is mostly agricultural or pasture, the creation of which has
   led to deforestation, soil erosion and habitat loss. Deforestation of
   the entire country is almost complete due to overpopulation, with a
   mere 60,000 hectares remaining and an ongoing loss of about nine
   percent per annum . There are two national parks, Kibira National Park
   to the northwest (a small region of montane rainforest, adjacent to
   Nyungwe Forest National Park in Rwanda), Rurubu National Park to the
   north east (along the Rurubu River, also known as Ruvubu or Ruvuvu).

   The farthest headstream of the Nile is in Burundi. Although Lake
   Victoria is commonly considered to be the source of the Nile, the
   Kagera River flows for 429 miles (690 km) before reaching Lake
   Victoria. The source of the Ruvyironza River, an upper branch of the
   Kagera River, is at Mount Kikizi in Burundi.

Economy

   Burundi's largest industry is agriculture, which accounted for 58% of
   GDP in 1997. Coffee is the nation's biggest revenue earner with 78% of
   all exported goods. Other agriculture products include cotton, tea,
   maize, sorghum, sweet potatoes, bananas (of which Burundi is one of the
   world's ten largest producers), manioc (tapioca); beef, milk, and
   hides. Besides agriculture, other industries include light consumer
   goods such as blankets, shoes, soap; assembly of imported components;
   public works construction; food processing. The currency is the
   Burundian franc (BIF).

   Burundi is one of the poorest countries in the world, in terms of GDP
   per capita: US$739 as of 2003. The economy is supported by foreign aid
   from Western Europe and other parts of the world. In 2000 this amount
   reached US$92.7 million. 68% of the population lived below the poverty
   line in 2002. The country's estimated gross domestic product (GDP) was
   US$700 million in 2001. According to the World Food Programme, the
   majority of children aged under 5 (56.8%) suffer from chronic
   malnutrition.

Demographics

   A child in Burundi.
   Enlarge
   A child in Burundi.

   As of July 2006, Burundi is projected to have an estimated population
   of 8,090,068, approximately half of whom are aged 14 or less. This
   estimate explicitly takes into account the effects of AIDS, which has a
   significant effect on the demographics of the country. Roughly 85% of
   the population are of Hutu ethnic origin; most of the remaining
   population are Tutsi, with a minority of Twa ( Pygmy), and a few
   thousand Europeans and South Asians. The population density of around
   315 persons per square kilometre (753/sq. mi) is the second highest in
   Sub-Saharan Africa, behind only Rwanda. The Twa are thought to be the
   original inhabitants of the area, with Hutu and then Tutsi settlers
   arriving in the 1300s and 1400s respectively.

   The largest religion is Roman Catholicism (62%), followed by indigenous
   beliefs (23%) and a minority of Protestants (5%) and Muslims (10%). The
   official languages are Kirundi and French, although Swahili is spoken
   along the eastern border.

   Recent reports indicate the Christian population may be as high as 90%
   with most of the remainder being Muslim.
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burundi"
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   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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