Learn 33 interesting facts about the African country of Burundi including her geography, history, climate, people, and government. It is important to see beyond what a tourist usually sees and understand Burundi culture, economy, and her people. Make an effort to learn as much about Africa and Burundi as you can learn an African country a day to demonstrate your willingness to learn as well as a respect for the culture.
What is Burundi known for?
1. Burundi goes by
three names; her official name is the Republic of Burundi, short name Burundi and her
local name is Republique y'u Burundi.
2. Former name of
Burundi was Urundi derived from the pre-colonial Kingdom of Burundi in the
17th-19th centuries.
3. Burundi is the most
population-dense country in Africa. There is an average of 248 people per
square mile and the population is growing rapidly at nearly 3% each year.
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| Batwa Woman Prepping Clay to Make Pots in Murwi, Burundi |
4. Burundi is a landlocked country in the African Great Lakes region of East Africa, bordered
by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south, and the Democratic
Republic of the Congo to the west.
5. Burundi’s capital is
Bujumbura with a population of 751,000 that is slightly larger than the total the population of North Dakota.
6. Burundi’s total the population is 10.7 million (2015 World Bank).
7. There is no citizenship
by birth, citizenship is by descent only, and the father must be a citizen of
Burundi.
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| Smiling baby boy in Murwi, Burundi |
8. The national symbol is a
lion.
9. Burundi’s national
colors are red, white, and green.
10. In Burundi
45.64% of the population is age 0-14 years, the average age for males is 17
years and females 16.8 years old.
11. Kirundi spoken
by 29.7% is an official language along with French spoken by 0.3%, nearly 56.9%
of Burundi’s languages are not classified.
12. Ethnic groups
in Burundi are Hutu (Bantu) 85%, Tutsi (Hamitic) 14%, Twa (Pygmy) 1%, Europeans
3,000, South Asians 2,000
13. Religions Catholic
62.1%, Protestant 23.9%, Muslim 2.5%, other 3.6%, unspecified 7.9% (2008 World
Bank).
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| Visually impaired men in Burundi |
14. Burundi and
Rwanda dispute two sq km (0.8 sq mi) of Sabanerwa, a farmed area in the
Rukurazi Valley where the Akanyaru/Kanyaru River shifted its course southward
after heavy rains in 1965.
15. The size of
Burundi is 27,816 sq km area slightly smaller than Maryland.
16. Its lowest point
is Lake Tanganyika 772 m, the highest point is Mount Heha 2,670 m.
17. Burundi has two
wet seasons from February to May and September to November, and two dry seasons
from June to August and December to January.
18. Agriculture
accounts for over 40% of GDP and employs more than 90% of the population in
Burundi.
19. Burundi's
primary exports are coffee and tea, which account for 90% of foreign exchange
earnings.
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| Curing onions after harvest in Bujumbura, Burundi |
20. Foreign aid
in 2014 represented 42% of Burundi's national income, the second highest rate
in Sub-Saharan Africa.
21. Burundi’s Independence
Day is July 1, 1962, from UN trusteeship under Belgian administration.
22. Burundi’s
type of government is a presidential republic.
23. Burundi has
been plagued by ongoing civil war for the past 15 years.
24. More than
200,000 Burundians perished during the conflict that spanned almost a dozen
years.
25. Burundi's
first democratically elected president was assassinated in October 1993 after
only 100 days in office.
26. Pierre
Nkurunziza, a former Hutu rebel leader, became the first president to be chosen
in democratic elections since the start of Burundi's civil war in 1994.
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| Road between Burundi Gitega and Bujumbura |
27. The
government of President Pierre Nkurunziza, who was reelected in 2010 and again
in a heavily disputed election in 2015, continues to face many political and
economic challenges.
28. Burundi’s legal
system is a mixed legal system of Belgian civil law and customary law.
29. Burundi is
one of the red zone countries identified as being among
the most affected by soaring food prices throughout the world.
30. Burundi, like
much of Central Africa, is also prone to natural disasters. Floods, hailstorms,
drought and torrential rain are recurrent in Burundi.
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| Burundi national football team Intamba m’Urugamba |
32. The Burundi national
football (soccer) teams Intamba m’Urugamba are nicknamed Les Hirondelles dans
la guerre or The Swallows in the War.
33. Urubugu or mancala
is an ancient ball and pit board game popular among Burundians of all ages.
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