Burundi
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| Repyblika y'u Burundi République du Burundi Republic of Burundi |
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| Motto: "Ubumwe, Ibikorwa, Iterambere" (Kirundi) "Unité, Travail, Progrès" (French) "Unity, Work, Progress" 1 |
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| Anthem: Burundi bwacu | ||||||
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| Capital (and largest city) |
Bujumbura |
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| Official languages | Kirundi, French | |||||
| Government | Republic | |||||
| - | President | Pierre Nkurunziza | ||||
| Independence | from Belgium | |||||
| - | Date | July 1, 1962 | ||||
| Area | ||||||
| - | Total | 27,830 km² (246th) 10,745 sq mi |
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| - | Water (%) | 7.8% | ||||
| Population | ||||||
| - | 2005 estimate | 7,548,000 (94th) | ||||
| - | 1978 census | 3,589,434 | ||||
| - | Density | 206.1 /km² (43rd) 533.8 /sq mi |
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| GDP (PPP) | 2003 estimate | |||||
| - | Total | 4,5172 (142) | ||||
| - | Per capita | US $739 (163) | ||||
| HDI (2004) |  0.384 (low) (169th) |
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| Currency | Burundi franc (FBu) (BIF) |
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| Time zone | CAT (UTC+2) | |||||
| - | Summer (DST) | not observed (UTC+2) | ||||
| Internet TLD | .bi | |||||
| Calling code | +257 | |||||
| 1 | Before 1966, "Ganza Sabwa". | |||||
| 2 | Estimate is based on regression; other PPP figures are extrapolated from the latest International Comparison Programme benchmark estimates. | |||||
Burundi (IPA: /buɾundi/), officially the Republic of Burundi, is a small country in the Great Lakes region of Africa. 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. French though is also an offical language.
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.
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[edit] History
The earliest inhabitants of the area were the Twa. They were largely replaced and absorbed by Bantu tribes during Bantu migrations.
Burundi existed as an independent kingdom from the sixteenth 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 seventeenth 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 similar amounts 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.
[edit] Genocide and mass killings
There was a well prepared genocide against Hutu population in Burundi in 1972 and more than 500,000 Hutu and some few moderate Tutsi died. Those who participated into that genocide are free after the current government of Burundi continue to urge all the people to forgive each other on all the killings that have been happening in the past. There have been other mass killings against Hutu population in Burundi, like in 1988, when the government striked innocent civilians with in the region of Ntenga and Marangara in Burundi. And when there came a democratically elected president (Ndandaye Melchior), he was assassinated by the Tutsi extremists. His assassination was followed by a long civil war which killed a lot of people, both Hutu and Tutsi. The same civil war made other more people refugees outside Burundi and others displaced within Burundi. In general, in Burundi, Hutu have been vulnerable target of more mass killings and the Genocide organized by the former governments of Burundi. The current government makes a difference in such way that it is made up of both Hutu and Tutsi. And the Military is made up of both former Hutu rebels and former Tutsi government soldiers. Many people in Burundi have now expectations of living in a country without war any more.
[edit] Politics
The politics of Burundi take 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.
Decades of ethnic violence makes the achievement of political and social harmony difficult, as is evident in the reports of seminars of ministers of religion and teachers on the prospects for a 'nonkilling society' conducted in 2005-2006 by Fondation chirezi
[edit] Administrative divisions
Burundi is divided into seventeen provinces, 117 communes, and 2,638 collines. The capital city, Bujumbura, has by far the largest population. Smaller cities of Burundi include Gitega, Muyinga, Ngozi and Ruyigi.
The provinces are Bubanza, Bujumbura Mairie, Bujumbura Rural, Bururi, Cankuzo, Cibitoke, Gitega, Karuzi, Kayanza, Kirundo, Makamba, Muramvya, Muyinga, Mwaro, Ngozi, Rutana, and Ruyigi.
[edit] Geography
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[1]. 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.
[edit] 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. [2]
[edit] Demographics
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 people 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%). However, The Anglican Church of Burundi [3] claims over 10% of the population as members and recent reports indicate the Christian population may be as high as 90% with most of the remainder being Muslim. [4]. Care should therefore be taken with these statistics.
The official languages are Kirundi and French, although Swahili is spoken along the eastern border.
[edit] Culture
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This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please discuss this issue on the talk page or replace this tag with a more specific message. This article has been tagged since March 2007. |
- See also: Music of Burundi
- and List of writers from Burundi
The culture of Burundi is related to that of neighboring countries and its prominence has been limited by the civil war. The Master Drummers of Burundi are the most famous performing group from the nation, and football (soccer) is the most popular sport.
Burundian people are generally thought to be quiet and reserved. It is often said that you can offend a Burundian or even cheat him and even if he knows you are cheating him, he will never tell you. In their traditional philosophy anyone talking too much is not considered to be intelligent.
Although Burundians are not traditionaly involved in popular music, it is gaining popularity among the younger generation. Burundi is having one of the best drum beating in the world and many tourists enjoy that.
Burundians enjoy fish from lake Tanganyika. Umukeke is the favorite fish for both Burundians and tourists. They like eating bananas, cassava flour, etc. Most Burundians start the day with a cup of tea, then lunch which is followed by siesta and supper in the evening although some have more meals a day.
Some words like sexual parts of the body are not easy to talk for Burundians. They do not tolerate obscenity.
[edit] See also
- List of Burundi-related topics
- Association des Scouts du Burundi
- Communications in Burundi
- Fondation chirezi
- Foreign relations of Burundi
- Military of Burundi
- Transport in Burundi
[edit] References
- Much of the material in these articles comes from the CIA World Factbook 2000 and the 2003 U.S. Department of State website.
- This article contains material from the US Department of State's Background Notes which, as a US government publication, is in the public domain.
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[edit] Further reading
- Burundi: Ethnic Conflict and Genocide Reni Lemarchand and Lee H. Hamilton
[edit] External links
| Find more information on Burundi by searching Wikipedia's sister projects | |
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Dictionary definitions from Wiktionary |
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Textbooks from Wikibooks |
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Quotations from Wikiquote |
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Source texts from Wikisource |
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News stories from Wikinews |
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Learning resources from Wikiversity |
- Government
- Official government website (in French)
- News
- allAfrica - Burundi
- IRIN News for Burundi, from the United Nations
- Agence Burundaise de Presse (ABP) (in French)
- Radio Isanganiro Burundi's independent radio station, one of the few independent sources of daily news in Burundi. You can listen online in French and Kirundi.
- umuco.com Burundian-run news site, with detailed news and analysis, mainly in French
- Burundi Réalités News and analysis, French&English
- Burundi Agnews info News and analysis, Kirundi&French&English
- Overviews
- Rural poverty in Burundi (IFAD)
- BBC News - Country Profile: Burundi
- CIA World Factbook entry on Burundi
- Encyclopaedia Britannica's Burundi Country Page
- Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports regarding Burundi
- Directories
- Open Directory Project - Burundi directory category
- Stanford University - Africa South of the Sahara: Burundi directory category
- University of Pennsylvania - African Studies Center: Burundi directory category
- Yahoo! - Burundi directory category
- Tourism
- Burundi travel guide from Wikitravel
- L'Afrique.com - Photographs of and articles about Burundi
- Other
- Burundian Human Rights Organisation "Ligue Iteka" - with up-to-date news in English and French
- Human Rights Watch reports on Burundi
- Woodrow Wilson Center Reports on Burundi
- Human Rights Watch special report on the August 2004 Gatumba massacre
- Links to political analyses from 1998 on by the International Crisis Group
- Reuters Alertnet - Burundi humanitarian news
- Burundi's location on a 3D globe (Java)
- Updated humanitarian news from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
- Transcend Africa Network to bring peace to regions of Africa
- UNESCO Nairobi office on HIV/AIDS in Burundi
- UNESCO Nairobi office on education in Burundi
- UNESCO Nairobi Office - Fact Book on Education For All, Burundi 2006
- More detailed map from UNHCR
