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NAVIGATION
Republic of Burundi
Republika y'u Burundi
INTRODUCTION
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Background:
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Burundi's first democratically elected president was assassinated in October 1993 after only four months 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. Burundian troops, seeking to secure their borders, intervened in the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1998. More recently, many of these troops have been redeployed back to Burundi to deal with periodic upsurges in rebel activity. A new transitional government, inaugurated on 1 November 2001, was to be the first step towards holding national elections in three years. However, the unwillingness of the Hutu rebels to enact a cease fire with Bujumbura continues to obstruct prospects for a sustainable peace. |
GEOGRAPHY
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Location:
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Central Africa, east of Democratic Republic of the Congo |
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Geographic coordinates:
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3 30 S, 30 00 E |
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Map references:
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Africa |
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Area:
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total: 27,830 sq km
water: 2,180 sq km land: 25,650 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than Maryland |
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Land boundaries:
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total: 974 km
border countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo 233 km, Rwanda 290 km, Tanzania 451 km |
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Coastline:
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0 km (landlocked) |
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Maritime claims:
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none (landlocked) |
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Climate:
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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 |
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Terrain:
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hilly and mountainous, dropping to a plateau in east, some plains |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Lake Tanganyika 772 m
highest point: Mount Heha 2,670 m |
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Natural resources:
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nickel, uranium, rare earth oxides, peat, cobalt, copper, platinum (not yet exploited), vanadium, arable land, hydropower |
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Land use:
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arable land: 29.98%
permanent crops: 12.85% other: 57.17% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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740 sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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flooding, landslides, drought |
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Environment - current issues:
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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 |
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Environment - international agreements:
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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, Nuclear Test Ban |
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Geography - note:
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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
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Population:
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6,373,002
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 2002 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 46.5% (male 1,497,865; female 1,466,455)
15-64 years: 50.7% (male 1,592,253; female 1,640,254) 65 years and over: 2.8% (male 71,915; female 104,260) (2002 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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2.36% (2002 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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39.87 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Death rate:
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16.3 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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69.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 45.94 years
female: 46.83 years (2002 est.) male: 45.08 years |
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Total fertility rate:
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6.07 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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11.32% (1999 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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360,000 (1999 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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39,000 (1999 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun: Burundian(s)
adjective: Burundi |
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Ethnic groups:
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Hutu (Bantu) 85%, Tutsi (Hamitic) 14%, Twa (Pygmy) 1%, Europeans 3,000, South Asians 2,000 |
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Religions:
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Christian 67% (Roman Catholic 62%, Protestant 5%), indigenous beliefs 23%, Muslim 10% |
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Languages:
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Kirundi (official), French (official), Swahili (along Lake Tanganyika and in the Bujumbura area) |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 35.3% male: 49.3% female: 22.5% (1995 est.) |