About
Burundi's first democratically elected president was assassinated in October 1993
after only one hundred days in office, triggering widespread ethnic violence between Hutu and Tutsi factions. Over 200,000
Burundians perished during the conflict that spanned almost a dozen years. Hundreds of thousands of Burundians were internally
displaced or became refugees in neighboring countries. An internationally brokered power-sharing agreement between the
Tutsi-dominated government and the Hutu rebels in 2003 paved the way for a transition process that led to an integrated
defense force, established a new constitution in October 2004, and elected a majority Hutu government in 2005. The new
government, led by President Pierre NKURUNZIZA, faces many challenges, particularly from the country's last rebel group who
remains outside of the peace process and continue attacks in the western provinces of Burundi
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Source: The World Factbook
Population: 6,370,609
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.)
Capital: Bujumbura
Languages: Kirundi (official), French
(official), Swahili (along Lake Tanganyika and in the Bujumbura area)
Religions: Christian 67% (Roman Catholic 62%, Protestant 5%), indigenous beliefs 23%, Muslim 10%
Government: republic
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
Terrain: hilly and
mountainous, dropping to a plateau in east, some plains
Geography: landlocked; straddles crest of the Nile-Congo watershed; the Kagera, which drains into Lake Victoria, is the most
remote headstream of the White Nile
Ethnic groups: Hutu (Bantu) 85%, Tutsi (Hamitic) 14%, Twa (Pygmy) 1%, Europeans 3,000, South Asians
2,000
Economy: Burundi is a landlocked, resource-poor country with
an underdeveloped manufacturing sector. The economy is predominantly agricultural with more than 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. 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. Political stability and
the end of the civil war have improved aid flows and economic activity has increased, but underlying weaknesses - a high
poverty rate, poor education rates, a weak legal system, and low administrative capacity - risk undermining planned economic
reforms.
GDP per capita: purchasing power parity - $700 (2005 est.)
GDP real growth: 5.5% (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA
Internet country code: .bi
Dial code: +257
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Local currency is the Burundi Franc
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