Maritime claims : none (landlocked)
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 at 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
Elevation extremes :
lowest point : Lake Tanganyika 772 m
highest point : Mount Heha 2,670 m
Natural resources : nickel, uranium, rare
earth oxides, peat, cobalt, copper, platinum (not yet
exploited), vanadium, arable land, hydropower
Land use : arable land : 44%
permanent crops : 9%
permanent pastures : 36%
forests and woodland : 3%
other : 8% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land : 140 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards : flooding, landslides,
drought
Environment - current issues :
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
Environment - international agreements : party to : Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified : Low of the Sea,
Nuclear Test Ban
Geography - note : landlocked; straddles
creast of the Nile-Congo watershed
People
Age structure
:
0-14 years : 46.82% (male
1,472,618; female 1,441,548)
15-64 years : 50.37% (male 1,541,131; female
1,593,743)
65 years and over :
2.81% (male 71,984; female 102,873) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate : 2.38% (2001 est.)
Birth rate : 40.13 births/1,000 population
(2001 est.)
Death rate : 16.36 deaths/1,000 population
(2001 est.)
Net migration rate : 0 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio :
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 : 0.7 male(s)/female
total population : 0.98
male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate : 70.74 deaths/1,000
live births (2001est.)
Life expectancy at birth :
total population : 46.06 years
male : 45.15 years
female
: 46.99 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate : 6.16 children
born/woman (2001 est.)
Nationality :
noun :
Burundian (s)
adjective :
Burundi
Ethnic groups : Hutu (Bantu) 85%, Tutsi
(Hamitic) 14%, Twa (Pygmy) 1%, Europeans 3,000, South
Asians 2,000
Religions : Christian 67% (Roman Catholic 62%,
Protestant 5%), indigenous beliefs 23%, Muslim 10%
Literacy : definition : age 15 and over can
read and write
total population
: 35.3%
male : 49.3%
female : 22.5% (1995 est.)
Government
Government type :
republic
Capital : Bujumbura
Administrative divisions : 16 provinces;
Bubanza, Bujumbura, Bururi, Cankuzo, Cibitoke, Gitega,
Karuzi, Kayanza, Kirundo, Makamba, Muramvya, Muyinga,
Mwaro, Ngozi, Rutana, Ruyigi
Independence : 1 July 1962 (from UN
trusteeship under Belgian administration)
National holiday : Independence Day, 1 July
(1962)
Constitution : 13 March 1992; provided for
establishment of a plural political system; supplanted
on 6 June 1998 by a Transitional Constitution which
enlarged the National Assembly and created two vice
presidents
Legal system : based on German and Belgian
civil codes and customary law; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage : NA years of age; universal
adult
Flag description : divided by a white diagonal
cross into red panels (top and bottom) and green panels
(hoist side and outer side) with a white
disksuperimposed at the center bearing three red
six-pointed stars outlined ingreen in a triangular
design (one star above, two stars below)
Economy
Economy - overview
: Burundi is a landlocked, resource-poor country
with an underdeveloped manufacturing sector. The economy
is predominatly agricultural with roughly 90% of the
population dependent on subsistence agriculture. Its
economic health depends on the coffee crop, which
accounts for 80% of foreign exchange earnings. The
ability to pay for imports therefore rests largely on
the vagaries of the climate and the internatioal coffee
market. Since October 1993 the nation has suffered from
massive ethnic-based violence which has resulted in the
death of perhaps 250,000 persons and the displacement of
about 800,000 others. Foods, medicines, and electricity
remain in short supply.
GDP : purchasing power parity - $4.4 billion
(2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate : 1.8% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita : purchasing power parity -
$720 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector :
agriculture : 50%
industry : 18%
services :
32% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line :
36.2% (1990
est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage
share :
lowest 10% : 3.4%
highest 10% : 26.6% (1992)
Inflation rate (consumer prices ) :
22% (2000
est.)
Labor force : 1.9 million
Labor force - by occupation : NA
Unemployment rate : NA%
Budget :
revenues :
$125 billion
expenditures :
$176 million, including capital expenditure of $NA (2000
est.)
Industries : light consumer goods such as
blankets, shoes, soap; assembly of imported components;
public works construction; food processing
Industrial production growth rate :
6.3% (1999
est.)
Electricity - production : 141 million k Wh
(1999)
