Burundi

republic

Burundi as the 1991 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 67 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalBujumbura

Area27,830 km2

Populationas each edition published it

5.83 million July 1991 · 5.65m in 1990

Population growth% a year

Not in this edition 2.34% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 16.3 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

Not in this edition 40.75 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

6.9 children per woman 1991 · 7 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

109 deaths per 1,000 live births 1991 · 111 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

Not in this edition $205 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

Not in this edition 5% in 1993

Geography

11 fields

Total area

27,830km2

land area: 25,650 km2Comparative area: slightly larger than Maryland

Land boundaries

974km total

Rwanda 290 km, Tanzania 451 km, Zaire 233 km

Climate

temperate;
warm;
occasional frost in uplands

Terrain

mostly rolling to hilly highland; some plains

Natural resources

nickel, uranium, rare earth oxide, peat, cobalt, copper, platinum (not yet exploited), vanadium

Land use

arable land 43%;
permanent crops 8%;
meadows and pastures 35%;
forest and woodland 2%;
other 12%;
includes irrigated NEGL%

Environment

soil exhaustion;
soil erosion;
deforestation

Note

landlocked; straddles crest of the Nile-Congo watershed

People

14 fields

Population

5,831,233

(July 1991), growth rate 3.2% (1991)

Per 1,000 population(1991)

Birth

47Death

15Net migration

Labor force

1,900,000

(1983 est.); agriculture 93.0%, government 4.0%, industry and commerce 1.5%, services 1.5; 52% of population of working age (1985)

Literacy

50%

(male 61%, female 40%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

Ethnic divisions

Africans--Hutu (Bantu) 85%, Tutsi (Hamitic) 14%, Twa (Pygmy) 1%;
other Africans include about 70,000 refugees, mostly Rwandans and Zairians;
non-Africans include about 3,000 Europeans and 2,000 South Asians

Religion

Christian about 67% (Roman Catholic 62%, Protestant 5%). indigenous beliefs 32%, Muslim 1%

Language

Kirundi and French (official); Swahili (along Lake Tanganyika and in the Bujumbura area)

Organized labor

sole group is the Union of Burundi Workers (UTB);
by charter, membership is extended to all Burundi workers (informally);
active membership figures NA

Government

Republic

17 fields

Administrative divisions

15 provinces; Bubanza, Bujumbura, Bururi, Cankuzo, Cibitoke, Gitega, Karuzi, Kayanza, Kirundo, Makamba, Muramvya, Muyinga, Ngozi, Rutana, Ruyigi

Independence

1 July 1962 (from UN trusteeship under Belgian administration)

Constitution

20 November 1981;
suspended following the coup of 3 September 1987;
referendum for a new constitution scheduled for March 1992

Legal system

based on German and Belgian civil codes and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Executive branch

president; chairman of the Central Committee of the National Party of Unity and Progress (UPRONA), prime minister

Legislative branch

unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale) was dissolved following the coup of 3 September 1987;
at an extraordinary party congress held from 27 to 29 December 1990, the Central Committee of the National Party of Unity and Progress (UPRONA) replaced the Military Committee for National Salvation, and became the supreme governing body during the transition to constitutional government

Judicial branch

Supreme Court (Cour Supreme) Chief of State--President Pierre BUYOYA (since 9 September 1987);
Head of Government Prime Minister Adrien SIBOMANA (since 26 October 1988)

Political parties and leaders

only party--National Party of Unity and Progress (UPRONA), President Pierre BUYOYA, chairman, and Nicolas MAYUGI, secretary general

Suffrage

universal adult at age NA National Assembly--dissolved after the coup of 3 September 1987;
note--The National Unity Charter outlining the principles for constitutional government was adopted by a national referendum on 5 February 1991

Member of

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEEAC, CEPGL, ECA, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTERPOL, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Julien KAVAKURE;
Chancery at Suite 212, 2233 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington DC 20007;
telephone (202) 342-2574;
US--Ambassador Cynthia Shepherd PERRY;
Embassy at Avenue du Zaire, Bujumbura (mailing address is B. P. 1720, Avenue des Etats-Unis, Bujumbura);
telephone 234-54 through 56

divided by a white diagonal cross into red panels (top and bottom) and green panels (hoist side and outer side) with a white disk superimposed at the center bearing three red six-pointed stars outlined in green arranged in a triangular design (one star above, two stars below)

Economy

A landlocked, resource-poor country in an early stage of economic development, Burundi is predominately agricultural with only a few basic industries.

16 fields

GDP, purchasing power parity

$1.1billion

per capita $200; real growth rate 1.5% (1989)

Inflation, consumer prices

11.7%

(1989)

External debt

$957million

(December 1990 est.)

Imports $197 million (c.i.f., 1989)commodities, where a share is given

capital goods

31%petroleum products

15%

also foodstuffs, consumer goods; partners--EC 57%, Asia 23%, US 3%

Budget

Revenues

$158 millionExpenditures

$204 million

expenditures, including capital expenditures of $131 million (1989 est.)

Overview

A landlocked, resource-poor country in an early stage of economic development, Burundi is predominately agricultural with only a few basic industries. Its economic health depends on the coffee crop, which accounts for an average 90% of foreign exchange earnings each year. The ability to pay for imports therefore continues to rest largely on the vagaries of the climate and the international coffee market.

Unemployment rate

NA%

Exports

$81 million (f.o.b., 1989);
commodities--coffee 88%, tea, hides, and skins;
partners--EC 83%, US 5%, Asia 2%

Industrial production

real growth rate 5.1% (1986); accounts for about 10% of GDP

Electricity

51,000 kW capacity; 105 million kWh produced, 19 kWh per capita (1989)

Industries

light consumer goods such as blankets, shoes, soap;
assembly of imports;
public works construction;
food processing

Agriculture

accounts for 60% of GDP;
90% of population dependent on subsistence farming;
marginally self-sufficient in food production;
cash crops--coffee, cotton, tea;
food crops--corn, sorghum, sweet potatoes, bananas, manioc;
livestock--meat, milk, hides, and skins

Economic aid

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $71 million;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $10.1 billion;
OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $32 million;
Communist countries (1970-89), $175 million