Burundi

Burundi

AREA	27,834 sq km (10,747 sq miles).
POPULATION	6,088,000 (1996).
POPULATION DENSITY	218.7 per sq km.
CAPITAL	Bujumbura
CAPITAL POPULATION	300,000 (1993).
GEOGRAPHY	Burundi is a land-locked country in the heart of Africa, a little south of the equator, on the eastern shore of lake Tanganyika. It is bordered by Rwanda to the north, by Tanzania to the south and by the Democratic Republic of Congo to the west. The interior is a broken plateau sloping east to Tanzania and the valley of the River Malagarasi. The southern tributary of the Nile system rises in the south of the country. The landscape is characterised by hills and valleys covered with eucalyptus trees, banana groves, cultivated fields and pasture. In the east, the fertile area gives way to savannah grassland, and tea and coffee are now grown on mountainsides.
GOVERNMENT	Republic. Gained independence from Belgium in 1966. Head of State: President Pierre Buyoya since 1996. Head of Government: Prime Minister Pascal-Firmin Ndimira since 1996.
LANGUAGE	The official languages are French and Kirundi, a Bantu language. Swahili and English are also spoken.
RELIGION	Mainly Roman Catholic; there are Anglican and Pentecostalist minorities. Local animist beliefs are held by a significant minority. There is also a small Muslim community.
STANDARD TIME	GMT + 2.
ELECTRICITY	220 volts AC, 50Hz.

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