Facts About Burundi

Burundi, officially known as the ‘Republic of Burundi’ is a country located in the Great Lakes region in the continent of Africa. Burundi has for its neighbors the countries of Tanzania to the east and the south, the Democratic Republic of Congo to the west and the country of Rwanda in the north. Bujumbura, the largest city in Burundi makes for the country’s capital. Burundi, although being a landlocked country is fortunate enough to have its southwestern border just around the Lake Tanganyika. The country along with Rwanda at the turn of the 20^th Century was ruled by Germany and Belgium and the region back then was known as Ruanda-Urundi. The country in a few decades managed to gain independence, but sadly only found itself in a horrendous civil war that broke out between the Hutu and Tutsi people of the region. Burundi at present is a presidential representative democratic republic that’s headed by President Pierre Nkurunziza. Dive deeper into this article to know more on the country of Burundi.

Image: By Dave Proffer (Lake Tanganyika) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Fun And Interesting Facts About Burundi

The country of Burundi is located in Central Africa, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Burundi, in terms of geographical area occupied, is only slightly smaller than the American state of Maryland.
The highest point in Burundi is Mount Heha. It stands tall at a height of 2,670 m. Lake Tanganyika at a paltry elevation of 772 m makes for the lowest point in Burundi.
Kirundi and French are the official languages of Burundi. The country’s motto "Ubumwe, Ibikorwa, Iterambere" in Kirundi means "Unity, Work, Progress". The motto of the country is also expressed in French - "Unité, Travail, Progrès".
Burundian is the demonym used for the people from Burundi, in other words, people from the country are called Burundians.
The landscape in Burundi is distinguished by its hills and valleys covered with banana plantations, eucalyptus trees, fertile pastures and cultivated trees. However, the country’s east with its savannah grasslands stands in direct contrast to its fertile areas.
July 1, 1962 is an important day for the Burundians and that’s because this was the day when the country gained its independence from Belgium.
Although Kirundi and French are the official languages of the country of Burundi, Swahili remains a language that’s spoken commonly all over the country.
The Burundi franc (FBu) (BIF) is the official currency of Burundi.
Did you know that soon after Burundi gained independence from Belgium, the mountainous country enjoyed the distinction of being one of the first black republics in the world?
Burundi being a country that’s blessed with an abundance of tea and coffee plantations has for its single highest revenue earning economic activity the cultivation and sale of coffee.
Did you know that agriculture in Burundi amounts to more than 60% of the country’s GDP?
Burundi’s first democratically elected President was assassinated in October 1993 after only a hundred days in office. Sadly, since then almost 200,000 Burundians have lost their lives to the violence that spiraled between the Tutsi and Hutu factions.
For natural resources Burundi is blessed with varying amounts of uranium, rare earth oxides, nickel, copper, vanadium, limestone, tungsten, gold, tin, niobium, and tantalum.
Burundi is blessed with an abundance of wildlife and greenery too. Its countryside boasts of myriad plant and animal species that include crocodiles, antelopes, antelopes, and hippopotamuses.

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