Burundi

Geography

Burundi is a landlocked country in East Africa at the northern end of Lake Tanganyika. The land has a total area of 27,830 km² (10,745 mi²). This land area is approximately 111% of the area of Maryland. Burundi is thus one of the smallest countries in Africa by area and ranked 147th worldwide. With 451 inhabitants per km², it is also one of the most densely populated countries. An exceptionally high proportion of residents (86%) belong to the rural population.

Burundi lies at an average elevation of 1504 m above sea level and is therefore one of the highest countries in the world. The highest mountain peak (Mont Heha) is at 2,670 meters. There is no access to the open sea. There are direct national borders with the three neighboring countries Congo (Dem. Republic), Rwanda and Tanzania. The distance between New York City and the Capital Bujumbura is about 11,390 km (7,077 mi).

The climate in Burundi

In Burundi, as in all equatorial countries, there is a tropical climate. Unlike in Europe or the USA, there is almost no difference between the seasons. The daylight hours vary little, and the temperature differences between summer and winter are also lower. Depending on the season, the average daytime temperatures range between 28 and 31 degrees. In the colder months, the average night temperatures drop down to 17 °C.

• Detailed climate data for Burundi

Languages

Mother tongue	Distribution
Kirundi	98.1 %
French	0.3 %
Swahili	0.2 %
English	0.1 %
other	1.3 %

Religions

Religion	Distribution
Adventists	2.3%
Catholics	62.1%
other Protestants	21.6%
Muslims	2.5%
other	11.5%

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Economy

GDP:	2.78 bn $
Exportations:	285.1 M $
Importations:	905.3 M $
› Tourism receipts:	3.90 M $
› Unemployment rate:	1.0 %
› Inflation rate:	18.80 %
› Corruption index:	17 (very bad)
› Energy consumption:	440.8 M kWh

Due to its political and financial situation, Burundi is considered one of the least developed countries in the world and is also one of the heavily indebted poor countries.

In terms of revenues, it still ranks 190th in the world and, with an average annual income of 220 USD is one of the low-income countries.

Land use

79% Agricultural areas:	22,022 km²
11% Forest:	3,031 km²
8% Water areas:	2,150 km²
10% Others:	2,777 km²

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Transport

Roadways:	12,322 km
Waterways:	673 km
› Airports:	1