BURUNDI GEOGRAPHY Total area: 27,830 km2; land area: 25,650 km2 Comparative area: slightly larger than Maryland Land boundaries: 974 km total; Rwanda 290 km, Tanzania 451 km, Zaire 233 km Coastline: none--landlocked Maritime claims: none--landlocked 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 Population: 5,831,233 (July 1991), growth rate 3.2% (1991) Birth rate: 47 births/1,000 population (1991) Death rate: 15 deaths/1,000 population (1991) Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991) Infant mortality rate: 109 deaths/1,000 live births (1991) Life expectancy at birth: 50 years male, 54 years female (1991) Total fertility rate: 6.9 children born/woman (1991) Nationality: noun--Burundian(s); adjective--Burundi 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) Literacy: 50% (male 61%, female 40%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.) 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) 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 Long-form name: Republic of Burundi Type: republic Capital: Bujumbura 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 National holiday: Independence Day, 1 July (1962) 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) Leaders: 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 Elections: 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 Communists: no Communist party 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 Flag: 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 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. GDP: $1.1 billion, per capita $200; real growth rate 1.5% (1989) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 11.7% (1989) Unemployment rate: NA% Budget: revenues $158 million; expenditures $204 million, including capital expenditures of $131 million (1989 est.) Exports: $81 million (f.o.b., 1989); commodities--coffee 88%, tea, hides, and skins; partners--EC 83%, US 5%, Asia 2% Imports: $197 million (c.i.f., 1989); commodities--capital goods 31%, petroleum products 15%, foodstuffs, consumer goods; partners--EC 57%, Asia 23%, US 3% External debt: $957 million (December 1990 est.) 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 Currency: Burundi franc (plural--francs); 1 Burundi franc (FBu) = 100 centimes Exchange rates: Burundi francs (FBu) per US$1--163.29 (January 1991), 171.26 (1990), 158.67 (1989), 140.40 (1988), 123.56 (1987), 114.17 (1986), 120.69 (1985) Fiscal year: calendar year COMMUNICATIONS Highways: 5,900 km total; 400 km paved, 2,500 km gravel or laterite, 3,000 km improved or unimproved earth Inland waterways: Lake Tanganyika Ports: Bujumbura (lake port) connects to transportation systems of Tanzania and Zaire Civil air: 1 major transport aircraft Airports: 8 total, 7 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; none with runways 1,220 to 2,439 m Telecommunications: sparse system of wire, radiocommunications, and low-capacity radio relay links; 8,000 telephones; stations--2 AM, 2 FM, 1 TV; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station DEFENSE FORCES Branches: Army (includes naval and air units); paramilitary Gendarmerie Manpower availability: males 15-49, 1,268,342; 661,888 fit for military service; 64,538 reach military age (16) annually Defense expenditures: $33 million, 3.1% of GDP (1988)