FACTS ABOUT BURUNDI

AMAZING FACTS ABOUT BURUNDI

1.                 The official name of Burundi is the “Republic of Burundi”.

2.                 Bujumbura is the capital city of Burundi.

3.                 The natives of Burundi are called Burundians.

4.                 The total population of Burundi is 11,099,298.

5.                 The Burundian franc is the official currency of Burundi.

6.                 Burundi shares a border with Rwanda, Tanzania and Congo.

7.                 It is a landlocked country in the African Great Lakes region of East Africa.

8.                 The country’s motto, “Ubumwe, Ibikorwa, Iterambere” means “Unity, Work, Progress” in Kirundi.

9.                 Burundi was ranked as the world’s least happy nation in the 2016 World Happiness Report.

10.            HIV/AIDS is also a major threat to the population of the country.

11.            Burundi won a gold medal in 1996 for the first time in Olympic history. In doing so, it became the poorest country ever to win an Olympic gold medal.

12.            Group jogging is banned in Burundi. In 2014, the country’s president banned the activity, citing the reason that such walks can help people plan subversive (anti-government) activities.

13.            Due to farming and overgrazing, deforestation and soil erosion are becoming concerns for the population of the country.

14.            The first election in the country took place on September 8, 1961.

15.            Before independence, the country was named Ruanda-Urundi.

16.            The first Prime Minister, Louis Rwagasore, was assassinated a few weeks after his election.

17.            Melchior Ndadaye became the nation’s first Hutu ruler when he was elected as the president in 1993.

18.            The country’s capital—Bujumbara—has the largest port.

19.            Gitega is the second-largest city in the country.

20.            There are only two coffee-processing plants in Burundi. One is located in the capital, and the other is in Gitega.

21.            A majority of the population of Burundi lives in villages that are scattered throughout the highlands.

22.            Protein and fat intake in the population of Burundi is very limited. As a result of it, a disease known as kwashiorkor is common. Learn more about kwashiorkor.

23.            People in the region mainly eat diets consisting of carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals.

24.            Meat accounts for 2% or less of the average food intake.

25.            Beer, which is an important part of social interactions, is drunk through straws.

26.            Upon the death of a cow, its meat is eaten and horns are planted in the soil near the house. People in Burundi believe that this brings them good luck.

27.            The country imports twice as much as it exports.

28.            Ninety percent of the population of Burundi is employed in agriculture.

29.            Burundi is a country heavily affected by sex trafficking and forced child labor.

30.            Burundi lies on a “rolling” plateau in the center of Africa. These plateaus are at different elevations: a flat area at 1500m rises to 2000m, and then descends to another plateau back at 1500m, creating an undulating (rolling) landscape. In Africa, these features are called rolling plateaus.

31.            Burundians often have to deal with hunger, corruption, weak infrastructure and poor access to health and education services.

32.            Traditionally, houses were built with mud and grass in the country. Nowadays, tin is used for roofing, as there is a shortage of grass and leaves.

33.            The natives of Burundi are called “Burundians.”

34.            Burundi became independent on July 1, 1962.

35.            “Mount Heha” is the highest point in Burundi. It is 2684 m, or 8,806 feet high.

36.            Football (soccer) is the national sport of Burundi.

37.            The country is among the most densely populated countries in Africa.

38.            The country has two official languages – French and Kirundi.

39.            People belonging to both Hutu and Tutsi ethnic groups can speak Kirundi.

40.            There were a total of 144,550 internet users in the country in 2014.

41.            There are seven airports and 12,322 km of total railway in the country.

42.            The official currency of Burundi—the Burundi Franc—was first issued in 1963.

43.            Burundi is also a member of the United Nations.

44.            It is a landlocked country and is about the size of Belgium.

45.            The country is also one of the few republics in Africa to have a female prime minister.

46.            In the past decades, the country’s rainforest housed one of the world’s biggest crocodiles.

47.            The country receives an average rainfall of 848 mm every year. It experiences its driest weather in July and wettest weather in April.

48.            An estimated 200,000 people were killed during the 12 years of the civil war in Burundi.

49.            The civil war started as a conflict between the Hutu and Tutsi ethnic groups of Burundi after the assassination of the country’s president–Melchior Ndadaye–in 1993.

50.            The war caused severe economic disruption and dislocation. During the period of dislocation, affected people became dependent on international humanitarian assistance.

51.            Because of the ongoing civil war, hundreds of thousands of Burundians fled to neighboring countries.

52.            Burundi Exports: coffee, tea, sugar, cotton and animal hides.

53.            Burundi Imports: capital goods, petroleum products and foodstuffs.

54.            The internet country code for Burundi is .bi.