Map of Burundi
Burundi is a country in Africa with its capital at Gitega, home to about 14.39 million people across 27,834 km². The interactive map below plots 14 cities and towns, 2 rivers, 1 lakes and 1 mountain summits recorded for Burundi in YearMaps.
- Population
- 14.39 million
- Area
- 27,834 km²
- Capital
- Gitega
- Continent
- Africa
Interactive Map of Burundi
Centred on Gitega at 3.3761° S, 29.3600° E. Use the layer panel to switch on rivers, dams, ports, peaks and historical borders.
About Burundi
Burundi, officially the Republic of Burundi, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is located in the Great Rift Valley at the junction between the African Great Lakes region and southeastern Africa, with a population of over 14 million people. It is bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and southeast, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west; Lake Tanganyika lies along its southwestern border. The political capital city is Gitega and the economic capital and largest city is Bujumbura.
The Twa, Hutu, and Tutsi peoples have lived in Burundi for at least 500 years. For more than 200 of those years, Burundi was an independent kingdom. In 1885, it became part of German East Africa. After the First World War and Germany's defeat, the League of Nations mandated the territories of Burundi and Rwanda to Belgium in a combined territory called Ruanda-Urundi. After the Second World War, this transformed into a United Nations trust territory.
Burundi gained independence in 1962 and initially retained the monarchy. However, a coup d'état in 1966 replaced the monarchy with a one-party republic, and for the next 27 years, Burundi was ruled by a series of ethnic Tutsi dictators and notably experienced a genocide of its Hutu population in 1972. In 1993, Melchior Ndadaye became Burundi's first Hutu president following the country's first multi-party presidential election. His assassination three months later during a coup attempt provoked the 12-year Burundian Civil War. In 2000, the Arusha Agreement was adopted, which was largely integrated in a new constitution in 2005. Since the 2005 post-war elections, the dominant party has been the Hutu-led National Council for the Defense of Democracy – Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD–FDD), widely accused of authoritarian governance and perpetuating the country's poor human rights record.
Burundi remains primarily a rural society, with just 13.4% of the population living in urban areas in 2019. Burundi is densely populated, and many young people emigrate in search of opportunities elsewhere. Roughly 81% of the population are of Hutu origin, 18% are Tutsi, and fewer than 1% are Twa. The official languages are Kirundi, French, and English—Kirundi being officially recognised as the sole national language.
One of the smallest countries in Africa, Burundi's land is used mostly for subsistence agriculture and grazing. Deforestation, soil erosion, and habitat loss are major ecological concerns. As of 2005, the country was almost completely deforested.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Burundi (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Geography and Climate of Burundi
Established in the 1600s, the Burundi Kingdom has had borders similar to those of modern Burundi since the 1800s. Burundi’s two major ethnic groups, the majority Hutu and minority Tutsi, share a common language and culture and largely lived in peaceful cohabitation under Tutsi monarchs in pre-colonial Burundi. Regional, class, and clan distinctions contributed to social status in the Burundi Kingdom, yielding a complex class structure. German colonial rule in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and Belgian rule after World War I preserved Burundi’s monarchy. Seeking to simplify administration, Belgian colonial officials reduced the number of chiefdoms and eliminated most Hutu chiefs from positions of power. In 1961, the Burundian Tutsi king’s oldest son, Louis RWAGASORE, was murdered by a competing political faction shortly before he was set to become prime minister, triggering increased political competition that contributed to later instability. Burundi gained its independence from Belgium in 1962 as the Kingdom of Burundi. Revolution in neighboring Rwanda stoked ethnic polarization as the Tutsi increasingly feared violence and loss of political power. A failed Hutu-led coup in 1965 triggered a purge of Hutu officials and set the stage for Tutsi officers to overthrow the monarchy in 1966 and establish a Tutsi-dominated republic. A Hutu rebellion in 1972 resulted in the deaths of several thousand Tutsi civilians and sparked brutal Tutsi-led military reprisals against Hutu civilians which ultimately killed 100,000-200,000 people. International pressure led to a new constitution in 1992 and democratic elections in 1993. Tutsi military officers feared Hutu domination and assassinated Burundi's first democratically elected president, Hutu Melchior NDADAYE, in 1993 after only 100 days in office, sparking a civil war. In 1994, his successor, Cyprien NTARYAMIRA, died when the Rwandan president’s plane he was traveling on was shot down, which triggered the Rwandan genocide and further entrenched ethnic conflict in Burundi. The internationally brokered Arusha Agreement, signed in 2000, and subsequent cease-fire agreements with armed movements ended the 1993-2005 civil war. Burundi’s second democratic elections were held in 2005, resulting in the election of Pierre NKURUNZIZA as president. He was reelected in 2010 and again in 2015 after a controversial court decision allowed him to circumvent a term limit. President Evariste NDAYISHIMIYE -- from NKURUNZIZA’s ruling party -- was elected in 2020.
- Location
- Central Africa, east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, west of Tanzania.
- Climate
- Equatorial; high plateau with considerable altitude variation (772 m to 2,670 m above sea level); average annual temperature varies with altitude from 23 to 17 degrees Celsius but is generally moderate; average annual rainfall is about 150 cm with two wet seasons (February to May and September to November) and two dry seasons (June to August and December to January)
- Terrain
- Hilly and mountainous, dropping to a plateau in east, some plains.
- Highest point
- Unnamed elevation on Mukike Range 2,685 m.
- Lowest point
- Lake Tanganyika 772 m.
- Coastline
- 0 km (landlocked)
- Land borders
- Total: 1,140 km; border countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo 236 km; Rwanda 315 km; Tanzania 589 km.
- Major lakes
- Fresh water lake(s): Lake Tanganyika (shared with Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, and Zambia) - 32,000 sq km.
- Natural resources
- Nickel, uranium, rare earth oxides, peat, cobalt, copper, platinum, vanadium, arable land, hydropower, niobium, tantalum, gold, tin, tungsten, kaolin, limestone.
- Land use
- Agricultural land: 83.9% (2023 est.); arable land: 51.4% (2023 est.); permanent crops: 13.6% (2023 est.); permanent pasture: 18.8% (2023 est.); forest: 10.9% (2023 est.); other: 5.2% (2023 est.)
- Natural hazards
- Flooding; landslides; drought.
- Geographic note
- Landlocked; straddles crest of the Nile-Congo watershed; the Kagera, which drains into Lake Victoria, is the most remote headstream of the White Nile.
- Languages
- Kirundi (official), French (official), English (official, least spoken), Swahili (2008 est.)
- Religions
- Christian 93.9% (Roman Catholic 58.6%, Protestant 35.3% [includes Adventist 2.7% and other Protestant religions 32.6%]), Muslim 3.4%, other 1.3%, none 1.3% (2016-17 est.)
- Ethnic groups
- Hutu, Tutsi, Twa, South Asian.
- Economy
- Highly agrarian, low-income Sub-Saharan economy; declining foreign assistance; increasing fiscal insolvencies; dense and still growing population; COVID-19 weakened economic recovery and flipped two years of deflation.
From the CIA World Factbook (public domain), archived edition of 2026-01-22. The Factbook is no longer updated, so figures reflect that edition.
Burundi in Numbers
- Population
- 14.39 million
- GDP
- US$3.4 billion
- GDP per person
- US$234
- Life expectancy
- 63.8 years
- Population growth
- 2.41% a year
- Population density
- 547 per km²
- Urban population
- 25.7%
- Surface area
- 27,834 km²
- Forest cover
- 10.9%
- Arable land
- 43.7%
- Access to electricity
- 20.1%
- Internet users
- 8.6%
Indicators from World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0). The year under each figure is its reference year.
Burundi in Depth
History
Burundi is one of the few countries in Africa (along Rwanda, Botswana, Lesotho, and Eswatini) to be a direct territorial continuation of a pre-colonial era African state. The early history of Burundi, and especially the role and nature of its three dominant ethnic groups—the Twa, Hutu and Tutsi—is debated amongst academics.
The first evidence of the Burundian state dates back to the late 16th century where it emerged on the eastern foothills of the Rift Valley. Over the following centuries it expanded, annexing smaller neighbours. The Kingdom of Burundi or Urundi, in the Great Lakes region was a polity ruled by a traditional monarch with several princes beneath him; succession struggles were common.
Geography
One of the smallest countries in Africa, Burundi is landlocked and has an equatorial climate. Burundi is a part of the Albertine Rift, the western extension of the East African Rift. The country lies on a rolling plateau in the centre of Africa. Burundi is bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and southeast, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. It lies within the Albertine Rift montane forests, Central Zambezian miombo woodlands, and Victoria Basin forest-savanna mosaic ecoregions.
The average elevation of the central plateau is 1,707 m (5,600 ft), with lower elevations at the borders. The highest peak, Mount Heha at 2,685 m (8,810 ft), lies to the southeast of the largest city and economic capital, Bujumbura.
Economy
Burundi is a landlocked, resource-poor country with an underdeveloped manufacturing sector. The economy of Burundi is predominantly agricultural, accounting for 50% of GDP in 2017, and employing more than 90% of the population. Subsistence agriculture accounts for 90% of agriculture. Primary exports are coffee and tea, which account for 90% of foreign exchange earnings, though exports are a relatively small share of GDP. Other agricultural products include cotton, maize, sorghum, sweet potatoes, bananas, manioc (tapioca); beef, milk and hides. Even though subsistence farming is highly relied upon, many people do not have the resources to sustain themselves. This is due to large population growth and no coherent policies governing land ownership.
Demographics
As of October 2021, Burundi was estimated by the United Nations to have a population of 12,346,893, compared to 2,456,000 in 1950. The population growth rate is 2.5 percent per year, more than double the average global pace, and a Burundian woman has on average 5.0 children, more than double the international fertility rate. Burundi had the tenth highest total fertility rate in the world in 2021. Many Burundians have migrated to other countries as a result of the civil war. In 2006, the United States accepted approximately 10,000 Burundian refugees.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Burundi (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Burundi: Key Facts
| Currency | Burundian franc |
|---|---|
| Official languages | Kirundi, French, English |
| Head of state | Évariste Ndayishimiye |
| Head of government | Gervais Ndirakobuca |
| Form of government | representative democracy, presidential system |
| Calling code | +257 |
| Internet domain | .bi |
| Highest point | Mount Heha |
| Lowest point | Lake Tanganyika |
| Established | 1 July 1962 |
Facts from Wikidata Q967 (CC0).
History of Burundi: Empires and States
The atlas records 3 polities whose mapped territory included part of Burundi, from German Africa in 1900 CE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.
| Polity | Period here | Extent |
|---|---|---|
| German Africa | 1900–1915 CE | Nearly all |
| Belgian Congo | 1916–1962 CE | Nearly all |
| Republic of Burundi | 1963–2024 CE | Nearly all |
Historical Maps of Burundi
Burundi on the world map in each year one of these states held it:
Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.
Visiting Burundi
Burundi is a small country in East Africa, although it has some cultural and geographical ties with Central Africa. It is surrounded by Rwanda, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Although the country is rich in culture and history, the country has been in a state of instability since gaining independence in the 1960s. Burundi is one of the world's poorest and least developed countries and has a myriad of social, political, and economic problems.
Negative facts aside, Burundi guards all the elements that constitute its very rich culture: dances, musical rhythms, and handicrafts. The cultural inheritance from their forefathers and ancestors is evidenced by their traditional heirlooms and dances. For those with patience and an open mind, the rewards are unforgettable.
Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Burundi (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Largest Cities in Burundi
14 cities recorded. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bujumbura | 331,700 | Bujumbura Mairie | National capital |
| 2 | Muyinga | 71,076 | Muyinga | Admin-1 capital |
| 3 | Ruyigi | 38,458 | Ruyigi | Admin-1 capital |
| 4 | Gitega | 23,167 | Muramvya | Admin-1 capital |
| 5 | Ngozi | 21,506 | Ngozi | Admin-1 capital |
| 6 | Rutana | 20,893 | Rutana | Admin-1 capital |
| 7 | Bururi | 20,393 | Bururi | Admin-1 capital |
| 8 | Makamba | 19,642 | Makamba | Admin-1 capital |
| 9 | Kayanza | 19,443 | Kayanza | Admin-1 capital |
| 10 | Muramvya | 18,041 | Muramvya | Admin-1 capital |
| 11 | Bubanza | 12,728 | Bubanza | Admin-1 capital |
| 12 | Karusi | 10,705 | Karuzi | Admin-1 capital |
| 13 | Cankuzo | 6,585 | Cankuzo | Admin-1 capital |
| 14 | Kirundo | 6,083 | Kirundo | Admin-1 capital |
Highest Mountains in Burundi
1 mountain recorded. Ranked by summit elevation above sea level. A summit on a border is listed under both countries.
| # | Name | Elevation | Feet | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mont Heha | 2,670 m | 8,760 ft | Africa |
Largest Lakes in Burundi
1 lake recorded. Ranked by mapped surface area. A lake on a border is listed under each country it lies in, with the area of the whole lake.
| # | Name | Surface Area | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lake Tanganyika | 32,896 km² | Lake |
Lake Tanganyika
Lake · 32,896 km²
Lake Tanganyika is a lake in Tanzania, the DR Congo, Burundi and Zambia, with a mapped surface area of about 32,896 km². About 6% of its surface lies in Burundi, and the rest in Tanzania, the DR Congo and Zambia.
Lake Tanganyika ( TANG-gən-YEE-kə, -gan-; Kirundi: Ikiyaga ca Tanganyika) is an African Great Lake. It is the world's second-largest freshwater lake by volume and the second deepest, in both cases after Lake Baikal in Siberia. It is the world's longest freshwater lake. It is also the 6th largest lake by area. The lake is shared among four countries—Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (the DRC), Burundi, and Zambia—with Tanzania (46%) and the DRC (40%) possessing the majority of the lake. It drains via the Lukuga River into the Congo River system, which ultimately discharges at Banana, Democratic Republic of the Congo into the Atlantic Ocean.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Lake Tanganyika (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Surface area
- 32,896 km²
- Area rank
- #6 of 756 indexed
- Type
- Lake
- Countries
- Tanzania, DR Congo, Burundi, Zambia
- Coordinates
- -5.1920°, 29.4808°
Among the 756 water bodies with a mapped extent in YearMaps, Lake Tanganyika ranks #6 by surface area, after Lake Michigan (58,387 km²) and ahead of Lake Baikal (32,120 km²). Areas are computed from the mapped outline and are approximate.
- Watercourses:
- Rusizi (River), Malagarasi (River)
More about Lake Tanganyika
Geography
Lake Tanganyika is an ancient lake, one of only twenty more than a million years old. Its three basins, which in periods with lower water levels were separate lakes, are of different ages. The central lake began to form 9–12 million years ago (Mya), the northern 7–8 Mya and the southern 2–4 Mya.
Today Lake Tanganyika is situated within the Albertine Rift, the western branch of the East African Rift, and is confined by the mountainous walls of the valley. It is the largest rift lake in Africa and the second-largest freshwater lake by volume in the world. It is the deepest lake in Africa and holds the greatest volume of fresh water on the continent, accounting for 16% of the world's available fresh water.
History
It is thought that early Homo sapiens were making an impact on the region during the Stone Age. The time period of the Middle Stone Age to Late Stone Age is described as an age of advanced hunter-gatherers.
In the mid–19th century, Swahili Arab traders from Zanzibar established a caravan route from Bagamoyo via Tabora to Ujiji on Lake Tanganyika. They brought sailing dhows to navigate the lake and traded in slaves, ivory, guns and cotton. Chief among these traders was Tippu Tip in the second half of the 19th century, who established a state west of the lake.
The first known Westerners to find the lake were the British explorers Richard Burton and John Speke, in 1858. They located it while searching for the source of the Nile River.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Lake Tanganyika (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Lake Tanganyika: Key Facts
| Surface area | 32,900 km² |
|---|---|
| Maximum depth | 1,433 m |
| Volume | 18,900 km³ |
| Surface elevation | 773 m |
| Inflows | Ruzizi River, Malagarasi River, Kalambo River, Mulobozi |
| Outflows | Lukuga River |
| Drainage system | Congo Basin |
Facts from Wikidata Q5511 (CC0).
Rivers in Burundi
2 rivers recorded. Listed alphabetically. A river is listed where its mapped reach lies, so long rivers appear under more than one country.
Mountain Ranges, Deserts and Landforms of Burundi
3 mountain ranges, deserts and other landforms recorded. Ranked by mapped area. Covers mountain ranges, deserts, plateaus, named glaciers, plains, basins, peninsulas and capes. One that crosses a border is listed under every country it lies in, with the area of the whole feature.
| # | Name | Area | Type | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Congo Basin | 3.11M km² | Basin | Africa |
| 2 | Iwembere Steppe | 284,281 km² | Plain | Africa |
| 3 | Great Rift Valley | 163,247 km² | Valley | Africa |
Congo Basin
Basin · 3.11M km²
Congo Basin is a basin in Africa, covering an estimated 3.11M km². It extends across the DR Congo, the Central African Republic, Angola, the Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, South Sudan, Sudan, Burundi, Gabon, Malawi, Rwanda, Uganda and Zambia. It is the 11th-largest of the 231 landforms with a mapped extent in YearMaps.
The Congo Basin is the sedimentary basin of the Congo River. The Congo Basin is located in Central Africa, in a region known as west equatorial Africa. The region is sometimes known simply as the Congo. It contains some of the largest tropical rainforests in the world and is an important source of water used in agriculture and energy generation.
The rainforest in the Congo Basin is the largest rainforest in Africa and second only to the Amazon rainforest in size, with 300 million hectares compared to the 800 million hectares in the Amazon. Because of its size and diversity the basin's forest is important for mitigating climate change in its role as a carbon sink. However, deforestation and degradation of the ecology by the impacts of climate change may increase stress on the forest ecosystem, in turn making the hydrology of the basin more variable. A 2012 study finds that the variability in precipitation caused by climate change will negatively affect economic activity in the basin.
Eight sites of the Congo Basin are inscribed on the World Heritage List, five being also on the list of World Heritage in Danger (all five located in Democratic Republic of the Congo).
Adapted from Wikipedia: Congo Basin (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Feature class
- Basin
- Mapped extent
- 3.11M km²
- Size rank
- #11 of 231 landforms
- Region
- Africa
- Countries
- DR Congo, Central African Republic, Angola, Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, South Sudan, Sudan, Burundi, Gabon, Malawi, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia
- Coordinates
- -0.6351°, 21.4534°
- Ranges:
- Ruwenzori Range (Africa), Marrah Mountains (Africa)
More about Congo Basin
Geology
The Congo Basin is a large depression within the Congo Craton, making it a patch of relatively recent (Phanerozoic-aged, and mostly Mesozoic and onwards) sedimentary rock within a large, otherwise ancient (Archean-aged) piece of exposed continental crust. The deformation of the craton began as early as the late Cambrian or early Ordovician and continued over the Paleozoic, but the deformation over this period led to rapid erosion of much of the Paleozoic rock, creating a large unconformity. Sediment started to rapidly accumulate in the basin from the Mesozoic (Triassic) up to the present day.
Deposits throughout the Jurassic suggest the presence of a freshwater, lacustrine habitat in the basin, and this continued into the Early Cretaceous.
Climate
The Congo Basin is a globally important climatic region with annual rainfall of between 1,500 to 2,000 millimetres (59 to 79 in). It is one of three hotspots of deep convection (thunderstorms) in the tropics, the other two being over the Maritime continent and the Amazon. These three regions together drive the climate circulation of the tropics and beyond. The Congo Basin has the highest lightning strike frequency of anywhere on the planet. The high rainfall supports the second-largest rainforest on Earth, which is a globally significant carbon sink and an important component of the global carbon cycle.
Averaged across the basin, there are two major rainfall seasons in March to May and September to November.
Ecology and protection
At a global level, Congo's forests act as the planet's second lung, counterpart to the rapidly dwindling Amazon. They are a huge "carbon sink", trapping carbon that could otherwise remain carbon dioxide. The Congo Basin holds roughly 8% of the world's forest-based carbon. Despite this importance, it gets far less scientific attention than the Amazon or the tropical forests of South East Asia. If these woodlands are deforested, the carbon they trap will be released into the atmosphere. Predictions for future unabated deforestation estimate that by 2050 activities in the DRC will release roughly the same amount of carbon dioxide as the United Kingdom has emitted over the last 60 years. A 2013 study by British scientists shows that deforestation in the Congo Basin rainforest is slowing.
History
The first inhabitants of the Congo Basin area were believed to be pygmies, and at that time, the dense forests and wet climate kept the population of the region low, with the prevention of hunter-gatherer society, whose remnants of their culture survive to the present day. Eventually Bantu peoples migrated there and founded the Kingdom of Kongo.Belgium, France, and Portugal later established colonial control over the entire region by the late 19th century.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Congo Basin (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Congo Basin: Key Facts
| Area | 1,000,000 km² |
|---|---|
| Highest point | Mount Karisimbi |
| On | River Congo |
Facts from Wikidata Q932289 (CC0).
Countries Bordering Burundi
Land and maritime neighbours.
More Maps in Africa
Burundi: Quick Answers
- What is the capital of Burundi?
- The capital of Burundi is Gitega.
- What is the population of Burundi?
- Burundi has a population of about 14.39 million, the #78 largest of 225 countries in YearMaps. Source: World Bank, 2025.
- How big is Burundi?
- Burundi covers 27,834 km², ranking #148 by area, with about 517 people per square kilometre.
- Which continent is Burundi in?
- Burundi is in Africa.
- Which countries border Burundi?
- Burundi shares a land or maritime border with Tanzania, DR Congo, Rwanda.
- What is the largest city in Burundi?
- Bujumbura is the largest city in Burundi, with a metropolitan population of about 331,700.
- What is the highest mountain in Burundi?
- The highest summit recorded for Burundi in YearMaps is Mont Heha at 2,670 m (8,760 ft). Summits on a border are counted for both countries.
- What is the largest lake in Burundi?
- The largest lake recorded in or bordering Burundi is Lake Tanganyika, at roughly 32,896 km².