to 2,670 m above sea level); average annual temperature varies with
altitude from 23 to 17 degrees centigrade but is generally moderate
as the average altitude is about 1,700 m; average annual rainfall is
about 150 cm; 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
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Lake Tanganyika 772 m
highest point: Heha 2,670 m
Natural resources:
nickel, uranium, rare earth oxides, peat, cobalt, copper, platinum,
vanadium, arable land, hydropower, niobium, tantalum, gold, tin,
tungsten, kaolin, limestone
Land use:
arable land: 35.57%
permanent crops: 13.12%
other: 51.31% (2005)
Irrigated land:
210 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
3.6 cu km (1987)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 0.29 cu km/yr (17%/6%/77%)
per capita: 38 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
flooding; landslides; drought
Environment - current issues:
soil erosion as a result of overgrazing and the expansion of
agriculture into marginal lands; deforestation (little forested land
remains because of uncontrolled cutting of trees for fuel); habitat
loss threatens wildlife populations
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes,
Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography - 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
People ::Burundi
Population:
9,863,117
country comparison to the world: 85
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower
population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2010 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 46.3% (male 2,213,667/female 2,189,197)
15-64 years: 51.2% (male 2,399,466/female 2,470,743)
65 years and over: 2.5% (male 95,324/female 142,933) (2010 est.)
Median age:
total: 16.8 years
male: 16.5 years
female: 17.2 years (2010 est.)
Population growth rate:
3.561% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 3
Birth rate:
41.43 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 10
Death rate:
9.87 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 58
Net migration rate:
4.06 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 25
Urbanization:
urban population: 10% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 6.8% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 63.38 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 29
male: 68.02 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 58.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 58.29 years
country comparison to the world: 191
male: 56.65 years
female: 59.98 years (2010 est.)
Total fertility rate:
6.25 children born/woman (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 5
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
2% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 32
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
110,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 44
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
11,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 31
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,
hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: malaria
water contact disease: schistosomiasis
animal contact disease: rabies (2009)
Nationality:
noun: Burundian(s)
adjective: Burundian
Ethnic groups:
Hutu (Bantu) 85%, Tutsi (Hamitic) 14%, Twa (Pygmy) 1%, Europeans
3,000, South Asians 2,000
Religions:
Christian 67% (Roman Catholic 62%, Protestant 5%), indigenous
beliefs 23%, Muslim 10%
Languages:
Kirundi (official), French (official), Swahili (along Lake
Tanganyika and in the Bujumbura area)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 59.3%
male: 67.3%
female: 52.2% (2000 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 10 years
male: 9 years
female: 7 years (2008)
Education expenditures:
7.2% of GDP (2008)
country comparison to the world: 17
Government ::Burundi
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Burundi
conventional short form: Burundi
local long form: Republique du Burundi/Republika y'u Burundi
local short form: Burundi
former: Urundi
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Bujumbura
geographic coordinates: 3 22 S, 29 21 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
17 provinces; Bubanza, Bujumbura Mairie, Bujumbura Rural, Bururi,
Cankuzo, Cibitoke, Gitega, Karuzi, Kayanza, Kirundo, Makamba,
Muramvya, Muyinga, Mwaro, Ngozi, Rutana, Ruyigi
Independence:
1 July 1962 (from UN trusteeship under Belgian administration)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 1 July (1962)
Constitution:
ratified by popular referendum 28 February 2005
Legal system:
based on German and Belgian civil codes and customary law; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal (adult)
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Pierre NKURUNZIZA - Hutu (since 26 August
2005); First Vice President Therence SINUNGURUZA - Tutsi (since 29
August 2010); Second Vice President Gervais RUFYIKIRI - Hutu (since
29 August 2010); note - the president is both the chief of state and
head of government
head of government: President Pierre NKURUNZIZA - Hutu (since 26
August 2005); First Vice President Therence SINUNGURUZA - Tutsi
(since 29 August 2010); Second Vice President Gervais RUFYIKIRI -
Hutu (since 29 August 2010)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by president
(For more information visit the World Leaders website )
elections: the president elected by popular vote for a five-year
term (eligible for a second term); note - the constitution adopted
in February 2005 permited the post-transition president to be
elected by a two-thirds majority of the parliament; elections last
held 28 June 2010 (next to be held in 2015); vice presidents
nominated by the president, endorsed by parliament
election results: Pierre NKURUNZIZA elected president by popular
vote; Pierre NKURUNZIZA 91.6%, other 8.4%; note - opposition parties
withdrew from the election due to alleged government interference in
the electoral process
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament or Parlement, consists of a Senate (54 seats;
34 members elected by indirect vote to serve five-year terms, with
remaining seats assigned to ethnic groups and former chiefs of
state) and a National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (minimum 100
seats, 60% Hutu and 40% Tutsi with at least 30% being women;
additional seats appointed by a National Independent Electoral
Commission to ensure ethnic representation; members are elected by
popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held on 23 July 2010 (next to be held in
2015); National Assembly - last held on 23 July 2010 (next to be
held in 2015)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - TBD; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - CNDD
81.2%, UPRONA 11.6%, FRODEBU 5.9%, others 1.3%; seats by party -
CNDD 81, UPRONA 17, FRODEBU 5, other 3
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Constitutional Court; High Court of
Justice (composed of the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court)
Political parties and leaders:
governing parties: Burundi Democratic Front or FRODEBU [Leonce
NGENDAKUMANA]; National Council for the Defense of Democracy - Front
for the Defense of Democracy or CNDD-FDD [Jeremie NGENDAKUMANA];
Unity for National Progress or UPRONA [Bonaventure NIYOYANKANA]
note: a multiparty system was introduced after 1998, included are:
National Council for the Defense of Democracy or CNDD [Leonard
NYANGOMA]; National Resistance Movement for the Rehabilitation of
the Citizen or MRC-Rurenzangemero [Epitace BANYAGANAKANDI]; Party
for National Redress or PARENA [Jean-Baptiste BAGAZA]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Forum for the Strengthening of Civil Society or FORSC [Pacifique
NININAHAZWE] (civil society umbrella organization); Observatoire de
lutte contre la corruption et les malversations economiques or
OLUCOME [Gabriel RUFYIRI] (anti-corruption pressure group)
other: Hutu and Tutsi militias (loosely organized)
International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AU, CEPGL, COMESA, EAC, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM,
IPU, ISO (subscriber), ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNAMID,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Angele NIYUHIRE
chancery: Suite 212, 2233 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone: [1] (202) 342-2574
FAX: [1] (202) 342-2578
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Pamela J. H. SLUTZ
embassy: Avenue des Etats-Unis, Bujumbura
mailing address: B. P. 1720, Bujumbura
telephone: [257] 223454
FAX: [257] 222926
Flag description:
divided by a white diagonal cross into red panels (top and bottom)
and green panels (hoist side and fly 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); green symbolizes hope and optimism, white purity
and peace, and red the blood shed in the struggle for independence;
the three stars in the disk represent the three major ethnic groups:
Hutu, Twa, Tutsi, as well as the three elements in the national
motto: unity, work, progress
National anthem:
name: "Burundi Bwacu" (Our Beloved Burundi)
lyrics/music: Jean-Baptiste NTAHOKAJA/Marc BARENGAYABO
note: adopted 1962
Economy ::Burundi
Economy - overview:
Burundi is a landlocked, resource-poor country with an
underdeveloped manufacturing sector. The economy is predominantly
agricultural which accounts for about 35% of GDP and employs more
than 90% of the population. Burundi's primary exports are coffee and
tea, which account for 90% of foreign exchange earnings, though
exports are a relatively small share of GDP. Burundi's export
earning - and its ability to pay for imports - rests primarily on
weather conditions and international coffee and tea prices. The
Tutsi minority, 14% of the population, dominates the coffee trade.
An ethnic-based war that lasted for over a decade resulted in more
than 200,000 deaths, forced more than 48,000 refugees into Tanzania,
and displaced 140,000 others internally. Only one in two children go
to school, and approximately one in 15 adults has HIV/AIDS. Food,
medicine, and electricity remain in short supply. Burundi's GDP grew
around 4% annually in 2006-09. Political stability and the end of
the civil war have improved aid flows and economic activity has
increased, but underlying weaknesses - a high poverty rate, poor
education rates, a weak legal system, and low administrative
capacity - risk undermining planned economic reforms. Burundi will
continue to remain heavily dependent on aid from bilateral and
multilateral donors; the delay of funds after a corruption scandal
cut off bilateral aid in 2007 reduced government's revenues and its
ability to pay salaries. Burundi joined the East African Community,
which should boost Burundi's regional trade ties, and received $700
million in debt relief in 2009. Instability spilling over from
eastern Congo-Kinshasa and the ban on minerals smuggled across
Burundi's border will be the main challenges to economic growth.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$3.418 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 172
$3.29 billion (2009 est.)
$3.178 billion (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$1.469 billion (2010 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
3.9% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 85
3.5% (2009 est.)
4.5% (2008 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$300 (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 228
$300 (2009 est.)
$300 (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 31.6%
industry: 21.4%
services: 47% (2010 est.)
Labor force:
4.245 million (2007)
country comparison to the world: 85
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 93.6%
industry: 2.3%
services: 4.1% (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Population below poverty line:
68% (2002 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 4.1%
highest 10%: 28% (2006)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
42.4 (1998)
country comparison to the world: 52
Investment (gross fixed):
25.1% of GDP (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 42
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
7.2% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 181
10.7% (2009 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
10% (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 44
10.08% (31 December 2008)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
14.08% (31 December 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 36
16.52% (31 December 2008 est.)
Stock of narrow money:
$329.3 million (31 December 2010 est)
country comparison to the world: 166
$293.6 million (31 December 2009 est)
Stock of broad money:
$568.3 million (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 170
$506.7 million (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of domestic credit:
$465.7 million (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 164
$415.2 million (31 December 2009 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA
Agriculture - products:
coffee, cotton, tea, corn, sorghum, sweet potatoes, bananas, manioc
(tapioca); beef, milk, hides
Industries:
light consumer goods such as blankets, shoes, soap; assembly of
imported components; public works construction; food processing
Industrial production growth rate:
7% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 40
Electricity - production:
92 million kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 191
Electricity - consumption:
125.6 million kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 185
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
40 million kWh; note - supplied by the Democratic Republic of the
Congo (2007 est.)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 200
Oil - consumption:
3,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 176
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 142
Oil - imports:
2,495 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 172
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 196
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 190
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 202
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 196
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 197
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 197
Current account balance:
-$136 million (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 80
-$127 million (2009 est.)
Exports:
$71 million (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 199
$68 million (2009 est.)
Exports - commodities:
coffee, tea, sugar, cotton, hides
Exports - partners:
Germany 21.6%, Switzerland 14.86%, Belgium 9.32%, Sweden 8.94%,
Pakistan 5.82% (2009)
Imports:
$336 million (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 192
$275 million (2009 est.)
Imports - commodities:
capital goods, petroleum products, foodstuffs
Imports - partners:
Saudi Arabia 16.87%, Belgium 11.17%, Uganda 8.62%, Kenya 7.57%,
China 5.66%, France 5.35%, Germany 4.46%, India 4.24%, Tanzania
4.21% (2009)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$320 million (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 121
$323 million (31 December 2009 est.)
Debt - external:
$1.2 billion (2003)
country comparison to the world: 147
Exchange rates:
Burundi francs (BIF) per US dollar - 1,250.75 (2010), 1,230.18
(2009), 1,198 (2008), 1,065 (2007), 1,030 (2006)
Communications ::Burundi
Telephones - main lines in use:
31,500 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 177
Telephones - mobile cellular:
838,400 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 149
Telephone system:
general assessment: sparse system of open-wire, radiotelephone
communications, and low-capacity microwave radio relays
domestic: telephone density one of the lowest in the world;
fixed-line connections stand at well less than 1 per 100 persons;
mobile-cellular usage is increasing but remains at a meager 10 per
100 persons
international: country code - 257; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (2009)
Broadcast media:
state-controlled La Radiodiffusion et Television Nationale de
Burundi (RTNB) operates the lone TV broadcast station and the only
national radio network; about 10 privately-owned radio broadcast
stations; transmissions of several international broadcasters are
available in Bujumbura (2007)
Internet country code:
.bi
Internet hosts:
201 (2010)
country comparison to the world: 194
Internet users:
157,800 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 147
Transportation ::Burundi
Airports:
8 (2010)
country comparison to the world: 161
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2010)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 3 (2010)
Heliports:
1 (2010)
Roadways:
total: 12,322 km
country comparison to the world: 129
paved: 1,286 km
unpaved: 11,036 km (2004)
Waterways:
mainly on Lake Tanganyika between Bujumbura, Burundi's principal
port, and lake ports in Tanzania, Zambia, and the Democratic
Republic of Congo (2010)
Ports and terminals:
Bujumbura
Military ::Burundi
Military branches:
National Defense Force (Forces de Defense Nationale, FDN): Army
(includes naval detachment and Air Wing), National Gendarmerie (2010)
Military service age and obligation:
military service is voluntary; the armed forces law of 31 December
2004 did not specify a minimum age for enlistment, but the
government had previously said each recruit must have a primary
school-leaving certificate; mandatory retirement age 45 (enlisted),
50 (NCOs), and 55 (officers) (2010)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,099,541
females age 16-49: 2,118,918 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,337,935
females age 16-49: 1,414,035 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 111,829
female: 111,802 (2010 est.)
Military expenditures:
5.9% of GDP (2006 est.)
country comparison to the world: 10
Transnational Issues ::Burundi
Disputes - international:
Burundi and Rwanda dispute sections of border on the
Akanyaru/Kanyaru and the Kagera/Nyabarongo rivers, which have
changed course since the 1960s, when the boundary was delimited;
cross-border conflicts among Tutsi, Hutu, other ethnic groups,
associated political rebels, armed gangs, and various government
forces persist in the Great Lakes region
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 9,849 (Democratic Republic of the
Congo)
IDPs: 100,000 (armed conflict between government and rebels; most
IDPs in northern and western Burundi) (2007)
page last updated on January 12, 2011
======================================================================
@Cambodia (East & Southeast Asia)
Introduction ::Cambodia
Background:
Most Cambodians consider themselves to be Khmers, descendants of the
Angkor Empire that extended over much of Southeast Asia and reached
its zenith between the 10th and 13th centuries. Attacks by the Thai
and Cham (from present-day Vietnam) weakened the empire, ushering in
a long period of decline. The king placed the country under French
protection in 1863 and it became part of French Indochina in 1887.
Following Japanese occupation in World War II, Cambodia gained full
independence from France in 1953. In April 1975, after a five-year
struggle, Communist Khmer Rouge forces captured Phnom Penh and
evacuated all cities and towns. At least 1.5 million Cambodians died
from execution, forced hardships, or starvation during the Khmer
Rouge regime under POL POT. A December 1978 Vietnamese invasion
drove the Khmer Rouge into the countryside, began a 10-year
Vietnamese occupation, and touched off almost 13 years of civil war.
The 1991 Paris Peace Accords mandated democratic elections and a
ceasefire, which was not fully respected by the Khmer Rouge.
UN-sponsored elections in 1993 helped restore some semblance of
normalcy under a coalition government. Factional fighting in 1997
ended the first coalition government, but a second round of national
elections in 1998 led to the formation of another coalition
government and renewed political stability. The remaining elements
of the Khmer Rouge surrendered in early 1999. Some of the surviving
Khmer Rouge leaders have been tried or are awaiting trial for crimes
against humanity by a hybrid UN-Cambodian tribunal supported by
international assistance. Elections in July 2003 were relatively
peaceful, but it took one year of negotiations between contending
political parties before a coalition government was formed. In
October 2004, King Norodom SIHANOUK abdicated the throne and his
son, Prince Norodom SIHAMONI, was selected to succeed him. Local
elections were held in Cambodia in April 2007, with little of the
pre-election violence that preceded prior elections. National
elections in July 2008 were relatively peaceful.
Geography ::Cambodia
Location:
Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, between Thailand,
Vietnam, and Laos
Geographic coordinates:
13 00 N, 105 00 E
Map references:
Southeast Asia
Area:
total: 181,035 sq km
country comparison to the world: 89
land: 176,515 sq km
water: 4,520 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Oklahoma
Land boundaries:
total: 2,572 km
border countries: Laos 541 km, Thailand 803 km, Vietnam 1,228 km
Coastline:
443 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical; rainy, monsoon season (May to November); dry season
(December to April); little seasonal temperature variation
Terrain:
mostly low, flat plains; mountains in southwest and north
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Gulf of Thailand 0 m
highest point: Phnum Aoral 1,810 m
Natural resources:
oil and gas, timber, gemstones, iron ore, manganese, phosphates,
hydropower potential
Land use:
arable land: 20.44%
permanent crops: 0.59%
other: 78.97% (2005)
Irrigated land:
2,700 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
476.1 cu km (1999)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 4.08 cu km/yr (1%/0%/98%)
per capita: 290 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
monsoonal rains (June to November); flooding; occasional droughts
Environment - current issues:
illegal logging activities throughout the country and strip mining
for gems in the western region along the border with Thailand have
resulted in habitat loss and declining biodiversity (in particular,
destruction of mangrove swamps threatens natural fisheries); soil
erosion; in rural areas, most of the population does not have access
to potable water; declining fish stocks because of illegal fishing
and overfishing
Environment - international agreements: