Republic of Burundi
Eastern Africa
Hilly · Resilient · Lakeside
Burundi (officially Republic of Burundi) is a country located in Eastern Africa. Its capital city is Gitega, with other major cities including Bujumbura and Muyinga. With a population of approximately 12.6M, the main languages spoken are Kirundi, French, English. The country covers an area of 27,834 km². The official currency is the Burundian franc (Fr). Traffic drives on the right side.
The Royal Drummers of Burundi, who perform on intore ceremonial drums, are UNESCO-listed and have played for royalty for centuries — their performances last up to 72 hours.
Gitega serves as the political, cultural and economic heart of Burundi, positioned in Eastern Africa. As the seat of government and often the most populous city, it concentrates the country's main institutions, universities and cultural landmarks. Beyond the capital, major cities include Bujumbura, Muyinga — each a hub of regional culture, economy and history. Gitega replaced Bujumbura as Burundi's official capital in 2019 — a move reflecting the new capital's central location in the country's interior versus Bujumbura's Lake Tanganyika position, though the economic capital Bujumbura remains the country's largest and most active city despite the official designation change.
With a population of approximately 12.6M, Burundi is a vibrant society with a rich mix of traditions and communities. The principal languages spoken are Kirundi, French, English, which reflect the country's cultural heritage and open doors to a wide international community. Internationally, Burundi is reached via the dialling code +257. Burundians share Hutu and Tutsi ethnic categories with Rwanda and experienced comparable genocide in 1994, but the country's history of violent ethnic cycling — Hutu massacres of Tutsis followed by Tutsi-led military retribution — followed a different trajectory, with the 2000 Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement creating a power-sharing formula that has produced fragile but ongoing stability.
Burundi spans 27,834 km², in the Eastern Africa subregion of Africa. Geographically centred around 3.5°S, 30.0°E, the country offers a diverse range of landscapes shaped by its location, climate and geology. Road traffic follows the right-hand rule, in line with surrounding Africa convention.
The official currency is the Burundian franc (Fr), used for everyday transactions and commerce throughout the country. Burundi's economy is shaped by its geography, natural resources and trade relationships. Business and daily life operate under UTC+02:00, aligning the country with its regional neighbours.
Football / Athletics holds a special place in the heart of Burundi's national identity. Football is Burundi's most popular sport, with the national team's Africa Cup of Nations debut in 2019 causing national celebration — but long-distance running has produced athletes capable of competing internationally, with the rugged geography of the highlands creating natural altitude training conditions comparable to Kenya and Ethiopia.
The highest point in Burundi is Heha, rising to 2,685 metres above sea level. Lake Tanganyika borders western Burundi and is the world's second deepest lake at 1,470 metres and second largest by volume — a 12-million-year-old rift lake so ancient it developed entirely unique fish species (over 350 endemic cichlid species) found nowhere else on Earth, whose clear blue waters sustain both local fishing economies and significant scientific research on evolutionary biology.