10 Interesting Facts You Didn’t Know About Burundi.
Burundi is a landlocked East African country.
It is bordered on the north by Rwanda, on the east and south by Tanzania, and on the
west by the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The landscape is generally hilly and mountainous in the west, although it drops to a plateau
in the east.
Burundi was colonized by Germany at the turn of the twentieth century, and then by the
Belgians following World War I.
Although the country earned independence in 1962, it has since been ravaged by civil wars
and genocides.
The country is in a lot of trouble and will take a long time to recover.
"Ubumwe, Ibikorwa, Iterambere," the country's motto, translates to "Unity, Work, Progress,"
but strangely, unity and progress have eluded the country since independence.
In the coming years, we want to see peace in Burundi.
Burundi has a land area of 10,745 square miles and a population of 9.8 million people.
For at least 500 years, the Tutsi, Hutu, and Twa people have lived in the country.
Burundi was an autonomous monarchy for approximately 200 years before being colonized by Germany
at the turn of the century and the Belgians after World War I.
The country was ruled by a monarchy when it gained independence in 1962, but coups, assassinations,
and regional instability led to the establishment of a one-party republic in 1966.
Let's take a look at Burundi's top ten most fascinating facts.
10.
Media is strictly restricted in Burundi.
The media is defined as an organization that publishes and broadcasts information.
Radio is the most widely used medium in Burundi.
Following a coup attempt in 2015, most privately held stations were abolished, and state-controlled
stations now dominate the airwaves.
Journalists' freedom of expression is severely limited, and they are frequently harassed.
A large number of people have left the country.
The BBC World Service was banned in 2019 for airing a documentary that the government did
not approve of.
The broadcast of Voice of America has likewise been halted.
Only 5% of the population has access to the internet.
9.
Having a Female Burundian Prime minister.
In 19 93, Hutu Melchior Ndadaye was elected president and named Sylvie Kinigi as his prime
minister.
Burundi's fun fact is that she was the country's first female prime minister.
She was a Tutsi economist who served in numerous government positions before becoming Burundi's
first female prime minister (and one of the few in Africa.)
Ndadaye was asked to create a caretaker government after she was slain.
She quit government after the new president chose a new prime minister in 19 94.
8.
Over-population has led to almost a complete deforestation.
Deforestation is the destruction of a forest and its replacement with something else, most
commonly an agricultural system.
Burundi has a population of just over 12 million people.
Almost 90% of the population lives in rural areas and relies on subsistence farming.
After Mauritius and Rwanda, it is Africa's third most densely inhabited country.
Overcrowding has resulted in widespread deforestation due to rural communities.
Only 230 million acres of forested land remain, and it is being encroached upon at a rate
of 9% every year.
7.
The Kagera Falls are on the UNESCO tentative list.
The Chutes de la Kagera, or Kagera Falls, are stunning waterfalls that encompass over
142 hectares and feature six streams separated over three levels.
They are located in the Nyakazu Fault, south of Rutana in southeastern Burundi.
In 2007, the falls and the Nyakazu Fault were both placed to UNESCO's tentative list.
The preliminary list is where state parties can submit World Heritage site nominations.
6.
Burundi won a gold medal in the 1996 Olympics.
Vénuste Niyongabo was born on December 9, 19 73, in Vugizo, Burundi's southern province.
He was set to run the 1500 meters in the 19 96 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, but he gave
his spot to Dieudonné Kwizera, a fellow Burundian who was in Atlanta as a coach.
Kwizera had previously been unable to compete due to the lack of a National Olympic Committee
in Burundi.
Niyongabo won the gold medal in the 5000 meters unexpectedly.
He is also the sixth fastest mile runner in the world.
He is a member of the 'Champions for Peace' group today, and in 2010, he sponsored the
"Peace Games," which brought together young people from the DRC and Burundi to promote
friendship and brotherhood through athletics.
5.
Burundians are close to being one of the Un happiest people in the world.
The World Happiness Report is published every year by the United Nations Sustainable Development
Solutions Network.
It's a global poll that assesses countries' happiness based on respondents' assessments
of five factors: GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity,
and the lack of corruption.
Burundi was at the bottom of the list in 2018.
Burundi was placed 145th in the world in 2019, with South Sudan coming in last at 156th.
4.
The Classification of the Hutu and Tutsi is not exclusively ethnic.
Hutu, sometimes known as Bahutu or Wahutu, are Bantu-speaking Rwandans and Burundians.
Tutsi, also known as Batusi, Tussi, Watusi, or Watutsi, are a Nilotic ethnic group whose
members live in Rwanda and Burundi.
In both countries, the Tutsi formed the traditional aristocratic minority, accounting for around
9% and 14% of the population, respectively.
Burundi was ruled by a monarch known as the Mwami and an aristocracy known as the Ganwa,
who owned the majority of the land in the 16th century.
The Hutus were mostly farmers, whereas the Tutsis were mostly herders.
For the usage of land, both had to pay tribute to the monarchy.
When a Hutu farmer acquired livestock (which equated to riches), he was commonly called
to as a Tutsi, and vice versa when Tutsis lost their cattle.
Hutus and Tutsis would frequently marry one other.
3.
Burundi has been Plagued with genocides since independence
Ethnic hostilities in Burundi have erupted twice in recent history, both of which have
resulted in genocide.
Burundi's government and economy are dominated by the Tutsi tribe, which accounts for 14%
of the population.
Hutus, who make up 85 percent of the population, revolted against Tutsi President Michel Micombero's
regime in the 19 70s.
(In 1966, Micombero deposed the monarchy and declared himself president.)
During the revolt, government forces killed 120,000 Hutus.
Two decades later, Tutsi soldiers assassinated Melchior Ndadaye, the first Hutu president,
who had been elected in the year before in the first multi-party elections.
The ensuing conflict claimed the lives of 300,000 people.
Cyprien Ntaryamira, his successor, and fellow Hutu Rwandan president Juvénal Habyarimana
were shot down in a plane over Rwanda in 19 94.
The act sparked a genocide in Rwanda, which resulted in the deaths of 800,000 people.
2.
Burundi formed part of German East Africa since 1890.
In the late 1800s, European rivals acknowledged Imperial Germany's claims to an area of the
African Great Lakes equivalent to modern-day Rwanda, Burundi, and mainland Tanzania.
The British occupied what was then known as German East Africa during World War 1.
The Treaty of Versailles handed Belgium the authority to oversee the Rwandan/Burundi section
after the war, which is an intriguing fact about Burundi.
1.The Country is landlocked and borders lake Tanganyika.
Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Rwanda are all landlocked in Burundi.
Bujumbura, the country's capital and principal port, is located on the beaches of Lake Tanganyika.
Tanganyika is the world's second-largest freshwater lake by volume and the world's sixth-largest
lake by surface area.
It is one of the African Great Lakes and is thought to be between 9 and 12 million years
old.
Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Zambia share Lake Tanganyika.
The lake is a food source, a communication link, and a popular tourist attraction for
the countries that share it.
Hippopotamus and crocodiles are among the many fish, plants, and animals found there.
The little country of Burundi has a sad history that doesn’t look set to shift anytime soon.
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