Burundi,
in east central Africa is bordered by Rwanda on
the north, Tanzania to
the east and south, and the Democratic
Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire) on the west. Formerly
known as Urundi, it was once a German colony
and later was governed by Belgium.
It became an independent kingdom in 1962 and a republic
in 1966. Since independence, ethnic violence and civil
war have resulted in the deaths of more than 500,000
people.
Burundi has an area of 10,745 square miles (27,830 square kilometers) which is about the size of the state of Maryland. Its capital is Bujumbura and the population in 2006 was estimated at 8,090,068.
The Burundians consist of three major ethnic groups: the Hutu, who are farmers; the Tutsi, who are cattle raisers; and the Twa, who were traditionally hunter-gatherers. French and Kirundi are official languages.
Nearly 70 percent of the people are Christian--mostly Roman Catholic--and about 10 percent are Muslim. About 25 percent practice traditional African religions.
Burundi's monetary unit is the Burundi franc.
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