Comparative area: slightly larger than Maryland
Land boundaries: 974 km total; Rwanda 290 km, Tanzania 451 km,
Zaire 233 km
Coastline: none—landlocked
Maritime claims: none—landlocked
Climate: temperate; warm; occasional frost in uplands
Terrain: mostly rolling to hilly highland; some plains
Natural resources: nickel, uranium, rare earth oxide, peat, cobalt, copper, platinum (not yet exploited), vanadium
Land use: 43% arable land; 8% permanent crops; 35% meadows and pastures; 2% forest and woodland; 12% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Environment: soil exhaustion; soil erosion; deforestation
Note: landlocked; straddles crest of the Nile-Congo watershed