Long-form name:
Republic of Burundi
Type:
republic
Capital:
Bujumbura
Administrative divisions:
15 provinces; Bubanza, Bujumbura, Bururi, Cankuzo, Cibitoke, Gitega, Karuzi,
Kayanza, Kirundo, Makamba, Muramvya, Muyinga, Ngozi, Rutana, Ruyigi
Independence:
1 July 1962 (from UN trusteeship under Belgian administration)
Constitution:
20 November 1981; suspended following the coup of 3 September 1987; a
constitutional committee was charged with drafting a new constitution
created in February 1991; a referendum on the new constitution scheduled for
March 1992
Legal system:
based on German and Belgian civil codes and customary law; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday:
Independence Day, 1 July (1962)
Executive branch:
president; chairman of the Central Committee of the National Party of Unity
and Progress (UPRONA), prime minister
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale) was dissolved following
the coup of 3 September 1987; at an extraordinary party congress held from
27 to 29 December 1990, the Central Committee of the National Party of Unity
and Progress (UPRONA) replaced the Military Committee for National
Salvation, and became the supreme governing body during the transition to
constitutional government
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)
Leaders:
Chief of State:
Major Pierre BUYOYA, President (since 9 September 1987)
Head of Government:
Prime Minister Adrien SIBOMANA (since 26 October 1988)
Political parties and leaders:
only party - National Party of Unity and Progress (UPRONA), Nicolas MAYUGI,
secretary general; note - although Burundi is still officially a one-party
state, at least four political parties were formed in 1991 in anticipation
of proposed constitutional reform in 1992 - Burundi Democratic Front
(FRODEBU), Organization of the People of Burundi (RPB), Socialist Party of
Burundi (PSB), Movement for Peace and Democracy (MPD) - the Party for the
Liberation of the Hutu People (PALIPEHUTU), formed in exile in the early
1980s, is an ethnically based political party dedicated to majority rule;
the government has long accused PALIPEHUTU of practicing devisive ethnic
politics and fomenting violence against the state. PALIPEHUTU's exclusivist
charter makes it an unlikely candidate for legalization under the new
constitution that will require party membership open to all ethnic groups
Suffrage:
universal adult at age NA
Elections:
National Assembly:
dissolved after the coup of 3 September 1987; note - The National Unity
Charter outlining the principles for constitutional government was adopted
by a national referendum on 5 February 1991
:Burundi Government
Member of:
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEEAC, CEPGL, ECA, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, IDA,
IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTERPOL, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation:
Ambassador Julien KAVAKURE; Chancery at Suite 212, 2233 Wisconsin Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20007; telephone (202) 342-2574
US:
Ambassador Cynthia Shepherd PERRY; B. P. 1720, Avenue des Etats-Unis,
Bujumbura; telephone [257] (222) 454; FAX [257] (222) 926
Flag:
divided by a white diagonal cross into red panels (top and bottom) and green
panels (hoist side and outer 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)
:Burundi Economy
Overview:
A landlocked, resource-poor country in an early stage of economic
development, Burundi is predominately agricultural with only a few basic
industries. Its economic health depends on the coffee crop, which accounts
for an average 90% of foreign exchange earnings each year. The ability to
pay for imports therefore continues to rest largely on the vagaries of the
climate and the international coffee market. As part of its economic reform
agenda, launched in February 1991 with IMF and World Bank support, Burundi
is trying to diversify its export agriculture capability and attract foreign
investment in industry. Several state-owned coffee companies were privatized
via public auction in September 1991.
GDP:
exchange rate conversion - $1.13 billion, per capita $200; real growth rate
3.4% (1990 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
7.1% (1990 est.)
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Budget:
revenues $158 million; expenditures $204 million, including capital
expenditures of $131 million (1989 est.)
Exports:
$74.7 million (f.o.b., 1990)
commodities:
coffee 88%, tea, hides, and skins
partners:
EC 83%, US 5%, Asia 2%
Imports:
$234.6 million (c.i.f., 1990)
commodities:
capital goods 31%, petroleum products 15%, foodstuffs, consumer goods
partners:
EC 57%, Asia 23%, US 3%
External debt:
$1.0 billion (1990 est.)
Industrial production:
real growth rate 5.1% (1986); accounts for about 10% of GDP
Electricity:
55,000 kW capacity; 105 million kWh produced, 20 kWh per capita (1991)
Industries:
light consumer goods such as blankets, shoes, soap; assembly of imports;
public works construction; food processing
Agriculture:
accounts for 60% of GDP; 90% of population dependent on subsistence farming;
marginally self-sufficient in food production; cash crops - coffee, cotton,
tea; food crops - corn, sorghum, sweet potatoes, bananas, manioc; livestock
- meat, milk, hides, and skins
Economic aid:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $71 million; Western (non-US)
countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $10.2 billion; OPEC
bilateral aid (1979-89), $32 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $175
million
Currency:
Burundi franc (plural - francs); 1 Burundi franc (FBu) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates:
Burundi francs (FBu) per US$1 - 193.72 (January 1992), 181.51 (1991), 171.26
(1990), 158.67 (1989), 140.40 (1988), 123. 56 (1987)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
:Burundi Communications
Highways:
5,900 km total; 400 km paved, 2,500 km gravel or laterite, 3,000 km improved
or unimproved earth
Inland waterways:
Lake Tanganyika
Ports:
Bujumbura (lake port) connects to transportation systems of Tanzania and
Zaire
Civil air:
no major transport aircraft
Airports:
6 total, 6 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over
3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; none with runways 1,220 to 2,439 m
Telecommunications:
sparse system of wire, radiocommunications, and low-capacity radio relay
links; 8,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 2 AM, 2 FM, 1 TV; 1 Indian
Ocean INTELSAT earth station
:Burundi Defense Forces
Branches:
Army (includes naval and air units); paramilitary Gendarmerie
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 1,306,611; 681,050 fit for military service; 59,676 reach
military age (16) annually
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $28 million, 3.7% of GDP (1989)
:Cambodia Geography