Best Countries

At a glance

Capital: Bujumbura

Official language: French, Kirundi

Currency: franc

Continent: East Africa

Travel information about Burundi

Burundi is located on Lake Tanganyika in the East African Rift Valley. The country has been ravaged by a long civil war – the 2003 ceasefire agreement is now fueling hope for peace.

Location Burundi

According to Countryaah, Burundi is one of the smallest and most populous states in Africa. The country’s landscape is similar to its populous neighbor, Rwanda. Burundi lies in the midst of a beautiful mountain landscape and has a long shore border to Lake Tanganyika, which it shares with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire). Another neighboring state is Tanzania in the east.

Information Burundi

For a long time, beginning in the mid- 1960s, there were civil war-like riots in Burundi. The war is already over, the news just hasn’t reached the rest of the world. However, the times of carefree peace (the time of eating the lotus) are long gone and the country is only slowly recovering from its war strains. Certain areas should be avoided when traveling, especially the area in and around the capital Bujumbura. Inquire in detail about the security situation at your responsible foreign office before you start your journey.

Travel to Burundi

Lake Tanganyika is certainly one of the natural highlights in Burundi. From there on, the landscape rises to a high plateau, which runs through the country at an altitude of 2,000 meters. The highest point in the small country is Mount Heha, also known as the Nebelgipfel, at 2,700 meters in the south of the country.
Located on the African rift valley, the landscape in Burundi is as varied as all countries on this continental fault line. Burundi’s main exports are cotton, tea and coffee – products that are all grown in the country itself. Enjoy a cup of fine, freshly roasted coffee in an area that few tourists have seen.

Important facts

Capital: Bujumbura

Official language: French, Kirundi

Currency

Currency (sub-unit)

Franc (100 centimes)

ISO 4217 code

BIF / 108

Geography

Continent: Africa

Region: east

Geo coordinates: S -3 ° -22′-23 ” E 29 ° 55 ‘8″

Highest mountain: Mount Heha (2,670 m)

Total area: 27,830 km²

Mainland: 25,650 km²

National border: 974 km

Politics

Dependency: Belgium until 1962

UN member since: 1962

Other political affiliation: African Union

Form of government: Presidential Republic

Economy

Export goods: Coffee, cotton, hides

BSP: $ 1,453,700,000

GDP: $ 1,254,100,000

GDP purchasing power parity: $ 7,508,700,000

Economic growth: 3.7%

GDP share of agriculture: 45.8%

GDP share of industry: 21%

GDP share of services: 33.2%

Inflation rate: 19%

State budget revenue: $ 263,000,000

State budget expenditure: $ 358,000,000

Export: $ 67,000,000

Import: $ 233,000,000

Foreign debt: $ 1,226,000,000

Gold and currency reserves: $ 124,000,000

Electricity consumption: 166 million KWh

Oil consumption: 4,000 million m³

Cultivation area: 48.52%

Bovine: 352,000 pieces

Sheep: 230,000 pieces

Fishing: 8,600 t

Demographic data

Residents: 8.090.100

Residents in cities: 613,000

Average age: 16.6 years

0-14 years: 46.3%

15-64 years: 51.1%

> 65 years: 2.6%

Population growth: 3.7%

Birth rate: 39.66 / 1,000 residents

Death rate: 13.46 / 1,000 residents

Migration: 8.22 / 1,000 residents

Ratio men / women: 0.99

Fertility: 6.55 children / woman

Infant mortality: 63.13 ‰

Life expectancy men: 50.07 years

Life expectancy women: 51.58 years

Country codes and abbreviations

ISO 3166 Alpha 2: BI

ISO 3166 Alpha 3: BDI

ISO 3166 numeric: 108

Top Level Domain: bi

IOC country code: BDI

UN / LOCODE: BI

Source: Abbreviationfinder

Communication

Telephone connections: 33,000

Cell Phones: 98,000

Radios: 1,690,000

TV: 371,000

Computer: 49,000

Internet users: 32,000

Transportation

Paved roads: 1,942 km

Cars: 25,000

Health

Number of doctors: 480

Daily food intake: 1,710 kcal / resident

HIV- infected people: 300,000

Education

Illiteracy: 42%

History

Foundation: 1460

Last sovereign since: 1962

Religion

Main religious group: Christians

Crime

Prison inmates: 8,400

Military

Armed forces (troop strength): 55,000

Defense Spending: $ 47.6 million

GETTING THERE

Arriving by plane

Burundi’s national airline Air Burundi (8Y) is not represented in Europe.

Other airlines that fly to Burundi are Air France (AF), KLM (KL). Ethiopian Airlines (ET) and Kenya Airways (KQ). Lufthansa (LH) flies to Bujumbura in

codeshare with Brussels Airlines (SN).

Flight times

US $ 20.

Arrival by car

Acceptable roads lead from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda to Burundi. You should only travel to Rwanda as part of a UN convoy, as there are always raids. The road link to the Democratic Republic of the Congo may be closed without long-term notice. The road connection from Tanzania is poor. Areas near the border can be very dangerous.

Arrival by ship

Freight and passenger ship connections on Lake Tanganyika between Kigoma (Tanzania) and Bujumbura, if the political situation permits; also from Bujumbura to Kalemi (Democratic Republic of the Congo) and Mpulungu (Zambia). There are three different deck classes. The departure times are not always respected.

ON THE GO

Traveling by plane

There is no domestic air traffic.

On the way by car / bus

Most of the roads are paved. From Bujumbura, larger roads lead east to Muramvya (former royal city) and south towards Gitega. The roads to Kayanza, Ngozi and Kirundo can be extremely dangerous (robbery) and are often closed during military operations. Many main streets are closed after 4:00 p.m. Due to the unstable political situation, it is currently not recommended to stay outside of Bujumbura. Most of the roads are hardly passable during the rainy season.

Rental cars: available in Bujumbura, vehicles can also be rented at petrol stations.

Documentation: international driver’s license.

Traveling in the city

Regular buses run in and around Bujumbura and in larger cities. Minibuses are often cheaper and less crowded than shared taxis. Drivers wait for a full load before leaving. Public transport outside of Bujumbura should be considered dangerous.

Taxi: Tanus-tanus (truck taxis) tend to be overcrowded.