It is long, narrow and very deep - Lake Tanganyika. The landlocked country of Burundi shares the waters with its neighbors Tanzania, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The freshwater lake is the small country's biggest attraction and feeds many of its inhabitants. It is extremely rich in fish. During World War I, this region was a part of German East Africa and then was administered by Belgium until 1962. When the uprising of the Hutu ethnic group triggered a civil war with the Tutsi in 1972, a devastating massacre took place. About a hundred thousand people lost their lives. Burundi is popular with international tourists partly because the forests there are home to the highly endangered mountain gorillas. The destruction of the vegetation and the conversion of the fields into cultivated land is destroying many habitats of the wild animals.
Country data Burundi
Burundi at a glance
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Population | 11.531.000 |
Language | French, Kirundi und English |
Area | 27830 km2 |
Continent | Africa |
Currency | Burundi Franc (BIF) |
Neighboring countries | Tanzania, Democratic Republic of the Congo und Rwanda |
Map Burundi
Country borders and location of the capital