Gitega

Gitega is one of the 17 provinces of Burundi. Its capital is Gitega. It has a population of about 675,000 and an area of 1,979 km².

Mwaro

Mwaro – one of the 17 provinces in Burundi, located in the central part of the country.

Demographics

In Burundi 83% of the population is a Hutu people, and the remaining part – Tutsi tribes (15%) and Pygmy (about 1%). More than 60% of the country’s population professes Catholicism, the other is: animiści (33%), Protestants (3.2%) and Muslims (1%). Burundi has a high population growth (29.7 ‰, 1985-1990) and is one of the most densely populated (202 inhabitant. Per square km, 1991) and the least urbanized (more than 7% of the population lives in cities) countries in Africa.

Plane

There is currently only one direct flight from Europe to Burundi: once (from December 2007: twice) per week Brussels Airlines flies (www.brusselsairlines.com, successor to the 2002 Insolvency gone Belgian state airline Sabena) from Brussels to Bujumbura International ( BJM). It also offers Ethopian Airways (www.flyethiopian.com/) flights from Frankfurt to Addis Ababa, Kenya Airways / KLM flies via Nairobi to Burundi.

Early settlement

Archaeological evidence shows that a pygmoid hunter gathering tribe, the Twa, first settled the region in 70,000 B.C.E.However, approximately 5,000 years ago, the Hutu, a Bantu-speaking people from the mountainous regions of central Africa, immigrated and provided Burundi’s first language.

The Hutu served as the main farming group in the country. Following the Hutu, the Tutsi tribe settled the region in the late fifteenth century. The Tutsi were descendants of Nilo-Hamitic-speaking people from Ethiopia.From the Tutsi’s early occupation in the region, agricultural techniques were introduced, and a feudal system was established within local chiefdoms. The Tutsi’s relationship with the Hutu remained stable during this period.With the settlement of the Tutsi and Hutu tribes, Burundi’s kingdom expanded in land size, until the seventeenth century. At the beginning of the seventeenth century, the Tutsi dynasty reigned Burundi’s kingdom.The kingdom continued through rulers, until the late nineteenth century. King Mwezi IV reigned from 1852 to 1908. During this time he allied with the Germans in order to gain control over his opponents. Mwezi’s opponents, two chiefs named Maconco and Birori, were rebelling to take away Burundi’s throne. As a result, the kingdom of Burundi became a German colony in 1899.

Saga Beach

Although it’s got nothing on nearby Kenya and Tanzania, Burundi’s beaches along the coast of Lake Tanganyika are surprisingly attractive. The sand is white and powdery, and the waves should keep the Bilharzia at bay. Saga Beach, which is the most developed stretch of sand along the lake, lies about 5km (3mi) northwest of the capital.

Although it used to be known as Plage des Cocotiers (Coconut Beach), most locals now refer to the area as Saga Beach (pronounced Sagga) in honour of the Saga Beach Resort. This popular complex has several large restaurants and a brilliant beachfront bar that turns out cold Primus beers at bargain prices. It draws in huge crowds on the weekends, and the whole complex rocks on as a club by night.

When to Go

If you want to avoid getting wet, the rainy season in Burundi lasts from around October to May, with a brief dry spell in December and January. If you like getting sweaty, head to the hot and steamy lowlands around Lake Tanganyika, where temperatures average 30°C (86°F), or stay cool in the more mountainous north, where the usual temperature is a much milder 20°C (68°F).

Bujumbura

Bujumbura (pronounced /ˌbuːdʒəmˈbuːrə/) is the capital city of Burundi. The city lies at the northeastern corner of Lake Tanganyika and, with an estimated population of 300,000 in 1994, is Burundi’s largest city and its administrative, communications, and economic center. Manufactures include textiles and soap. Bujumbura is Burundi’s main port and ships most of the country’s chief export, coffee, as well as cotton, skins, and tin ore.

Burundi

Burundi (pronounced [buˈɾundi]), officially the Republic of Burundi, is a small country in the Great Lakes region of Africa. It is bordered by Rwanda on the north, Tanzania on the south and east, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the west. Although the country is landlocked, much of its western border is adjacent to Lake Tanganyika. The country’s modern name is derived from its Bantu language, Kirundi.

Geographically isolated, facing population pressures and having sparse resources, Burundi has the lowest GDP per capita in the world, arguably making it the poorest country on the planet. One scientific study of 178 nations rated Burundi’s population as having the lowest satisfaction with life of all