Geography

The Republic of Burundi is a small country in Central Africa with a total area of 27,830 km2 of which 2,180 km2 is water. With a population of over 6 million people, it is one of the most densely populated countries in Africa. It has borders with the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Tanzania. The terrain is hilly and mountainous, dropping to a plateau in the east and the altitude varies from Lake Tanganyika at 772 m to Mount Heha at 2,670 m above sea level.

This landlocked country straddles the crest of the Nile-Congo watershed, and the Kagera, which drains into Lake Victoria, is the most remote headstream of the White Nile. The climate is equatorial and average annual temperature varies with altitude from 23° to 17° centigrade but is generally moderate as the average altitude is about 1,700 m. Average annual rainfall is about 150 cm with wet seasons from February to May and September to November, and dry seasons from June to August and December to January. Natural hazards are flooding, landslides and drought. Languages spoken are Kirundi (official), French (official) and Swahili (along Lake Tanganyika and in the Bujumbura area).

More details can be found at CIA Factbook.