Burundi is a small African country near the African Great Lakes, sharing borders with Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Tanzania. It is considered the poorest country on earth, relying heavily on coffee production and foreign aid. Burundians live in rural areas and practice arranged marriages. The country has a history of violence and ethnic “cleansing,” but is now a transitional presidential representative democratic republic.
The Republic of Burundi, commonly known as Burundi, is a small African country located near the African Great Lakes. Burundi shares a border with the country of Rwanda to the north, the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Tanzania to both the east and south. Burundi is one of Africa’s landlocked countries, although it is close to Lake Tanganyika.
Burundi is considered by many sources to be the poorest country on the planet, as it has the lowest per capita gross domestic product (GDP) of any country on earth, the equivalent of $90 US dollars (USD) per person in the 2007. for over half of Burundi’s GDP, with coffee production making up the majority. Burundi also produces tea, sorghum, cotton, bananas, sweet potatoes, milk, beef, animal skins, corn and yucca. The country receives massive foreign aid from many parts of the world, especially Western Europe.
Most Burundians are rural and live in hilly compounds called rugos. Many families still practice arranged marriages, sometimes with a bridal price paid by the groom’s family to the bride’s family. The Royal Drummers of Burundi showcase traditional drumming, an important part of Burundi’s heritage and culture, alongside traditional dances. Burundians have a tradition of oral history, passing down generations of history through poetry, song and storytelling. Both mancala games and soccer are popular with many Burundians.
The Twa people first inhabited the area that is now Burundi, assimilating with the Bantu tribes. From the 16th century to 1903, Burundi was an independent kingdom. In 1903 it became a German colony, with Belgium taking ownership of the country during World War I. The monarchy continued until 1966, overlapping German and Belgian ownership as well as Burundi’s independence in 1962.
Beginning in 1962, Burundi was under the control of a variety of military dictators, who presided over extreme violence and ethnic “cleansing”. Hutu-Tutsi violence continued for decades, with multiple genocides of both Tutsi and Hutus. A peace agreement was signed in 2000, but the violence continued. Another ceasefire was agreed in 2003, but 152 Congo Tutsi refugees were killed in Burundi in 2004. Another ceasefire was signed in 2005 and negotiations are still ongoing.
As of 2007, the government of Burundi is a transitional presidential representative democratic republic. The president of Burundi serves as the head of government and head of state. Parliament has two branches, the National Assembly and the Senate. The president has officially called a ceasefire, but after decades of genocide and ethnic violence, it remains to be seen whether Burundi can maintain the ceasefire.
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