The Republic of Burundi (formerly Urundi) is a small nation 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 name derives from its Bantu language, Kirundi.
Geographically isolated, facing population pressures and having sparse resources, Burundi is one of the poorest and most conflict-ridden countries in Africa and in the world. Its small size belies the magnitude of the problems it faces in reconciling the claims of the Tutsi minority with the Hutu majority.
Burundi is a landlocked country with an equatorial climate. It lies on a rolling plateau, with Lake Tanganyika in its south west corner. The average elevation of the central plateau is 5,600 ft, with lower elevations at the borders. The highest peak, Mount Karonje, at 2,685 m (8,809 ft), lies to the southeast of the capital, Bujumbura. The southeastern and southern borders are at roughtly 4,500 ft. A strip of land along the Ruzizi River, north of Lake Tanganyika, is the only area below 3,000 ft: this area forms part of the Albertine Rift, the western extension of the Great Rift Valley.
The land is mostly agricultural or pasture, the creation of which has led to deforestation, soil erosion and habitat loss. There are two national parks, Kibira National park to the northwest (a region of montane rainforest, adjacent to Nyungwe National Park in Rwanda), Rurubu National park to the north east (along the Rurubu River, also known as Ruvubu or Ruvuvu).
The farthest headstream of the Nile is in Burundi. Although Lake Victoria is commonly considered to be the source of the Nile, the Kagera River flows for 690 km (429 miles) before reaching Lake Victoria. The source of the Ruvyironza River, an upper branch of the Kagera River, is at Mount Kikizi in Burundi.
Burundi is divided into 16 administrative provinces. The capital city, Bujumbura, has by far the largest population. Smaller cities of Burundi include Gitega, Muyinga, Ngozi and Ruyigi.
