Burundi (/bəˈrʊndi/ ( listen), /-ˈrʌn-/), officially the Republic of Burundi (Kirundi: Republika

y'Uburundi,[12] [u.βu.ɾǔː.ndi]; French: République du Burundi, [buʁundi] or [byʁyndi]), is a landlocked

country in the Great Rift Valley where the African Great Lakes region and East Africa converge. It is
bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and southeast, and the Democratic Republic
of the Congo to the west; Lake Tanganyika lies along its southwestern border. The capital cities are
Gitega and Bujumbura.[13]
The Twa, Hutu and Tutsi peoples have lived in Burundi for at least 500 years. For more than 200 of
those years, Burundi was an independent kingdom, until the beginning of the 20th century,
when Germany colonised the region.[14] After the First World War and Germany's defeat, it ceded the
territory to Belgium. Both Germans and Belgians ruled Burundi and Rwanda as a European colony
known as Ruanda-Urundi. Despite common misconceptions, Burundi and Rwanda had never been
under common rule until the time of European colonisation.
Burundi gained independence in 1962 and initially had a monarchy, but a series of assassinations,
coups and a general climate of regional instability culminated in the establishment of a republic and
one-party state in 1966. Bouts of ethnic cleansing and ultimately two civil wars and genocides during
the 1970s and again in the 1990s left the economy undeveloped and the population as one of
the world's poorest.[15] The presidents of Rwanda and Burundi, both Hutus, died together when their
aeroplane was shot down in April 1994. 2015 witnessed large-scale political strife as
President Pierre Nkurunziza opted to run for a third term in office, a coup attempt failed and the
country's parliamentary and presidential elections were broadly criticised by members of the
international community.
The sovereign state of Burundi's political system is that of a presidential representative
democratic republic based upon a multi-party state. The President of Burundi is the head of
state and head of government. There are currently 21 registered parties in Burundi.[16] On 13 March
1992, Tutsi coup leader Pierre Buyoya established a constitution,[17] which provided for a multi-party
political process and reflected multi-party competition.[18] Six years later, on 6 June 1998, the
constitution was changed, broadening National Assembly's seats and making provisions for two
vice-presidents. Because of the Arusha Accord, Burundi enacted a transitional government in 2000.
[19]
 In October 2016, Burundi informed the UN of its intention to withdraw from the International
Criminal Court.[20]
Burundi remains primarily a rural society, with just 13.4% of the population living in urban areas in
2019.[21] The population density of around 315 people per square kilometre (753 per sq mi) is the
second highest in Sub-Saharan Africa.[16] Roughly 85% of the population are of Hutu ethnic origin,
15% are Tutsi, and fewer than 1% are indigenous Twa.[22] The official languages of Burundi
are Kirundi, French and English, Kirundi being recognised officially as the sole national language.[23]
One of the smallest countries in Africa, Burundi's land is used mostly for subsistence agricultural and
grazing, which has led to deforestation, soil erosion and habitat loss.[24] As of 2005 the country was
almost completely deforested, with less than 6% of its land covered by trees and over half of that
being commercial plantations.[25] In addition to poverty, Burundians often have to deal with corruption,
weak infrastructure, poor access to health and education services, and hunger.[26] Burundi is densely
populated and many young people emigrate in search of opportunities elsewhere. The World
Happiness Report 2018 ranked Burundi as the world's least happy nation with a rank of 156.[27]