Burundi — Capital, Flag and Country Facts

Explore Burundi: capital Gitega, population, flag, geography, languages, history and culture.

Burundi is in Africa. Its capital is Gitega.

Climate

Equatorial; high plateau with considerable altitude variation; moderate temperatures; two wet and two dry seasons

Hilly and mountainous; dropping to a plateau in the east; some plains along the western border with Lake Tanganyika

Burundi is one of the few African countries where drumming is a sacred ritual.

Burundi and Rwanda are the only countries in Africa where the pre-colonial kingdom boundaries match modern borders.

The Royal Drummers of Burundi are a UNESCO-recognized cultural treasure, performing ritual drum ceremonies for centuries.

1680: Kingdom of Burundi established as a powerful monarchy

1890: Germany incorporates Burundi into German East Africa

1962: Burundi gains independence from Belgium

1972: Mass killings of Hutus by the Tutsi-dominated army

1993: Ethnic civil war erupts after the assassination of the first Hutu president

2005: New power-sharing constitution adopted; peace gradually restored