Geography of Burundi
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Burundi is located in central Africa, to the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, at the co-ordinates .
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[edit] Physical Geography
Burundi occupies an area equal to 27,830 square kilometres in size, of which 25,650 km² is land. The country has 974 kilometres of land border: 233 km of which is shared with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 290 km with Rwanda and 451 km with Tanzania. As a landlocked country, Burundi possesses no coastline, although it straddles the crest of the Nile-Congo River watershed.
[edit] Climate
Burundi has an equatorial climate, and is sited on a high plateau with considerable altitude variation, from 772 m to 2,670 m. The average annual temperature varies with altitude, from 23°C, to 17°C, although is generally moderate as the average altitude is approximately 1,700 m. The average annual rainfall is about 1,500 mm, with wet seasons from February to May, and from September to November. Dry seasons are from June to August, and December to January.
[edit] Terrain
The terrain of Burundi is hilly and mountainous, dropping to a plateau in the east. There are some plains. The lowest point is at Lake Tanganyika, at 772 m, with the highest point being on Mount Karonje, at 2,670 m. [1] Natural hazards are posed in Burundi by flooding and landslides.
[edit] Natural resources
Burundi possesses reserves of: nickel, uranium, rare earth oxides, peat, cobalt, copper, platinum (not yet exploited) and vanadium. There is also arable land and the potential for hydropower. 140 km² of land in Burundi is irrigated. The table below describes land use in Burundi.
| Use | Percentage of Area |
|---|---|
| arable land | 44 |
| permanent crops | 9 |
| permanent pastures | 36 |
| forests and woodland | 3 |
| other | 8 |
[edit] Environment
[edit] Current issues
Soil erosion is an issue for Burundi, and is as a result of overgrazing and the expansion of agriculture into marginal lands. Other issues include: deforestation, due to the uncontrolled cutting-down of trees for fuel; and habitat loss threatens wildlife populations.
[edit] International agreements
Burundi is a party to the following international agreements that relate to the environment: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes and Ozone Layer Protection. The following have been signed but not yet ratified by Burundi: Law of the Sea and Nuclear Test Ban.
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