Burundi National Parks

Burundi is one of the poorest and most densely populated countries in Africa . Presently, Burundi is visited more by international tourists in transit than as a destination in itself. However, there are some attractions that warrant a short visit, especially for the prolific birdlife, chimpanzees and other pri­mates.

Burundi is a hilly country with altitudes ranging from 2600-9000 feet (790-2745 m). The weather in Bujumbura and along the shores of Lake Tanganyika is warm and humid with average temperatures ranging from 64-89° F (218-32° C); frost sometimes occurs at night in the highlands. Dry seasons are June-September and December-January; the principal rainy season is February-May.

The three major ethnic groups in the country are the Hutu, Tutsi and Twa (pygmy). Hutus are primarily farmers and comprise more than half the population; their Bantu-speaking ancestors came to Burundi over 800 years ago. The Tutsi are a pastoral tribe and comprise less than a quarter of the popula­tion; they came to the region a few hundred years after the Hutus. The pygmy (Twa) were the original inhabitants who presently comprise less than two percent of the population.

For centuries, the region that is now Burundi had a feudal social structure headed by a king. Although Europeans ex- plored the region as early as 1858, Burundi did not come under European administration until it became part of German VJesl Africa in the 1890s.

In 1916, Belgian troops occupied the country and the League of Nations mandated it to Belgium as part of the Territory of Ruanda-Urundi in 1923. Ruanda-Urundi became a U.N. Trust Territory under the administration of Belgium after World War II, and in 1962 became the independent country of Burundi .

French and Kirundi are the official languages, and Swahili is also spoken. At the top hotels, restaurants and shops, some English-speaking staff are usually available to assist travelers; otherwise, very little English is spoken in the country. Most of the people are Catholic.

There are only two large cities in the country — Bujum­bura and Gitega. Over 90 percent of the population are subsis­tence farmers. Burundi 's major exports include coffee, tea, cotton and food crops, with coffee providing 80-90 percent of the country's foreign exchange earnings.