Bujumbura

Bujumbura, Burundi
Central Bujumbura, with Lake Tanganyika in the background
Bujumbura, Burundi
Coordinates: {{#invoke:Coordinates|coord}}{{#coordinates:3|23|00|S|29|22|00|E|type:city
	name= }}
Province	Bujumbura-Ville
Population (1994)
- City	300,000
- Urban	300,000
	estimated
Time zone	CAT (UTC+1)
- Summer (DST)	none (UTC+1)

Bujumbura (pronounced /ˌbuːdʒəmˈbuːrə/), the capital city of Burundi, and is Burundi's largest city and its administrative, communications, and economic center.

Geography

Etymology of name – if available. Burundi, a landlocked country, lies on a rolling plateau, with Lake Tanganyika in its southwest corner. Bujumbura lies at the northeastern corner of Lake Tanganyika

Elevation: 794.0 m (2,605 ft)

The average elevation of the central plateau is 5,600 feet, with lower elevations at the borders. The highest peak, Mount Karonje, at 8,809 feet (2,685 m), lies to the southeast of the capital

Because of its elevation, the nation's climate is temperate despite its proximity to the Equator, with the warmest and most humid area in the lowlands around Lake Tanganyika.

Rivers and canals Size – land area, size comparison Environmental issues Districts The city center is a colonial town with a large market, the national stadium, a large mosque, and the cathedral for the Archdiocese of Bujumbura.

History

A view of Bujumbura Beach, west of the city.

Bujumbura grew from a small village after it became a military post in German East Africa in 1889. After World War I it was made the administrative center of the Belgian League of Nations mandate of Ruanda-Urundi. The city's name was changed from Usumbura to Bujumbura when Burundi became independent in 1962. Since independence, Bujumbura has been the scene of frequent fighting between the country's two main ethnic groups, with Hutu militias opposing the Tutsi-dominated Burundi army.

The market in central Bujumbura.

The city was the center of an ethnically inspired civil war in the 1990s and early 21st century.

Government

Burundi is a republic. The president, who is elected by popular vote to a five-year term and is eligible for a second term, is both the chief of state and head of government. The bicameral parliament consists of a national assembly with a minimum of 100 seats, of which 60 percent must be Hutu and 40 percent Tutsi, with at least 30 percent being women, and with additional seats appointed by a National Independent Electoral Commission to ensure ethnic representation. Members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms. A and with remaining seats assigned to ethnic groups and former chiefs of state.

Burundi is divided into 17 provinces, 117 communes, and 2,638 colonies. The capital city, Bujumbura, has by far the largest population. Smaller cities include Gitega, Muyinga, Ngozi, and Ruyigi.

Economy

Overview – Any specialization: For instance, is a manufactured product is associated with particular cities a. Milwaukee—cheese and beer b. Los Angeles—entertainment industry c. Sheffield—coal d. top 20 cities in the U.S. are highly specialized

Per capita GDP, rank Financial and business services sector Tourism Manufactures include textiles and soap.

Transport: Road, rail, air, sea Bujumbura is Burundi's main port and ships most of the country's chief export, coffee, as well as cotton, skins, and tin ore.

Ferries sail from Bujumbura to Kigoma in Tanzania, while the city is also home to the Bujumbura International Airport and the University of Bujumbura.

Demography

Bujumbura University.

Bujumbura had an estimated population of 300,000 in 1994. Population = 187,297 Race/ethnicity - historical background of ethnic groups Language Religion Colleges and universities

Of interest

Museums in the city include the Burundi Museum of Life and the Burundi Geological Museum. Other nearby attractions include the Rusizi National Park, the Livingstone-Stanley Monument at Mugere (where David Livingstone and Henry Morton Stanley visited 14 days after their first historic meeting at Ujiji in Tanzania), and the source of the southernmost tributary of the Nile, described locally as the source of the Nile.

The city is also where a lot of the Disney movie George of the Jungle is supposed to take place (though the film's location bears very little resemblance to the real city).

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• World Fact Book 2008 Burundi Retrieved August 12, 2008.

External links

• FallingRain Map

Official Bujumbura's Website www.villedebujumbura.org

Credits

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• History of "Bujumbura"

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