Burundi is located in East Africa, to the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, at the coordinates .

Physical geography

Burundi Burundi (, ), officially the Republic of Burundi ( rn, Repuburika y’Uburundi ; Swahili language, Swahili: ''Jamuhuri ya Burundi''; French language, French: ''République du Burundi'' ), is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley at the ...

occupies an area equal to in size, of which is land. The country has of land border: of which is shared with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with

Rwanda Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...

and with Tanzania. As a landlocked country, Burundi possesses no coastline. It straddles the crest of the Congo-Nile Divide which separates the basins of the

Congo Congo or The Congo may refer to either of two countries that border the Congo River in central Africa: * Democratic Republic of the Congo, the larger country to the southeast, capital Kinshasa, formerly known as Zaire, sometimes referred to a ...

and Nile rivers. The farthest headwaters of the Nile, the Ruvyironza River, has its source in Burundi.

Terrain

The terrain of Burundi is hilly and mountainous, dropping to a plateau in the east. The southern and eastern plains have been categorised by the World Wide Fund for Nature as part of the

Central Zambezian miombo woodlands The Central Zambezian miombo woodlands ecoregion spans southern central Africa. Miombo woodland is the predominant plant community. It is one of the largest ecoregions on the continent, and home to a great variety of wildlife, including many large ...

ecoregion. The lowest point in the country is at

Lake Tanganyika Lake Tanganyika () is an African Great Lake. It is the second-oldest freshwater lake in the world, the second-largest by volume, and the second-deepest, in all cases after Lake Baikal in Siberia. It is the world's longest freshwater lake. ...

, at , with the highest point being on Mount Heha, at . Natural hazards are posed in Burundi by flooding and landslides.

Natural resources

Burundi possesses reserves of: nickel, uranium, rare earth oxides, peat, cobalt, copper, platinum (not yet exploited),

vanadium Vanadium is a chemical element with the symbol V and atomic number 23. It is a hard, silvery-grey, malleable transition metal. The elemental metal is rarely found in nature, but once isolated artificially, the formation of an oxide layer ( pas ...

niobium Niobium is a chemical element with chemical symbol Nb (formerly columbium, Cb) and atomic number 41. It is a light grey, crystalline, and ductile transition metal. Pure niobium has a Mohs hardness rating similar to pure titanium, and it has sim ...

, tantalum, gold, tin, tungsten, kaolin, and limestone. There is also arable land and the potential for hydropower. Burundi has of land that is irrigated. The table below describes land use in Burundi.

Environment

Current issues

Soil erosion Soil erosion is the denudation or wearing away of the upper layer of soil. It is a form of soil degradation. This natural process is caused by the dynamic activity of erosive agents, that is, water, ice (glaciers), snow, air (wind), plants, and ...

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.

International agreements

Burundi is a party to the following international agreements that relate to the environment: Biodiversity, Climate Change,

Desertification Desertification is a type of land degradation in drylands in which biological productivity is lost due to natural processes or induced by human activities whereby fertile areas become increasingly arid. It is the spread of arid areas caused by ...

, 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.

Extreme points

This is a list of the extreme points of

, the points that are farther north, south, east or west than any other location. * Northernmost point –

Muyinga Province Muyinga Province is one of the 18 provinces of Burundi Burundi (, ), officially the Republic of Burundi ( rn, Repuburika y’Uburundi ; Swahili: ''Jamuhuri ya Burundi''; French: ''République du Burundi'' ), is a landlocked country in the ...

; unnamed location on the border with

immediately south of the Rwandan town of Mbuye * Easternmost point – Cankuzo Province; unnamed location on the border with Tanzania immediately northwest of Mburi hill * Southernmost point – Makamba Province; unnamed location on the border with Tanzania immediately north of the Tanzanian town of Mwenene, * Westernmost point –

Cibitoke Province Cibitoke Province is one of the 18 provinces of Republic of Burundi. Communes It is divided administratively into the following communes: * Commune of Buganda * Commune of Bukinanyana * Commune of Mabayi * Commune of Mugina * Commune of Murw ...

; unnamed location on the border the Democratic Republic of the Congo immediately east of the Congolese town of Kamanyola

References

{{Burundi topics