Gitega is one of the 18
provinces of Burundi
Burundi is divided into eighteen provinces, each named after their respective capital with the exception of Bujumbura Rural.
Burundi’s provinces and communes were created on Christmas Day in 1959 by a Belgian colonial decree. They replaced the ...
. Its capital is
Gitega
Gitega (), formerly Kitega, is the political capital of Burundi. Located in the centre of the country, in the Burundian central plateau roughly east of Bujumbura (the largest city and former political capital), Gitega (the second largest city) ...
, which is also the national capital. It has a population of 725,223 as of 2008 and an area of .
History
After Burundi attained full
independence
Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...
on 1 July 1962, there was a military coup d'état in which the king was overthrown and monarchy disbanded in 1966. When King
Ntare V tried to reinstate his kingdom, he was assassinated in 1972 at the Royal Palace of Gitega.
On 26 April 1996, army attacks at
Buhoro
Buhoro is an administrative ward in Kasulu District of Kigoma Region of Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lake ...
killed some 230 civilians. On 21 October, some 70
Tutsi
The Tutsi (), or Abatutsi (), are an ethnic group of the African Great Lakes region. They are a Bantu-speaking ethnic group and the second largest of three main ethnic groups in Rwanda and Burundi (the other two being the largest Bantu ethnic grou ...
students were burnt alive at
Kibimba. In March 2007, President
Pierre Nkurunziza
Pierre Nkurunziza (18 December 19648 June 2020) was a Burundian politician who served as the ninth president of Burundi for almost 15 years from August 2005 until his death in June 2020.
A member of the Hutu ethnic group, Nkurunziza taught ph ...
announced that Burundi had plans to transfer the capital from
Bujumbura
Bujumbura (; ), formerly Usumbura, is the economic capital, largest city and main port of Burundi. It ships most of the country's chief export, coffee, as well as cotton and tin ore. Bujumbura was formerly the country's normal capital. In late ...
to Gitega. According to him, the central location of the city makes it "an ideal place to better serve the majority of the population". The capital was moved on 24 December 2018.
Geography
Gitega Province is located in central Burundi. It has an area of and has a population density of 366.5 individuals per square kilometre.
Gitega is a central highland province along with
Kayanza
Kayanza is a city located in northern 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 Great Ri ...
and
Muramvya
Muramvya is a city located in central Burundi. It is the capital city of Muramvya Province
Muramvya Province is one of the 18 provinces of Burundi. The capital city is Muramvya. In 2007 the province was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tent ...
.
Communes
Gitega Province is divided administratively into 11 communes:
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Commune of Bugendana
*
Commune of Bukirasazi
*
Commune of Buraza
*
Commune of Giheta
*
Commune of Gishubi
*
Commune of Gitega
*
Commune of Itaba
*
Commune of Makebuko
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Commune of Mutaho
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Commune of Nyanrusange
*
Commune of Ryansoro
The commune of Ryansoro is a commune of Gitega Province
Gitega is one of the 18 provinces of Burundi. Its capital is Gitega, which is also the national capital. It has a population of 725,223 as of 2008 and an area of .
History
After Burundi ...
Demographics
Gitega Province is one of the seventeen provinces of Burundi and Gitega is its capital city. The province has a population of 725,223 and the
Gitega Commune the largest population of 155,005; the least populous commune is
Ryansoro with a population of 35,835.
[ Gitega city had a population of 20,700 in 1990. As of June 2000, 21,350 people were located in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps, housed in 16 settlements within the province.
]
Climate
The climatic condition in Gitega, the capital of the province is moderate with an average annual high of 18 degrees c and a low of . The average annual rainfall is .
Economy
Burundi is diversifying from the main economic activities of agriculture and livestock farming. One such micro project is in the fisheries sector in Gitega. In 1999, the Dushirehamwe fish farm association was established in the province with 23 men and women. In 2002, they received a grant from Africare
Africare is a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. which provides development aid for Africa. It was founded by Dr. Joseph Kennedy and C. Payne Lucas in 1970, former Peace Corps members who worked in eastern Niger.
Africare is the l ...
. After the success of the first fish farm under the grant, the association successfully launched a second project with its own funds in 2003. Africare has also supported measures to strengthen civil society organizations. While the principal hospital in the province is Gitega Hospital in Gitega City, the only state-run rehabilitation center for landmine
A land mine is an explosive device concealed under or on the ground and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets, ranging from combatants to vehicles and tanks, as they pass over or near it. Such a device is typically detonated automati ...
victims is located in the province. The principal airport is Gitega Airport
Gitega Airport was an airport serving the city of Gitega, the current capital of Burundi (and capital of the Gitega Province). The airport was on a low ridge in the northwest section of the city.
The Bujumbura VOR-DME (Ident: BJA) is located ...
(IATA: GID, ICAO: HBBE) which has an elevation of with a runway of .
Religion
Mushasha is the seat of the Catholic archbishop. The Archdiocese of Gitega, the Metropolitan See
Metropolitan may refer to:
* Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories
* Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England
* Metropolitan county, a t ...
for the Ecclesiastical province
An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction
Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United State ...
of Gitega, was established in 1959. It has jurisdiction over an area of . Approximately 77 percent out of the total population in the province belongs to the diocese
In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...
.
Landmarks
Some of the landmarks in the province are the national museum and drum sanctuaries
A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a saf ...
. Burundi National Museum was established in 1955. It consists of two distinct areas, the traditional museum building and the drummers' sanctuary. Exhibits consist of drums, dance and musical instruments, baskets, calabashes weaponry, and tools used in sorcery. It also houses ancient Burundian dresses and a large library.[ This sanctuary was refurbished in 1988.]
References
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{{Authority control
Provinces of Burundi