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Bujumbura
Central Bujumbura, with Lake Tanganyika in the background
Bujumbura
Coordinates: 3°23′S 29°22′E / 3.383°S 29.367°E / -3.383; 29.367Coordinates: 3°23′S 29°22′E / 3.383°S 29.367°E / -3.383; 29.367
Country	Burundi
Province	Bujumbura Mairie Province
Area
- Total	86.54 km2 (33.4 sq mi)
Elevation	774 m (2,539 ft)
Population (1990)
- Total	235,440
- Density	2,720.6/km2 (7,046.3/sq mi)
Time zone	CAT (UTC+2)
- Summer (DST)	none (UTC+2)
Website	Official site

Bujumbura (pronounced /ˌbuːdʒəmˈbʊərə/; French pronunciation: [buʒumbuʁa]) is the capital city and main port of Burundi and ships most of the country's chief export, coffee, as well as cotton, skins, and tin ore. It is located on the northeastern shore of Lake Tanganyika.

Description

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Bujumbura International Airport

Bujumbura Cathedral

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. 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), the presidential palace and the source of the southernmost tributary of the Nile, described locally as the source of the Nile.

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

History

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.

A view of Bujumbura Beach, west of the city

Administration

Bujumbura is governed by a community council and community administrator. It is further divided into 13 communes, or neighborhoods, each with its own neighborhood council and neighborhood boss.^[1]

It is also its own province, the Bujumbura Mairie Province.

Economy

Air Burundi, the national airline of Burundi, has its head office in Bujumbura.^[2][3]

Climate

Bujumbura features a tropical savanna climate with distinct wet and dry seasons. Its wet season is from October through April, while the dry season covers the remaining five months. Despite being located close to the equator, Bujumbura is not nearly as warm as one might expect due to its altitude. Average temperatures are constant throughout the course of the year with the high temperature at around 29°C and the low temperature at around 19°C.

Education

University of Burundi

The University of Burundi is located in Bujumbura.

Hope Africa University is located in Bujumbura

References

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External links

• Official Website of Bujumbura
• Map of Bujumbura
• FallingRain Map - elevation = 794m

v • d • e Provinces of Burundi Bubanza · Bujumbura Mairie · Bujumbura Rural · Bururi · Cankuzo · Cibitoke · Gitega · Karuzi · Kayanza · Kirundo · Makamba · Muramvya · Muyinga · Mwaro · Ngozi · Rutana · Ruyigi

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