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Bujumbura
Bujumbura (French pronunciation: [buʒumbuʁa]; Kirundi pronunciation: [buʒuᵐbuɾa]), formerly Usumbura, is the economic capital, former political 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 political capital. In late December 2018, Burundian president Pierre Nkurunziza announced that he would follow through on a 2007 promise to return Gitega its former political capital status, with Bujumbura remaining as economical capital and center of commerce. A vote in the Parliament of Burundi made the change official on 16 January 2019, and as of late 2025, the transition is still ongoing, having estimated to end in 2022.[needs update]
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 and de facto capital of the Belgian League of Nations mandate of Ruanda-Urundi. The name was changed from Usumbura to Bujumbura upon Burundi's independence in 1962. Since independence, Bujumbura was the scene of frequent fighting between the country's two main ethnic groups, with Hutu militias opposing the Tutsi-dominated Burundi Army during the Burundian Civil War in the early 90s.
Bujumbura is on the north-eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika, the second deepest lake in the world after Lake Baikal. The city also lies at the mouth of the Ruzizi River and the smaller Mutimbuzi River, Ntahangwa, Muha and Kanyosha Rivers.
Bujumbura has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen: Aw) bordering on hot semi-arid (BSh). There are distinct wet and dry seasons; the wet season being from October to April. Being close to the equator, average temperatures in the city vary little over the year, though they are affected by its altitude. The high temperature is around 29 °C (84 °F) and the low around 19 °C (66 °F).
Bujumbura is governed by a community council and community administrator. It is further divided into three communes, or neighborhoods, each with its own council and council leader.
Each of the three current communes were created from the 13 former communes (currently sub-communes), due to a 2014 reorganization, which in turn are further sub-divided into villages or zones:
The Port of Bujumbura is the largest port on Lake Tanganyika. Burundi depends on neighboring countries for access to the ocean. Goods may be carried by road via Rwanda, or by the lake and then by road or rail via Tanzania, Congo or Zambia. 80% of Burundi's external trade is carried via the last three routes, using the Port of Bujumbura. The port manages receipt and delivery of exports and imports, whether carried by ship or by truck. As of 2011 more than 90% of cargo handled was imports, of which about 60% entered by ship and 40% by truck.
Bujumbura Central Market was in the city centre, along Rwagasore Avenue. During the 1993 ethnic violence in Burundi, citizens became less likely to travel far from the city centre, and markets in neighbouring communities lost their business to the central market.[citation needed] At dawn on 27 January 2013 a serious fire ravaged the central market. Due to the poor emergency response, the fire lasted for hours, resulting in a serious blow to local exchanges. Hundreds of vendors, local and foreign, lost their goods to the fire and the reported looting.
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Bujumbura
Bujumbura (French pronunciation: [buʒumbuʁa]; Kirundi pronunciation: [buʒuᵐbuɾa]), formerly Usumbura, is the economic capital, former political 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 political capital. In late December 2018, Burundian president Pierre Nkurunziza announced that he would follow through on a 2007 promise to return Gitega its former political capital status, with Bujumbura remaining as economical capital and center of commerce. A vote in the Parliament of Burundi made the change official on 16 January 2019, and as of late 2025, the transition is still ongoing, having estimated to end in 2022.[needs update]
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 and de facto capital of the Belgian League of Nations mandate of Ruanda-Urundi. The name was changed from Usumbura to Bujumbura upon Burundi's independence in 1962. Since independence, Bujumbura was the scene of frequent fighting between the country's two main ethnic groups, with Hutu militias opposing the Tutsi-dominated Burundi Army during the Burundian Civil War in the early 90s.
Bujumbura is on the north-eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika, the second deepest lake in the world after Lake Baikal. The city also lies at the mouth of the Ruzizi River and the smaller Mutimbuzi River, Ntahangwa, Muha and Kanyosha Rivers.
Bujumbura has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen: Aw) bordering on hot semi-arid (BSh). There are distinct wet and dry seasons; the wet season being from October to April. Being close to the equator, average temperatures in the city vary little over the year, though they are affected by its altitude. The high temperature is around 29 °C (84 °F) and the low around 19 °C (66 °F).
Bujumbura is governed by a community council and community administrator. It is further divided into three communes, or neighborhoods, each with its own council and council leader.
Each of the three current communes were created from the 13 former communes (currently sub-communes), due to a 2014 reorganization, which in turn are further sub-divided into villages or zones:
The Port of Bujumbura is the largest port on Lake Tanganyika. Burundi depends on neighboring countries for access to the ocean. Goods may be carried by road via Rwanda, or by the lake and then by road or rail via Tanzania, Congo or Zambia. 80% of Burundi's external trade is carried via the last three routes, using the Port of Bujumbura. The port manages receipt and delivery of exports and imports, whether carried by ship or by truck. As of 2011 more than 90% of cargo handled was imports, of which about 60% entered by ship and 40% by truck.
Bujumbura Central Market was in the city centre, along Rwagasore Avenue. During the 1993 ethnic violence in Burundi, citizens became less likely to travel far from the city centre, and markets in neighbouring communities lost their business to the central market.[citation needed] At dawn on 27 January 2013 a serious fire ravaged the central market. Due to the poor emergency response, the fire lasted for hours, resulting in a serious blow to local exchanges. Hundreds of vendors, local and foreign, lost their goods to the fire and the reported looting.
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