Geography & environment — Burundi
Location, land area, terrain, climate, and natural resources.
Profile updated 2026-06-02
⚡ Geography & environment at a glance
Location, land area, terrain, climate, and natural resources. Key figure for Burundi: Africa
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Location & size
- Geographic Location
Africa
- Geographic Coordinates
3 30 S, 30 00 E
- Total Area
10,745 Square Miles 27,830 Square Kilometers
- Land Area
9,915 Square Miles 25,680 Square Kilometers
- Water Area
830 Square Miles 2,150 Square Kilometers
- Land Boundaries
605 Miles 974 Kilometers
- Border Countries
The Democratic Republic of the Congo 233 km, Rwanda 290 km, Tanzania 451 km
Physical geography
- Terrain
Hilly and mountainous, dropping to a plateau in the east, some plains
- Highest Point
2,670 Meters
- Highest Point Location
Mount Heha 2,670 m
- Lowest Point
772 Meters
- Lowest Point Location
Lake Tanganyika 772 m
- Natural Resources
Nickel, uranium, rare earth oxides, peat, cobalt, copper, platinum (not yet exploited), vanadium, arable land, hydropower
- Irrigated Land
83 Square Miles 214 Square Kilometers
Climate & time
- Time Zone
UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Climate
- Climate
- Though less than 5°F south of the Equator, the entire country has a pleasant climate. equatorial
- high plateau with considerable altitude variation (772 m to 2,670 m above sea level)
- the average annual temperature varies with altitude from 23 to 17 degrees centigrade but is generally moderate as the average altitude is about 1,700 m
- average Bujumbura, on the northeastern shore of Lake Tanganyika, averages 73°F. Daytime temperatures are in the mid to upper 80s: In the highlands, temperatures are cooler, in the 60s and 70s, arid at night, and occasional frost occurs. The short rains occur from October to December, and the long rains from February to May. During the dry seasons, a haze obscures, otherwise spectacular views of the Mitumba mountains of Eastern Zaire, and the air becomes dusty. During the rainy season, the temperatures cool slightly. Rainfall is only occasionally torrential and comes in brief, intense showers, rather than steady downpours. More violent weather, including hailstorms, occurs chiefly in the highlands. Rainfall averages 30 inches in Bujumbura and 47 inches in the uplands.
- Terrain
Hilly and mountainous, dropping to a plateau in the east, some plains
- Location
Central Africa, east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Total Area
10,745 Square Miles 27,830 Square Kilometers
- Border Countries
The Democratic Republic of the Congo 233 km, Rwanda 290 km, Tanzania 451 km
Environment
- Environment - Current Issues
- Soil erosion as a result of overgrazing and the expansion of agriculture into marginal lands
- deforestation (little forested land remains because of uncontrolled cutting of trees for fuel)
- habitat loss threatens wildlife populations
- Environment - International Agreements
- Party To: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed,
- but not ratified: Law of the Sea