Burundi

American  

[boo-roon-dee] / bʊˈrʊn di /

noun

1. a republic in central Africa, east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo: formerly the southern part of the Belgian trust territory of Ruanda-Urundi; gained independence on July 1, 1962. 10,747 sq. mi. (27,834 sq. km). Bujumbura.

---

Burundi British  

/ bəˈrʊndɪ /

noun

1. Former name (until 1962): Urundi.  a republic in E central Africa: inhabited chiefly by the Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa (Pygmy); made part of German East Africa in 1899; part of the Belgian territory of Ruanda-Urundi from 1923 until it became independent in 1962; ethnic violence has erupted at times between Hutu and Tutsi, as in Rwanda; consists mainly of high plateaus along the main Nile-Congo dividing range, dropping rapidly to the Great Rift Valley in the west. Official languages: Kirundi and French. Religion: Christian majority. Currency: Burundi franc. Capital: Bujumbura. Pop: 10 888 321 (2013 est). Area: 27 731 sq km (10 707 sq miles)

---

Burundi Cultural  

1. Nation in Central Africa, bordered by Rwanda on the north, Democratic Republic of Congo on the west, and Tanzania on the east and south. Its capital is Bujumbura. It achieved independence in 1962. It has been torn by ethnic conflict between Tutsis and Hutus.

---

Other Word Forms

• Burundian adjective

Example Sentences

Embassy in Bujumbura, Burundi, she watched anxiously as applicant after applicant left dejected.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

Authorizing credits from voluntary projects “is a difficult question for us at this time,” said Astere Nindamutsa, designated national authority for Burundi.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 23, 2026

MSF said it had been treating an average of 200 people daily since the refugees started arriving in Burundi in the last two weeks.

From BBC • Dec. 23, 2025

Just days after the signing, the M23 group launched a new offensive, targeting the strategic city of Uvira on the border with the DRC's military ally Burundi.

From Barron's • Dec. 21, 2025

We drove for about a half hour into Burundi, and then stopped at an empty field near a town called Gatumba.

From "How Dare the Sun Rise" by Sandra Uwiringiyimana