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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)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

KoBold, meanwhile, is in the process of digitizing archives at the University of Lubumbashi in Congo and has signed an agreement to also digitize documents for neighboring Burundi.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 2026

Canada’s Fraser Institute assesses that Algeria is among the most unfree countries in the world, ranking below Libya and just above Burundi on Fraser’s index of human freedom.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026

The M23 group captured the strategic city near the border with Burundi, days after a "historic" US-brokered peace deal between Congolese and Rwandan governments aimed at ending the long-running conflict in eastern DR Congo.

From BBC • Dec. 18, 2025

Its capture of Uvira -- a city of several hundred thousand people -- allowed it to control the land border with Burundi and cut the DRC off from military support from its neighbour.

From Barron's • Dec. 17, 2025

It started with reports of increased fighting in the north and east, on the borders of Sudan, Rwanda, and Burundi.

From "Endangered" by Eliot Schrefer