Burundi is a landlocked country located in East Africa. It shares borders with Rwanda in the north, Tanzania in the east and southeast, Democratic Republic of Congo in the west and Lake Tangayika in the southwest. Known officially as the Republic of Burundi, its capital city is Gitega, it was moved from Bujumbura to Gitega in 2019. It has a population of more than 11 million, one of the lowest in the world. There are three major ethnic groups in Burundi which are Hutu making about 85% of the population, Tutsi forming 14% while Twa, Europeans and South Asians make up for the remaining 1%.
The country's official languages are Kirundi and French, Swahili is also spoken widely in the country. Since the ethnic groups are not as diverse as seen in some other African countries, linguistic homogeneity is seen by Hutu and Tutsi people who form a substantial part of the population. Kirundi which is one of the official languages is adopted as a means of communication between the two groups. Christianity is practiced by about 91.5% of the population of which majority belongs to the Roman Catholic while others are Protestants. Traditional religion and Islam is practiced by remaining part of the population. The Burundi or Urundi Kingdom from which modern day Burundi derived its name dated back as far the late 16th century in the Great Lakes Region. A traditional king ruled the kingdom and as was expected, power tussles existed among the prospective successors. The mwami (king) sat at the top of ganwa (princely aristocracy) and had control over the lands and tributes are paid to him by farmers (Hutu) and herders (Tutsi). The kingdom had the Tutsis at the top of the political ladder, followed by the Hutu while the Twa belonged to the lowest stratum of the society.
The Tutsi were considered the most influential in the society as a result of their wealth gathered from agricultural ventures.

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