Bujumbura

Sister cities

• Hefei

History

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. During the 1990s civil war, battles between Burundi's two main ethnic groups destroyed hospitals, administrative buildings, the University of Burundi, and other schools in the city, severely crippling the local economy. The Belgian colonial period left a significant architectural mark on the city centre, with buildings constructed in styles popular in Europe during the first half of the 20th century, including elements of Modernism and Art Deco, many of which remain visible in the historical centre today.

Geography

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 and the low around .