Officially known as the Republic of Burundi, this small country in the Great Lakes region of Africa is bordered by Tanzania to the east and south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west and Rwanda to the north, with much of its western border lying along Lake Tanganyika. The country's modern name is derived from its Bantu language, Kirundi.

Burundi is one of the poorest and most conflict-ridden countries in Africa and in the world, with its small size out of proportion with the massive problems it faces in reconciling the claims of the Tutsi minority with the Hutu majority.