A country of east-central Africa with a coastline on Lake Tanganyika. It was inhabited originally by the Twa, a Pygmy people, and later also by Hutus and Tutsis, the latter gaining political and economic dominance in the 19th century. The area formed part of German East Africa and later of Belgian-ruled Ruanda-Urundi before it became an independent kingdom in 1962 and was declared a republic in 1966. Bujumbura is the capital and the largest city. Population: 8,390,000.
Burundian Bu·run'di·an adj. & n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
