Ethnic groups in Burundi
Encyclopedia
The population of Burundi
is made up mainly of Hutu
, a Bantu people, traditionally farmers, who constitute about 85 percent of the inhabitants. A tall, Bantu-speaking people, the Tutsi
(Watutsi, Watusi, Batutsi), constitute about 14 percent of the population but dominate the government and military.
The earliest known inhabitants of the region were the Twa
(Batwa), a Pygmy
tribe of hunters, related to the Pygmies of the DROC. They make up approximately one percent of the population.
There are about 82,000 immigrant Africans. Europeans and Asians number about 5,000.
Burundi
Burundi , officially the Republic of Burundi , is a landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Its capital is Bujumbura...
is made up mainly of Hutu
Hutu
The Hutu , or Abahutu, are a Central African people, living mainly in Rwanda, Burundi, and eastern DR Congo.-Population statistics:The Hutu are the largest of the three peoples in Burundi and Rwanda; according to the United States Central Intelligence Agency, 84% of Rwandans and 85% of Burundians...
, a Bantu people, traditionally farmers, who constitute about 85 percent of the inhabitants. A tall, Bantu-speaking people, the Tutsi
Tutsi
The Tutsi , or Abatutsi, are an ethnic group in Central Africa. Historically they were often referred to as the Watussi or Watusi. They are the second largest caste in Rwanda and Burundi, the other two being the Hutu and the Twa ....
(Watutsi, Watusi, Batutsi), constitute about 14 percent of the population but dominate the government and military.
The earliest known inhabitants of the region were the Twa
Great Lakes Twa
The Great Lakes Twa, also known as Abatwa or Ge-Sera, or in English Batwa, are a pygmy people who are generally assumed to be the oldest surviving population of the Great Lakes region of central Africa, though currently they live as a Bantu caste...
(Batwa), a Pygmy
Pygmy
Pygmy is a term used for various ethnic groups worldwide whose average height is unusually short; anthropologists define pygmy as any group whose adult men grow to less than 150 cm in average height. A member of a slightly taller group is termed "pygmoid." The best known pygmies are the Aka,...
tribe of hunters, related to the Pygmies of the DROC. They make up approximately one percent of the population.
There are about 82,000 immigrant Africans. Europeans and Asians number about 5,000.