Atlas of Burundi

Rwanda and Burundi: Based on Two Recent Atlases

Papy, Louis · 1982

This review article explores two recently published atlases of Rwanda and Burundi, produced with support from the French Ministry of Cooperation for the national universities of each country. The atlases compile rich geographical data using multi-colour plates, explanatory notes, maps, and bibliographies, integrating contributions from local and international scholars. The review highlights the striking physical and historical similarities between the two small, landlocked Central African nations—high plateaus nourished by tropical rains, a shared legacy of kingdoms, German and Belgian colonization, and post-independence ethnic tensions between Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa. It summarizes the atlases’ detailed coverage of physical geography: complex relief formed by the Great Rift Valley, volcanic massifs, the Congo-Nile crest, intensely dissected central hill lands, and eastern plains; equatorial highland climates with marked regional variability; and diverse but heavily degraded soils and vegetation. The atlases further examine human geography, notably extreme population densities that have doubled in recent decades, intensive subsistence and commercial agriculture on steep slopes, widespread soil erosion and deforestation, and the recent emergence of urban centers such as Kigali and Bujumbura. By documenting these dynamics and the environmental pressures they engender, the atlases offer an indispensable, multidimensional portrait of the two countries, serving both academic research and development planning.