Gitega

Gitega
Capital city
Top: Gitega skyline; Middle: Cathedral of Christ the King, Downtown Gitega; National Museum of Gitega, Kibimba School Memorial
Gitega Location in Burundi Show map of Burundi Gitega Gitega (Africa) Show map of Africa
Coordinates: [ ⚑ ] : 03°25′42″S 29°55′30″E / 3.42833°S 29.925°E / -3.42833; 29.925
Country	Burundi
Province	Gitega Province
Area
• Capital city	22 km2 (8 sq mi)
• Urban	22 km2 (8 sq mi)
• Metro	27 km2 (10 sq mi)
Elevation	1,504 m (4,934 ft)
Population  (2020)[1]
• Capital city	135,467
• Density	5,454/km2 (14,130/sq mi)

Geography

Gitega is also the capital of Gitega Province, one of the eighteen provinces of Burundi. It is located in the middle of the country, at roughly the same distance between the commercial capital, Bujumbura on Lake Tanganyika to the west, the Tanzanian border to the east—both at around 62 kilometres (39 mi)—and the Rwandan border, about 72 kilometres (45 mi) to the north. It lies on a broad plateau surrounded by hills, a few kilometres southwest of the confluence of the Ruvyironza and Rurubu Rivers.^[2] Ruvubu National Park, the country's biggest, lies 26 kilometres (16 mi) to the east.^[3]

History

Gitega was at one time the seat of the Kingdom of Burundi and remained as capital of the kings of Burundi (mwami) until 1966.^{[citation needed]}

The Germans founded the town of Gitega in 1912 back when Burundi was part of German East Africa.^[4]

In March 2007, President of Burundi Pierre Nkurunziza announced that Burundi was planning to bring back its capital city to Gitega, saying that it is in a better location for a capital than Bujumbura.^[5]

On 24 December 2018, it was announced by Nkurunziza that Gitega was to become the capital city of Burundi, pending only Parliament approval.^[6][7] The expected parliamentary assent (given the President's CNDD-FFD party comfortable majority in both chambers) arrived through a vote on 16 January 2019, with some ministries already starting the move two days later.^[8]

On 7 December 2021, a fire broke out in an overcrowded prison in Gitega, killing at least 38 and injuring more than 69.^[9]

Education

The Polytechnic University of Gitega was founded in 2014.^[10]

Culture

It is the home of Burundi's National Museum of Gitega. Several karyenda royal drum sanctuaries are located in the area, as well as the ibwami (royal court). On 29 April 1972, Ntare V of Burundi, the country's last Mwami (King), was killed in Gitega.^{[citation needed]}

Places of worship

Among the places of worship, they are predominantly Christian churches and temples: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Gitega (Catholic Church), Province of the Anglican Church of Burundi (Anglican Communion), Union of Baptist Churches in Burundi (Baptist World Alliance), Assemblies of God.^[11] There are also Muslim mosques.^{[citation needed]}

Transportation

Gitega was served by Gitega Airport, which is now defunct.^[when?] Gitega is served by four National Roads (Routes Nationales, RN): RN2 connects it with Bujumbura through the northwest, via Muramvya and Bujumbura Rural provinces. RN15 leads to the north of country, towards Ngozi and continuing on to Rwanda, while passing through the ancient royal court of Gishora; RN12, which separates from RN15 on the outskirts of Gitega, heads northeast to serve the provinces of Karuzi and Muyinga. The last is RN3, which heads towards the southwest towards Rumonge and Lake Tanganyika.^[12]

See also

• Commune of Gitega

Notes

References

Further reading

• Chrétien, Jean-Pierre (2015). Gitega, capitale du Burundi : une ville du Far West en Afrique orientale allemande, 1912-1916. Paris: Éditions Karthala. ISBN 9782811115098. 

External links

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