Kirundo Province

Kirundo Province
Province
A boat ride in the morning on Lake Rwihinda near the town of Kirundo
A boat ride in the morning on Lake Rwihinda near the town of Kirundo
Kirundo Province is located in Burundi
Kirundo Province
Kirundo Province
Coordinates: 2°33′7″S 30°5′39″E / 2.55194°S 30.09417°E / -2.55194; 30.09417 (Kirundo Province)
Country Burundi
CapitalKirundo
Government
 • GovernorOscar Ruvuna
Area
 • Total
1,703.34 km2 (657.66 sq mi)
 • RankRanked 8th
Population
 (2008 census)
 • Total
628,256
 • Density370/km2 (960/sq mi)

Kirundo Province is one of the eighteen provinces of Burundi, in north of the country bordering Rwanda. The economy is mostly based on agriculture, with a dispersed population and few sizable communities. Before 1970 large parts of the province were forested. Migrants from the south then cleared much of the vegetation to create agricultural land, and Kirundo became the breadbasket of Burundi. The civil war from 1993 to 2005 caused agricultural output to drop by more than half. Since then, lack of farm inputs, poor infrastructure and shortages of water have caused widespread poverty.