Gitega

{{Redirect|Capital of Burundi|the former capital until 2019|Bujumbura}}

{{Infobox settlement

| official_name = Gitega

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| settlement_type = Capital city

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| photo1a = Gitega.JPG

| photo2a = Diocèse Gitega y.jpg

| photo2b = INSS Gitega n.jpg

| photo3a = BU Gitega (1).jpg

| photo3b = Kibimba School Memorial - Flickr - Dave Proffer (1).jpg

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| foot_montage = Top: Gitega skyline; Middle: Cathedral of Christ the King, Downtown Gitega; National Museum of Gitega, Kibimba School Memorial

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| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Burundi

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| subdivision_name1 = Gitega Province

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| area_metro_km2 = 27

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| population_as_of = 2020

| population_footnotes = {{cite web |url=http://www.isteebu.bi/index.php/publications/annuaires-statistiques |title=Institute de statistiques et d'etudes economiques du burundi, (Annuaires Statistiques 2016, p 23) |access-date=2019-03-28 |archive-date=2017-09-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170911171821/http://www.isteebu.bi/index.php/publications/annuaires-statistiques |url-status=dead }}

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| timezone = CAT

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Gitega ({{IPA|fr|ɡiteɡa}}), formerly Kitega, is the political capital of Burundi. Located in the centre of the country, in the Burundian central plateau{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Gitega |title=Gitega (Burundi)|author=Encyclopedia Britannica|author-link=Encyclopedia Britannica|website=Encyclopedia Britannica Online|access-date=22 January 2018}} roughly {{convert|62|km|mi}} east of Bujumbura, the largest city and former political capital, Gitega is the country's fourth largest cityhttps://worldpopulationreview.com/cities/burundi and former royal capital of the Kingdom of Burundi until its abolition in 1966.{{efn|From 1922 on, Usumbura (now Bujumbura) acted as a second, colonial, administrative and economic capital of the country; it effectively became its only political capital between the abolition of the monarchy in 1966 and January 2019.{{cite news |title=Burundi to move political capital to Gitega |url=https://www.africanews.com/2018/12/22/burundi-to-move-political-capital-to-gitega/ |work=Africanews |date=22 December 2018 |access-date=1 June 2025}}{{cite news |title=Moving capital city helps Burundi’s Nkurunziza avoid unrest, say critics |url=https://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20190118-moving-capital-city-helps-burundis-nkurunziza-avoid-unrest-say-critics |work=RFI – Radio France Internationale |date=18 January 2019 |access-date=1 June 2025}}}}{{cite web|url=https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/ea/Burundi-names-Gitega-as-new-capital/4552908-4906718-ckc120/index.html|title=Burundi names Gitega as new capital|author=Agence France-Presse|date=22 December 2018|website=The EastAfrican|publisher=Nation Media Group|access-date=22 January 2018}} In December 2018, then Burundian president, the late Pierre Nkurunziza announced that he would follow on a 2007 promise to return Gitega its former political capital status, with Bujumbura remaining as economic capital and centre of commerce.{{cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-12-24/burundi-moves-political-capital-from-bujumbura-to-gitega|title=Burundi Moves Political Capital From Bujumbura to Gitega|last=Nimubona |first=Désiré |date=24 December 2018|website=Bloomberg|publisher=Bloomberg L.P.|access-date=22 January 2018}} A vote in the Parliament of Burundi made the change official on 16 January 2019, with all branches of government expected to move in over three years.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/topics/ce1qrvlel07t/burundi |title=Burundi to change its capital city |date=17 January 2019 |website=BBC World News |publisher=British Broadcasting Company |access-date=22 January 2019 |quote=The vote took place on Wednesday and the leader of parliament said the move would take place over three years.}}{{Update inline|date=December 2023}}

Geography

Gitega is the capital of Gitega Province, one of the eighteen provinces of Burundi. It is located in the center 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 {{convert|62|km|mi}}—and the Rwandan border, about {{convert|72|km|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.{{cite book |last1=Hughes |first1=R.H. |last2=Hughes |first2=J.S. |date=1992 |title=A Directory of African Wetlands |location=Cambridge, United Kingdom |publisher=International Union for Conservation of Nature |page=97 |isbn=2-88032-949-3}} Ruvubu National Park, the country's biggest, lies {{convert|26|km|mi}} to the east.{{cite web|url=https://skyticket.com/guide/712|title=Burundi：Country in the Heart of the African Great Lakes Region|date=26 June 2018|website=skyticket|access-date=January 22, 2018}}

Climate

{{Weather box

| width = auto

| metric first = yes

| single line = yes

| location = Gitega (1991–2020)

| Jan record high C = 35.0

| Feb record high C = 35.4

| Mar record high C = 32.0

| Apr record high C = 31.3

| May record high C = 30.1

| Jun record high C = 30.8

| Jul record high C = 30.7

| Aug record high C = 31.7

| Sep record high C = 32.6

| Oct record high C = 32.9

| Nov record high C = 31.8

| Dec record high C = 33.8

| year record high C = 35.4

| Jan high C = 27.6

| Feb high C = 27.5

| Mar high C = 27.1

| Apr high C = 26.4

| May high C = 25.9

| Jun high C = 26.7

| Jul high C = 27.3

| Aug high C = 28.1

| Sep high C = 28.4

| Oct high C = 27.5

| Nov high C = 26.6

| Dec high C = 27.0

| year high C = 27.2

| Jan mean C = 21.9

| Feb mean C = 21.8

| Mar mean C = 21.6

| Apr mean C = 21.5

| May mean C = 21.1

| Jun mean C = 21.2

| Jul mean C = 21.3

| Aug mean C = 22.3

| Sep mean C = 22.4

| Oct mean C = 21.8

| Nov mean C = 21.3

| Dec mean C = 21.6

| year mean C = 21.6

| Jan low C = 16.1

| Feb low C = 16.0

| Mar low C = 16.1

| Apr low C = 16.5

| May low C = 16.4

| Jun low C = 15.7

| Jul low C = 15.3

| Aug low C = 16.4

| Sep low C = 16.4

| Oct low C = 16.2

| Nov low C = 15.9

| Dec low C = 16.1

| year low C = 16.1

| Jan record low C = 12.9

| Feb record low C = 12.9

| Mar record low C = 12.8

| Apr record low C = 14.0

| May record low C = 13.6

| Jun record low C = 11.6

| Jul record low C = 11.3

| Aug record low C = 12.5

| Sep record low C = 13.0

| Oct record low C = 12.9

| Nov record low C = 12.7

| Dec record low C = 13.1

| year record low C = 11.3

| precipitation colour = green

| Jan precipitation mm = 99.8

| Feb precipitation mm = 96.7

| Mar precipitation mm = 142.9

| Apr precipitation mm = 142.4

| May precipitation mm = 107.7

| Jun precipitation mm = 44.7

| Jul precipitation mm = 10.4

| Aug precipitation mm = 39.2

| Sep precipitation mm = 88.0

| Oct precipitation mm = 109.4

| Nov precipitation mm = 192.1

| Dec precipitation mm = 185.3

| year precipitation mm = 1258.8

| unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

| Jan precipitation days = 7.3

| Feb precipitation days = 7.4

| Mar precipitation days = 12.5

| Apr precipitation days = 15.5

| May precipitation days = 11.1

| Jun precipitation days = 1.8

| Jul precipitation days = 0.6

| Aug precipitation days = 2.4

| Sep precipitation days = 6.9

| Oct precipitation days = 13.4

| Nov precipitation days = 17.3

| Dec precipitation days = 14.1

| year precipitation days = 110.1

| source 1 = NOAA{{cite web

|url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/4.4/data/0-data/Region-1-WMO-Normals-9120/Rwanda/CSV/GITEGA.csv

|title = World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020 — Gitega

|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

|access-date = June 16, 2024}}

}}

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|date=December 2021}}

The Germans laid out the plan for the modern town of Gitega in 1912 when Burundi was part of German East Africa.Françoise Le Guennec-Coppens, Pat Caplan, Les Swahili entre Afrique et Arabie, KARTHALA Editions, France, 1991, p. 174

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.{{Citation

| title = Gitega Soon to Become the Capital of Burundi

| newspaper = AllAfrica.com

| date = 27 March 2007

| url = http://allafrica.com/stories/200703270775.html

| access-date =15 February 2010

}}

On 24 December 2018, it was announced by Nkurunziza that Gitega was to become the capital city of Burundi, pending only Parliament approval.{{cite news|url=http://emirates-business.ae/burundis-political-capital-now-is-gitega/|title=Burundi's Political Capital now is Gitega|work=Emirates Business|date=24 December 2018}} 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.

On 7 December 2021, a fire broke out in an overcrowded prison in Gitega, killing at least 38 and injuring more than 69.{{Cite news|date=2021-12-07|title=Burundi prison fire kills at least 38 in Gitega|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-59560444|access-date=2021-12-07}}

Education

The Polytechnic University of Gitega was founded in 2014.DAM, "[https://burundi-agnews.org/sports-and-games/burundi-debut-des-cours-a-luniversite-polytechnique-de-gitega-en-fevrier/ Burundi: Début des cours à l’Université Polytechnique de Gitega en février]", burundi-agnews.org, Burundi, January 9, 2014.

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|date=December 2021}}

Places of worship

Places of worship in Gitega are predominantly Christian churches and cathedrals, including: 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), and Assemblies of God.J. Gordon Melton, Martin Baumann, "Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices", ABC-CLIO, USA, 2010, p.456. There are also Muslim mosques.{{Citation needed|date=December 2021}}

Transportation

Gitega was served by Gitega Airport, which is now defunct.{{when|date=January 2022}} 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.{{cite web|url=https://sites.google.com/site/roadnumberingsystems/home/countries/burundi|title= Burundi|website=Road numbering systems |publisher=Google Sites |access-date=January 22, 2018}}