Location:
Central Africa, east of Democratic Republic of the Congo

Geographic coordinates:
3 30 S, 30 00 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 27,830 sq km
land: 25,680 sq km
water: 2,150 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries:
total: 974 km
border countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo 233 km, Rwanda 290 km, Tanzania 451 km

Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)

Climate:
equatorial; high plateau with considerable altitude variation (772 m to 2,670 m above sea level); average annual temperature varies with altitude from 23 to 17 degrees centigrade but is generally moderate as the average altitude is about 1,700 m; average annual rainfall is about 150 cm; two wet seasons (February to May and September to November), and two dry seasons (June to August and December to January)

Terrain:
hilly and mountainous, dropping to a plateau in east, some plains

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Lake Tanganyika 772 m
highest point: Heha 2,670 m

Natural resources:
nickel, uranium, rare earth oxides, peat, cobalt, copper, platinum, vanadium, arable land, hydropower, niobium, tantalum, gold, tin, tungsten, kaolin, limestone

Land use:
arable land: 35.57%
permanent crops: 13.12%
other: 51.31% (2005)

Irrigated land:
210 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:
3.6 cu km (1987)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 0.29 cu km/yr (17%/6%/77%)
per capita: 38 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:
flooding; landslides; drought

Environment - current issues:
soil erosion as a result of overgrazing and the expansion of agriculture into marginal lands; deforestation (little forested land remains because of uncontrolled cutting of trees for fuel); habitat loss threatens wildlife populations

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geography - note:
landlocked; straddles crest of the Nile-Congo watershed; the Kagera, which drains into Lake Victoria, is the most remote headstream of the White Nile