  (abridged) We present an analysis of Chandra X-ray observations of a sample
of eight dwarf starburst galaxies (I Zw 18, VII Zw 403, NGC 1569, NGC 3077, NGC
4214, NGC 4449, NGC 5253, and He 2-10). Extended, diffuse X-ray emission is
detected in all but two of the objects. Unresolved sources were found within
all dwarf galaxies (total: 55 sources). These point sources are well fit by
power law, thermal plasma, or black body models. Ten of the point sources
exceed an X-ray luminosity of 10^39 erg s^-1 (ultraluminous X-ray sources). In
those galaxies where diffuse X-ray emission is detected, this emission (with
X-ray luminosities ranging from 4x10^38 erg s^-1 to 2x10^40 erg s^-1) contains
most (60-80 per cent) of the X-ray photons. This diffuse emission can be well
fit by MeKaL one-temperature thermal plasma models once the contribution from
the unresolved point sources is subtracted properly. The diffuse X-ray
component is significantly extended, reaching as far as 0.5-5 kpc into the
outskirts of their hosts. Temperatures of various regions within the galaxies
range from 1.6-7.6x10^6 K. With few exceptions, temperatures of the hot gas are
remarkably uniform, hovering around 2-3x10^6 K. Temperatures of the coronal gas
in the outer regions are in general ~2-3 times lower than those found in the
central regions. Fits to the diffuse emission do not allow strong constraints
to be put on the metallicities of the emitting plasmas. However, the derived
metallicities are compatible with those determined from their HII regions. An
alpha/Fe ratio of ~2 is indicated for the hot gas within at least three objects
(NGC 1569, NGC 4449, and He 2-10).
