Map of Burkina Faso | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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Background: Independence from France came to Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta) in 1960. Governmental instability during the 1970s and 1980s was followed by multiparty elections in the early 1990s. Several hundred thousand farm workers migrate south every year to Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana.


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Location: Western Africa, between Ghana and Mali

Geographic coordinates

Map reference: Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World

Area
Total area total: 274,200 km²
Land: 273,800 km²

Land boundaries: total 3,192 km, Benin 306 km, Ghana 548 km, Cote d'Ivoire 584 km, Mali 1,000 km, Niger 628 km, Togo 126 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none; landlocked

Climate: tropical; warm, dry winters; hot, wet summers

Terrain: mostly flat to dissected, undulating plains; hills in west and southeast

Elevation

Natural resources: manganese, limestone, marble; small deposits of gold, antimony, copper, nickel, bauxite, lead, phosphates, zinc, silver

Land use
Arable land: 10%
Permanent crops: 0%
Meadows and pastures: 37%
Forest and woodland: 26%
Other: 27%

Irrigated land: 160 km² (1989 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: recurring droughts

Geography
Note: landlocked


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Population: 10,134,661 (July 1994 est.)
Growth rate: 2.81% (1994 est.)

Nationality: noun:Burkinabe (singular and plural)

Ethnic groups: Mossi (about 2.5 million), Gurunsi, Senufo, Lobi, Bobo, Mande, Fulani

Languages: French (official), tribal languages belong to Sudanic family, spoken by 90% of the population

Religions: indigenous beliefs 40%, Muslim 50%, Christian (mainly Roman Catholic) 10%

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 2.81% (1994 est.)

Birth rate: 48.42 births/1000 population (1994 est.)

Death rate: 18.2 deaths/1000 population (1994 est.)

Net migration rate: -2.08 migrant(s)/1000 population (1994 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: recent droughts and desertification severely affecting agricultural activities, population distribution, and the economy; overgrazing; soil degradation; deforestation

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 118.3 deaths/1000 live births (1994 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 47.03 years
Male: 46.18 years
Female: 47.9 years (1994 est.)

Total fertility rate: 6.94 children born/woman (1994 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Total population: 18%
Male: 28%
Female: 9%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Burkina Faso
Conventional short form: former:Upper Volta

Government type: parliamentary

Capital: Ouagadougou

Administrative divisions: 30 provinces; Bam, Bazega, Bougouriba, Boulgou, Boulkiemde, Ganzourgou, Gnagna, Gourma, Houet, Kadiogo, Kenedougou, Komoe, Kossi, Kouritenga, Mouhoun, Namentenga, Naouri, Oubritenga, Oudalan, Passore, Poni, Sanguie, Sanmatenga, Seno, Sissili, Soum, Sourou, Tapoa, Yatenga, Zoundweogo

Dependent areas

Independence: 5 August 1960 (from France)

National holiday: Anniversary of the Revolution, 4 August (1983)

Constitution: 2 June 1991

Legal system: based on French civil law system and customary law

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: none

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Captain Blaise COMPAORE (since 15 October 1987); election last held December 1991
Head of government: Prime Minister Roch KABORE (since March 1994)

Legislative branch: Army, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, National Police, People's Militia
Assembly of People's Deputies: elections last held 24 May 1992 (next to be held NA); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (107 total), ODP-MT 78, CNPP-PSD 12, RDA 6, ADF 4, other 7
Note: the current law also provides for a second consultative chamber, which had not been formally constituted as of 1 July 1992

Judicial branch: Appeals Court

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEAO, ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, OIC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Donald J. McCONNELL
From the us chancery: 2,340 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
From the us telephone: [226] 30-67- 23 through 25
From the us embassy: Avenue Raoul Follerau, Ouagadougou
From the us mailing address: 01 B. P. 35, Ouagadougou
From the us FAX: [226] 31-23-68

Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a yellow five-pointed star in the center; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: One of the poorest countries in the world, Burkina has a high population density, few natural resources, and relatively infertile soil. Economic development is hindered by a poor communications network within a landlocked country. Agriculture provides about 40% of GDP and is entirely of a subsistence nature. Industry, dominated by unprofitable government-controlled corporations, accounts for about 15% of GDP.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 0.7% (1992)

Real gdp per capita: $700 (1993 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: accounts for about 40% of GDP; cash crops - peanuts, shea nuts, sesame, cotton; food crops - sorghum, millet, corn, rice; livestock; not self-sufficient in food grains

Industries: cotton lint, beverages, agricultural processing, soap, cigarettes, textiles, gold mining and extraction

Industrial production growth rate: 6.7% (1992; accounts for about 15% of GDP

Labor force: NA (most adults are employed in subsistance agriculture; 52% of population is 15 years of age or older)
By occupation agriculture: 80%
By occupation industry: 15%
By occupation commerce services and government: 5%
By occupation note: 20% of male labor force migrates annually to neighboring countries for seasonal employment (1984)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues:$483 million

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $300 million (f.o.b., 1992)
Commodities: cotton, gold, animal products
Partners: EC 42%, Cote d'Ivoire 11%, Taiwan 15%

Imports: $685 million (f.o.b., 1992)
Commodities: machinery, food products, petroleum
Partners: EC 49%, Africa 24%, Japan 6%

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $865 million (December 1991 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: CFA francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 592.05 (January 1994), 283.16 (1993), 264.69 (1992), 282.11 (1991), 272.26 (1990), 319.01 (1989)
Note: beginning 12 January 1994 the CFA franc was devalued to CFAF 100 per French franc from CFAF 50 at which it had been fixed since 1948


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Electricity
Capacity: 120,000 kW
Production: 320 million kWh
Consumption per capita: 40 kWh (1991)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $NA, NA% of GDP

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 48
Usable: 38
With permanentsurface runways: 2
With runways over 3659 m: 0
With runways 2440-3659 m: 2
With runways 1220-2439 m: 8

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: the disputed international boundary between Burkina and Mali was submitted to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in October 1983 and the ICJ issued its final ruling in December 1986, which both sides agreed to accept; Burkina and Mali are proceeding with boundary demarcation, including the tripoint with Niger

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs