Map of Burkina Faso | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: Independence from France came to Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta) in 1960. Repeated military coups during the 1970s and 1980s were followed by multiparty elections in the early 1990s. Burkina Faso's high population density and limited natural resources result in poor economic prospects for the majority of its citizens. Every year several hundred thousand seasonal farm workers seek employment in Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana and are adversely affected by instability in those regions.


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Location: Western Africa north of Ghana

Geographic coordinates: 13 00 N 2 00 W

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 274,200 km²
Water: 400 km²
Land: 273,800 km²
Comparative: slightly larger than Colorado

Land boundaries
Total: 3,193 km
Border countries: (6) Benin 306 km; , Cote d'Ivoire 584 km; , Ghana 549 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
Extremes lowest point: Mouhoun (Black Volta) River 200 m
Extremes highest point: Tena Kourou 749 m

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

Land use
Arable land: 12.43%
Permanent crops: 0.18%
Other: 87.39% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 250 km² (1998 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: recurring droughts

Geography
Note: landlocked savanna cut by the three principal rivers of the Black Red and White Voltas


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Population
Note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2003 est.)
Growth rate: 2.6% (2003 est.)
Below poverty line: 45% (2001 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Burkinabe (singular and plural)
Adjective: Burkinabe

Ethnic groups: Mossi over 40% Gurunsi Senufo Lobi Bobo Mande Fulani

Languages: French (official) native African languages belonging to Sudanic family spoken by 90% of the population

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

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 46.1% (male 3,057,855; female 3,036,705)
15-64 years: 51% (male 3,296,726; female 3,455,817)
65 years and over: 2.9% (male 161,914; female 219,443) (2003 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 16.8 years
Male: 16.4 years
Female: 17.2 years (2002)

Population growth rate: 2.6% (2003 est.)

Birth rate: 44.78 births/1000 population (2003 est.)

Death rate: 18.76 deaths/1000 population (2003 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2003 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
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.01 male/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male/female
65 years and over: 0.74 male/female
Total population: 0.97 male/female (2003 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 99.78 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 91.46 deaths/1000 live births (2003 est.)
Male: 107.87 deaths/1000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 44.46 years
Male: 43.02 years
Female: 45.94 years (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate: 6.34 children born/woman (2003 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 6.5% (2001 est.)
People living with hivaids: 440,000 (2001 est.)
Deaths: 44,000 (2001 est.)

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 26.6%
Male: 36.9%
Female: 16.6% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Burkina Faso
Former: Upper Volta, Republic of Upper Volta

Government type: parliamentary republic

Capital: Ouagadougou

Administrative divisions: 45 provinces; Bale Bam Banwa Bazega Bougouriba Boulgou Boulkiemde Comoe Ganzourgou Gnagna Gourma Houet Ioba Kadiogo Kenedougou Komondjari Kompienga Kossi Koulpelogo Kouritenga Kourweogo Leraba Loroum Mouhoun Namentenga Nahouri Nayala Noumbiel Oubritenga Oudalan Passore Poni Sanguie Sanmatenga Seno Sissili Soum Sourou Tapoa Tuy Yagha Yatenga Ziro Zondoma Zoundweogo

Dependent areas

Independence: 5 August 1960 (from France)

National holiday: Republic Day 11 December (1958)

Constitution: 2 June 1991 approved by referendum; 11 June 1991 formally adopted

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

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Blaise COMPAORE (since 15 October 1987)
Head of government: Prime Minister Ernest Paramanga YONLI (since 6 November 2000)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister
Elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 15 November 1998 (next to be held NA 2005); in April 2000, the constitution was amended reducing the presidential term from seven to five years, enforceable as of 2005, and allowing the president to be reelected only once; it is unclear whether this amendment will be applied retroactively or not; prime minister appointed by the president with the consent of the legislature
Note: President COMPAORE faces an increasingly well-coordinated opposition; recent charges against a former member of his Presidential Guard in the 1998 assassination of a newspaper editor signify an attempt to defuse chronic areas of dissatisfaction
Election results: Blaise COMPAORE reelected president with 87.5% percent of the vote

Legislative branch
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - CDP 57, RDA-ADF 17, PDP/PS 10, CFD 5, PAI 5, others 17
Elections: National Assembly election last held 5 May 2002 (next to be held NA May 2007)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Appeals Court

Political parties and leaders: African Democratic Rally-Alliance for Democracy and Federation or RDA-ADF [Herman YAMEOGO]; Confederation for Federation and Democracy or CFD [Amadou Diemdioda DICKO]; Congress for Democracy and Progress or CDP [Roch Marc-Christian KABORE]; Movement for Tolerance and Progress or MTP [Nayabtigungou Congo KABORE]; Party for African Independence or PAI [Philippe OUEDRAOGO]; Party for Democracy and Progress or PDP [Joseph KI-ZERBO]; Union of Greens for the Development of Burkina Faso or UVDB [Ram OVEDRAGO]

International organization participation: ACCT ACP AfDB ECA ECOWAS Entente FAO FZ G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC ICCt (signatory) ICFTU ICRM IDA IDB IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF Interpol IOC IOM ITU MONUC NAM OAU OIC OPCW PCA UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UPU WADB (regional) WAEMU WCL WCO WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTrO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Tertius ZONGO
In the us chancery: 2,340 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us fax: [1] (202) 667-1882
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 332-5,577
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Anthony HOLMES
From the us embassy: 602 Avenue Raoul Follereau, Koulouba, Secteur 4
From the us mailing address: 01 B. P. 35, Ouagadougou 01; pouch mail - U. S. Department of State, 2,440 Ouagadougou Place, Washington, DC 20,521-2,440
From the us telephone: [226] 306,723
From the us fax: [226] 303,890

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 landlocked Burkina Faso has few natural resources a fragile soil and a highly unequal distribution of income. About 90% of the population is engaged in (mainly subsistence) agriculture which is vulnerable to variations in rainfall. Industry remains dominated by unprofitable government-controlled corporations. Following the African franc currency devaluation in January 1994 the government updated its development program in conjunction with international agencies and exports and economic growth have increased. Maintenance of macroeconomic progress depends on continued low inflation reduction in the trade deficit and reforms designed to encourage private investment. The internal crisis in neighboring Cote d'Ivoire continues to hurt trade and industrial prospects and deepens the need for international assistance.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 4.6% (2002 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $1100 (2002 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 35%
Industry: 17%
Services: 48% (2001)

Agriculture products: cotton peanuts shea nuts sesame sorghum millet corn rice; livestock

Industries: cotton lint beverages agricultural processing soap cigarettes textiles gold

Industrial production growth rate: 14% (2001 est.)

Labor force
Note: a large part of the male labor force migrates annually to neighboring countries for seasonal employment (2002)
By occupation: agriculture 90% (2000 est.)