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<i>From the [[CIA World Factbook]] 2000. Not Wikified.</i>
{{Short description|Country in West Africa}}
{{Coord|12|20|N|1|50|W|type:country_region:BF|display=title}}
{{pp-move|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}}
{{Infobox country
| conventional_long_name = Burkina Faso
| common_name = Burkina Faso
| image_flag = Flag of Burkina Faso.svg
| image_coat = Coat of arms of Burkina Faso.svg
| national_motto = {{native phrase|fr|"Unité–Progrès–Justice"|italics=off}}<br/>{{small|"Unity–Progress–Justice"}}
| national_anthem = {{nowrap|{{native phrase|fr|[[Une Seule Nuit]] / Ditanyè|nolink=yes}}<br/>{{small|''One Single Night / Hymn of Victory''}}}}<br/><div style="display:inline-block;margin-top:0.4em;">[[File:Hymne National du Burkina Faso.ogg|center]]</div>
| image_map = {{Switcher|[[File:Burkina Faso (orthographic projection).svg|frameless]]|Show globe|[[File:Location Burkina Faso AU Africa.svg|upright=1.15|frameless]]|Show map of Africa|default=1}}
| map_caption =
| image_map2 =
| capital = [[Ouagadougou]]
| coordinates = {{Coord|12|22|N|1|32|W|type:city_region:BF}}
| largest_city = capital
| official_languages = [[French language|French]]
| national_languages = [[Mòoré language|Mòoré]]<br/> [[Fula language|Fula]]<br/>[[Dioula language|Dioula]]<ref name="auto3">{{Cite journal|last=André|first=Géraldine|date=31 May 2007|title=École, langues, cultures et développement|journal=Cahiers d'Études Africaines|language=fr|volume=47|issue=186|pages=221–247|doi=10.4000/etudesafricaines.6960|issn=0008-0055|doi-access=free}}</ref>
| ethnic_groups = {{vunblist
|52% [[Mossi people|Mossi]]
|8.4% [[Fula people|Fula]]
|2.4% [[Lobi people|Lobi]]
|4.9% [[Bobo people|Bobo]]
|0.8% [[Dyula people|Dioula]]
|4.5% [[Senufo people|Senufo]]
|4.6% [[Gurunsi]]
|7% [[Gurma people|Gurma]]
|1.9% [[Tuareg people|Tuareg]]
}}
| ethnic_groups_year = 2010 est.
| ethnic_groups_ref = <ref name="CIAFactbook2019uv">{{cite web |title=Africa: Burkina Faso The World Factbook – Central Intelligence Agency |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/burkina-faso/ |website=cia.gov |access-date=22 December 2019 |year=2019 }}</ref>
| religion = {{vunblist
|60.5% [[Islam]]
|23.2% [[Christianity]]
|15.3% [[Traditional African religions|Indigenous beliefs]]
|1.0% [[Irreligious]] and others
}}
| religion_year = 2006
| religion_ref = <ref name="RGPH2006a" />
| demonym = {{hlist|Burkinabé|Burkinabè|Burkinese}}
| government_type = [[Unitary state|Unitary]] [[Semi-presidential system|semi-presidential]] [[Republic|constitutional republic]]
| leader_title1 = [[List of heads of state of Burkina Faso|President]]
| leader_name1 = [[Christophe Joseph Marie Dabiré]]
| leader_title2 = [[List of heads of government of Burkina Faso|Prime Minister]]
| leader_name2 = [[Christophe Joseph Marie Dabiré]]
| legislature = [[National Assembly of Burkina Faso|National Assembly]]
| sovereignty_type = Independence
| established_event1 = [[Republic of Upper Volta]] proclaimed
| established_date1 = 11 December 1958
| established_event2 = from [[France]]
| established_date2 = 5 August 1960
| established_event3 = [[1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état]]
| established_date3 = 3 January 1966
| established_event4 = [[2014 Burkinabé uprising]]
| established_date4 = 28 October – 3 November 2014
| area_km2 = 274,200
| area_rank = 74th
| area_sq_mi = 105,869 <!--Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]]-->
| percent_water = 0.146%
| population_estimate = 21,510,181<ref name="The World Factbook">{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/burkina-faso/ |title=Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-12-21. Retrieved 2016-02-18.CS1 maint: archived copy as title}}</ref>
| population_census = 14,017,262
| population_estimate_year = 2020
| population_estimate_rank = 58th
| population_census_year = 2006
| population_density_km2 = 64
| population_density_sq_mi = 163,63 <!--Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]]-->
| population_density_rank = 137th
| GDP_PPP = $45.339&nbsp;billion
| GDP_PPP_year = 2020
| GDP_PPP_per_capita = $2,207<ref name="imf.org">{{Cite web | url=https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2019/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=88&pr.y=8&sy=2019&ey=2024&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=748&s=NGDPD%2CPPPGDP%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPPC&grp=0&a= | title=Report for Selected Countries and Subjects}}</ref>
| GDP_nominal = $16.226&nbsp;billion
| GDP_nominal_year = 2020
| GDP_nominal_per_capita = $792<ref name="imf.org"/>
| Gini = 38.9 <!-- number only -->
| Gini_year = 2020
| Gini_change = <!-- increase/decrease/steady --> steady
| Gini_ref = <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2172.html|title=Distribution of family income – Gini index|work=The World Factbook|publisher=CIA|access-date=1 September 2009}}</ref>
| Gini_rank =
| HDI = 0.452 <!--number only-->
| HDI_year = 2019 <!-- Please use the year to which the data refers, not the publication year -->
| HDI_change = increase <!-- increase/decrease/steady -->
| HDI_ref = <ref name="UNHDR">{{cite book|title=Human Development Report 2020 The Next Frontier: Human Development and the Anthropocene|date=15 December 2020|publisher=United Nations Development Programme|isbn=978-92-1-126442-5|pages=343–346|url=http://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/hdr2020.pdf|access-date=16 December 2020}}</ref>
| HDI_rank = 182nd
| currency = [[West African CFA franc]]<ref name="auto4">CFA Franc BCEAO. Codes: XOF / 952 [http://www.currency-iso.org/dam/downloads/table_a1.xml ISO 4217 currency names and code elements] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407090907/http://www.currency-iso.org/dam/downloads/table_a1.xml|date=7 April 2014 }}. ISO.</ref>
| currency_code = XOF
| utc_offset = {{sp}}
| time_zone = [[GMT]]
| drives_on = right
| calling_code = [[+226]]
| iso3166code = BF
| cctld = [[.bf]]
| footnotes = The data here is an estimation for the year 2005 produced by the International Monetary Fund in April 2005.
| today =
}}


'''Burkina Faso''' ({{IPAc-en|uk|b|ɜːr|ˌ|k|iː|n|ə|_|ˈ|f|æ|s|oʊ}}, {{IPAc-en|audio=En-us-Burkina Faso.ogg|us|-|_|ˈ|f|ɑː|s|oʊ}};<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/burkina-faso|title=burkina-faso noun – Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes {{!}} Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com|website=www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com|access-date=20 November 2017}}</ref> {{IPA-fr|bu<!--not [y]-->ʁkina fas<!--not [z]-->o|lang}}) is a [[landlocked country]] in [[West Africa]] that covers an area of around {{convert|274200|km2}} and is bordered by [[Mali]] to the northwest, [[Niger]] to the northeast, [[Benin]] to the southeast, [[Togo]] and [[Ghana]] to the south, and the [[Ivory Coast]] to the southwest. The July 2019 population estimate by the United Nations was 20,321,378.<ref name="worldpopulationreview.com">{{Cite web|url=https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/burkina-faso-population|title=Burkina Faso Population 2021 (Demographics, Maps, Graphs)|website=worldpopulationreview.com}}</ref> Previously called [[Republic of Upper Volta]] (1958–1984), it was [[Geographical renaming|renamed]] "Burkina Faso" on 4 August 1984 by President [[Thomas Sankara]]. Its citizens are known as ''Burkinabé'' or ''Burkinabè'' ({{IPAc-en|b|ɜːr|ˈ|k|iː|n|ə|b|eɪ}} {{respell|bur|KEE|nə|bay}}), and its capital is [[Ouagadougou]]. Due to [[French Upper Volta|French colonialism]], the country's official language of government and business is [[French language|French]]. However, only 15% of the population actually speaks French on a regular basis. <ref name=kone9>Kone 2010, page 9</ref> There are 59 native languages spoken in Burkina, with the most common language, [[Mossi language|Moore]], spoken by roughly 50% of Burkinabé.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Brion |first1=Corinne |title=Global voices Burkina Faso: Two languages are better than one |url=https://kappanonline.org/global-voices-burkina-faso-two-languages-brion/ |website=Phi Delta Kappan |date=November 2014 |access-date=12 October 2020}}</ref><ref name="CIAWorldFactBook2020">{{cite web|title=Africa :: Burkina Faso – People and Society – The World Factbook – Central Intelligence Agency |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/burkina-faso/ |website=cia.gov |publisher=CIA |access-date=11 March 2020}}</ref>


The [[Republic of Upper Volta]] was established on 11 December 1958 as a [[self-governing colony]] within the [[French Community]] and on 5 August 1960 it gained full independence with [[Maurice Yaméogo]] as [[List of heads of state of Burkina Faso|President]]. After protests by students and labour union members, Yaméogo was deposed in the [[1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état|1966 coup d'état]], led by [[Sangoulé Lamizana]], who became president. His rule coincided with the [[Sahel drought]] and famine, and facing problems from the country's trade unions he was deposed in the [[1980 Upper Voltan coup d'état|1980 coup d'état]], led by [[Saye Zerbo]]. Encountering resistance from trade unions again, Zerbo's government was overthrown in the [[1982 Upper Voltan coup d'état|1982 coup d'état]], led by [[Jean-Baptiste Ouédraogo]].


* [[/History|History]]
The leader of the leftist faction of Ouédraogo's government, [[Thomas Sankara]], was made [[List of Prime Ministers of Burkina Faso|Prime Minister]] but was later imprisoned. Efforts to free him led to the 1983 coup d'état, in which he became president.<ref name="ReutersChe2">[https://www.reuters.com/assets/print?aid=USL17577712 Burkina Faso Salutes "Africa's Che" Thomas Sankara] by Mathieu Bonkoungou, [[Reuters]], 17 October 2007</ref><ref name="UprightDVD">[http://newsreel.org/nav/title.asp?tc=CN0205 ''Thomas Sankara: the Upright Man''] by ''[[California Newsreel]]''</ref> Sankara renamed the country Burkina Faso and launched an ambitious socioeconomic programme which included a nationwide [[literacy]] campaign, [[land redistribution]] to peasants, railway and road construction and the outlawing of [[female genital mutilation]], [[forced marriage]]s and [[polygamy]].<ref name="UprightDVD" /><ref name="Grila2">[https://web.archive.org/web/20120124093433/http://www.zcommunications.org/commemorating-thomas-sankara-by-farid-omar Commemorating Thomas Sankara] by Farid Omar, ''Group for Research and Initiative for the Liberation of Africa'' (GRILA), 28 November 2007</ref> Sankara was overthrown and killed in the [[1987 Burkinabé coup d'état|1987 coup d'état]] led by [[Blaise Compaoré]] – deteriorating relations with former coloniser France and its ally the Ivory Coast were the reason given for the coup.


* [[/Geography|Geography]]
In 1987, Blaise Compaoré became president and, after an alleged [[1989 Burkinabé coup d'état attempt|1989 coup attempt]], was later elected in [[Burkinabé presidential election, 1991|1991]] and [[Burkinabé presidential election, 1998|1998]], elections which were boycotted by the opposition and received a considerably low turnout, as well as in [[Burkinabé presidential election, 2005|2005]]. He remained head of state until he was ousted from power by the [[2014 Burkinabé uprising|popular youth upheaval of 31 October 2014]],<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/31/world/africa/burkina-faso-protests-blaise-compaore.html "Violent Protests Topple Government in Burkina Faso"], ''The New York Times''.</ref><ref>[http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2014/06/tens-thousands-attend-burkina-faso-protest-20146102919189695.html Tens of thousands attend Burkina Faso protest, Protesters voice opposition to referendum that would allow Blaise Campaore to extend his presidential term], Al Jazeera (Reuters). Last updated: 1 June 2014 01:34.</ref> after which he was exiled to the Ivory Coast. [[Michel Kafando]] subsequently became the transitional president of the country. On 16 September 2015, [[2015 Burkinabé coup d'état|a military coup d'état]] against the Kafando government was carried out by the [[Regiment of Presidential Security]], the former presidential guard of Compaoré.<ref name="DailyTelegraph">{{cite news|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|title=Burkina Faso coup: military says it now controls country after arresting leaders|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/burkinafaso/11870962/Burkina-Faso-coup-military-says-it-now-controls-country-after-arresting-leaders.html|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] (Online edition)|location=United Kingdom|date=17 September 2015|access-date=17 September 2015 }}</ref> On 24 September 2015, after pressure from the [[African Union]], [[ECOWAS]] and the armed forces, the military junta agreed to step down and Michel Kafando was reinstated as acting president.<ref name="BBC World News">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-34334430|title=Burkina Faso coup: Michel Kafando reinstated as president|date=23 September 2015|work=BBC News |access-date=23 September 2015}}</ref> In the [[Burkinabé general election, 2015|general election held on 29 November 2015]], [[Roch Marc Christian Kaboré]] won in the first round with 53.5% of the vote<ref name="Kabore wins" /> and was sworn in as president on 29 December 2015.<ref name="swears in new president" />


* [[/People|People]]
==Etymology==
Formerly called the Republic of Upper Volta, the country was renamed "Burkina Faso" on 4 August 1984 by then-President Thomas Sankara. The words "Burkina" and "Faso" stem from different languages spoken in the country: "Burkina" comes from [[Mossi language|Mossi]] and means "upright", showing how the people are proud of their integrity, while "Faso" comes from the [[Dioula language]] (as written in [[N'Ko script|N'Ko]]: {{Rtl-lang|dyu|ߝߊ߬ߛߏ߫}} ''faso'') and means "fatherland" (literally, "father's house"). The "-bè" suffix added onto "Burkina" to form the demonym "Burkinabè" comes from the [[Fula language]] and means "men or women".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://afrolegends.com/2013/09/12/why-the-name-burkina-faso/|title=Why the name: Burkina Faso?|date=12 September 2013}}</ref> The CIA summarizes the etymology as "land of the honest (incorruptible) men".<ref name="auto1">{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/burkina-faso/|title=Africa – Burkina Faso|date=21 December 2018|website=CIA|access-date=16 January 2019}}</ref>


* [[/Government|Government]]
The French colony of Upper Volta was named for its location on the upper courses of the [[Volta River]] (the [[Black Volta|Black]], [[Red Volta|Red]] and [[White Volta]]).<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=by3eqBwNRyIC&pg=PA21|title=iAfrica – Ancient History UNTOLD|publisher=Forbidden Fruit Books LLC|pages=21|language=en}}</ref>


* [[/Economy|Economy]]
==History==
{{main|History of Burkina Faso}}


* [[/Communications|Communications]]
===Early history===
The northwestern part of present-day Burkina Faso was populated by [[hunter-gatherer]]s from 14000 BCE to 5000 BCE. Their tools, including [[scraper (archaeology)|scrapers]], [[chisel]]s and [[arrowhead]]s, were discovered in 1973 through [[Excavation (archaeology)|archaeological excavations]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Burkina Faso|url=https://www.smoketreemanor.com/burkina-faso/|date=23 October 2019|website=Smoke Tree Manor|language=en-US|access-date=30 May 2020}}</ref> Agricultural settlements were established between 3600 and 2600&nbsp;BCE.<ref name=":0" /> The [[Bura culture]] was an [[Iron Age|Iron-Age]] [[civilization]] centred in the southwest portion of modern-day Niger and in the southeast part of contemporary Burkina Faso.<ref name="whc.unesco.org">UNESCO World Heritage Centre. [https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5045/ "Site archéologique de Bura"]. UNESCO.</ref> [[Iron industry]], in [[smelting]] and [[forging]] for tools and weapons, had developed in [[Sub-Saharan Africa]] by 1200&nbsp;BCE.<ref>{{Cite journal
|doi = 10.1017/S0021853700025949|jstor=182719
|title = Early Metal Working in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Review of Recent Research.
|journal = The Journal of African History
|volume = 35
|issue=1
|pages = 1–36
|year = 2009
|last1 = Miller|first1 = D. E.
|last2 = Van Der Merwe|first2 = N. J.
}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=Radiocarbon Chronology of the Iron Age in Sub-Saharan Africa|author=Stuiver, Minze|author2= van der Merwe, Nicolaas J.|journal=Current Anthropology|volume=9|issue=1|year=1968|pages=54–58|jstor=2740446|doi=10.1086/200878|s2cid=145379030}}</ref> To date, the oldest evidence of iron smelting found in Burkina Faso dates from 800 to 700 BC and form part of the [[Ancient Ferrous Metallurgy Sites of Burkina Faso|Ancient Ferrous Metallurgy]] World Heritage Site.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1602 |title = Ancient Ferrous Metallurgy Sites of Burkina Faso |website = UNESCO World Heritage List |publisher = UNESCO |access-date = 21 March 2021}}</ref> From the 3rd to the 13th centuries CE, the [[Iron Age]] [[Bura culture]] existed in the territory of present-day southeastern Burkina Faso and southwestern Niger. Various ethnic groups of present-day Burkina Faso, such as the [[Mossi people|Mossi]], [[Fula people|Fula]] and [[Dyula people|Dioula]], arrived in successive waves between the 8th and 15th centuries. From the 11th century, the Mossi people established [[Mossi Kingdoms|several separate kingdoms]].
[[File:Africa de l'Oèst en 1875-es.svg|thumb|upright=1.6|West Africa circa 1875]]


* [[/Transportation|Transportation]]
===8th century to 18th century===
There is debate about the exact dates when Burkina Faso's many ethnic groups arrived to the area. The [[Moosei people|Proto-Mossi]] arrived in the far Eastern part of what is today Burkina Faso sometime between the 8th and 11th centuries,<ref>[[#Rupley|Rupley]], p.&nbsp;27</ref> the [[Samo language (Burkina)|Samo]] arrived around the 15th century,<ref name="ReferenceA">[[#Rupley|Rupley]], p.&nbsp;28</ref> the [[Dogon people|Dogon]] lived in Burkina Faso's north and northwest regions until sometime in the 15th or 16th centuries<ref>{{Cite book|last=Shoup|first=John A.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SPBfnT_E1mgC&q=the+dogon+lived+in+burkina+faso+in+15th+century&pg=PA86|title=Ethnic Groups of Africa and the Middle East: An Encyclopedia|publisher=ABC-CLIO, 2011|year=2011|isbn=9781598843620}}</ref> and many of the other ethnic groups that make up the country's population arrived in the region during this time.


* [[/Military|Military]]
[[File:MossiCavalry.jpg|thumb|left|The cavalry of the [[Mossi Kingdoms]] were experts at raiding deep into enemy territory, even against the formidable [[Mali Empire]].]]
[[File:Pg381 Des hommes sur les toits s'opposent.jpg|thumb|Armed men prevent the French explorer [[Louis-Gustave Binger]] from entering Sia (Bobo-Dioulasso) during his stay in April 1892.]]


* [[/Transnational issues|Transnational Issues]]
During the [[Middle Ages]] the Mossi established several separate kingdoms including those of Tenkodogo, Yatenga, Zandoma, and Ouagadougou.<ref name="Nations 2014">"Encyclopedia of the Nations." History. Advameg, Inc., n.d. Web. 8 October 2014.</ref> Sometime between 1328 and 1338 Mossi warriors raided [[Timbuktu]] but the Mossi were defeated by [[Sonni Ali]] of [[Songhai Empire|Songhai]] at the Battle of Kobi in Mali in 1483.<ref>[[#Rupley|Rupley]], p. xxvioi</ref>


During the early 16th century the Songhai conducted many slave raids into what is today Burkina Faso.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> During the 18th century the Gwiriko Empire was established at [[Bobo Dioulasso]] and ethnic groups such as the Dyan, Lobi, and Birifor settled along the [[Black Volta]].<ref>[[#Rupley|Rupley]], p. xxvix</ref>


===From colony to independence (1890s–1958)===
{{Main|Upper Senegal and Niger|French Upper Volta}}
{{more citations needed section|date=December 2017}}
Starting in the early 1890s during the European [[Scramble for Africa]], a series of European military officers made attempts to claim parts of what is today Burkina Faso. At times these [[Colonialism|colonialists]] and their armies fought the local peoples; at times they forged alliances with them and made treaties. The colonialist officers and their home governments also made treaties amongst themselves. The territory of Burkina Faso was invaded by [[French Third Republic|France]], becoming a [[French colonial empire|French protectorate]] in 1896.<ref>[[#Rupley|Rupley]], pp.&nbsp;30–33</ref>


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.
[[File:French West Africa 1913 map.png|thumb|[[French West Africa]] circa 1913]]
The eastern and western regions, where a standoff against the forces of the powerful ruler [[Samori Ture]] complicated the situation, came under French occupation in 1897. By 1898, the majority of the territory corresponding to Burkina Faso was nominally conquered; however, French control of many parts remained uncertain.<ref name=":0"/>


The [[Anglo-French Convention of 1898|Franco-British Convention of 14 June 1898]] created the country's modern borders. In the French territory, a war of conquest against local communities and political powers continued for about five years. In 1904, the largely pacified territories of the [[Volta River|Volta basin]] were integrated into the [[Upper Senegal and Niger]] colony of [[French West Africa]] as part of the reorganization of the French West African colonial empire. The colony had its capital in [[Bamako]].


The language of colonial administration and schooling became French. The public education system started from humble origins. Advanced education was provided for many years during the colonial period in Dakar.


----
[[Conscription|Draftees]] from the territory participated in the European fronts of [[World War I]] in the battalions of the [[Tirailleurs sénégalais|Senegalese Rifles]]. Between 1915 and 1916, the districts in the western part of what is now Burkina Faso and the bordering eastern fringe of Mali became the stage of one of the most important armed oppositions to colonial government: the [[Volta-Bani War]].<ref>Mahir Saul and Patrick Royer, ''West African Challenge to Empire,'' 2001</ref>


Geography
The French government finally suppressed the movement but only after suffering defeats. It also had to organize its largest expeditionary force of its colonial history to send into the country to suppress the insurrection. Armed opposition wracked the Sahelian north when the [[Tuareg people|Tuareg]] and allied groups of the Dori region ended their truce with the government.


----
[[File:Mittelholzer-ouagadougou.jpg|thumb|The capital, [[Ouagadougou]], in 1930]]
[[French Upper Volta]] was established on 1 March 1919. The French feared a recurrence of armed uprising and had related economic considerations. To bolster its administration, the colonial government separated the present territory of Burkina Faso from Upper Senegal and Niger.


The new colony was named ''Haute Volta,'' named for its location on the upper courses of the [[Volta River]] (the [[Black Volta|Black]], [[Red Volta|Red]] and [[White Volta]]), and François Charles Alexis Édouard Hesling became its first [[List of governors of Upper Volta|governor]]. Hesling initiated an ambitious road-making program to improve infrastructure and promoted the growth of cotton for export. The cotton policy – based on [[coercion]] – failed, and revenue generated by the colony stagnated. The colony was dismantled on 5 September 1932, being split between the French colonies of [[Ivory Coast]], [[French Sudan]] and [[Niger]]. Ivory Coast received the largest share, which contained most of the population as well as the cities of Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso.


France reversed this change during the period of intense anti-colonial agitation that followed the end of [[World War II]]. On 4 September 1947, it revived the colony of Upper Volta, with its previous boundaries, as a part of the [[French Union]]. The French designated its colonies as departments of [[metropolitan France]] on the European continent.


Location: Western Africa, north of Ghana
On 11 December 1958 the colony achieved [[Self-governance|self-government]] as the [[Republic of Upper Volta]]; it joined the Franco-African Community. A revision in the organization of French Overseas Territories had begun with the passage of the Basic Law (Loi Cadre) of 23 July 1956. This act was followed by reorganization measures approved by the French parliament early in 1957 to ensure a large degree of self-government for individual territories. Upper Volta became an autonomous republic in the French community on 11 December 1958. Full independence from France was received in 1960.<ref name=WDL1>{{cite web|url=http://www.wdl.org/en/item/635|title=More (Language of the Moose people) Phrase Book|publisher=[[World Digital Library]]|access-date=16 February 2013}}</ref>


===Upper Volta (1958–1984)===
[[File:Maurice Yaméogo and Louis Jacquinot exchanging instruments of ratification for the independence of the Upper Volta.jpg|thumb|[[Maurice Yaméogo]], the first President of Upper Volta, examines documents pertaining to the ratification of the country's independence in 1960]]
{{main|Republic of Upper Volta}}
The Republic of Upper Volta ({{lang-fr|link=no|République de Haute-Volta}}) was established on 11 December 1958 as a [[self-governing colony]] within the [[French Community]]. The name ''Upper Volta'' related to the nation's location along the upper reaches of the [[Volta River]]. The river's three [[Tributary|tributaries]] are called the [[Black Volta|Black]], [[White Volta|White]] and [[Red Volta]]. These were expressed in the three colors of the [[Flag of Upper Volta|former national flag]].


Before attaining autonomy, it had been French Upper Volta and part of the French Union. On 5 August 1960, it attained full independence from [[French Fourth Republic|France]]. The first president, [[Maurice Yaméogo]], was the leader of the [[Voltaic Democratic Union]] (UDV). The 1960 constitution provided for election by [[universal suffrage]] of a president and a national assembly for five-year terms. Soon after coming to power, Yaméogo banned all political parties other than the UDV. The government lasted until 1966. After much unrest, including mass demonstrations and strikes by students, labor unions, and civil servants, the military intervened.


Geographic coordinates: 13 00 N, 2 00 W
====Lamizana's rule and multiple coups====
The [[1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état|1966 military coup]] deposed Yaméogo, suspended the constitution, dissolved the National Assembly, and placed Lt. Col. [[Sangoulé Lamizana]] at the head of a government of senior army officers. The army remained in power for four years. On 14 June 1976, the Voltans ratified a new constitution that established a four-year transition period toward complete civilian rule. Lamizana remained in power throughout the 1970s as president of military or mixed civil-military governments. Lamizana's rule coincided with the beginning of the [[Sahel drought]] and famine which had a devastating impact on Upper Volta and neighboring countries. After conflict over the 1976 constitution, a new constitution was written and approved in 1977. Lamizana was re-elected by open elections in 1978.


Lamizana's government faced problems with the country's traditionally powerful trade unions, and on 25 November 1980, Col. [[Saye Zerbo]] overthrew President Lamizana in a [[1980 Upper Voltan coup d'état|bloodless coup]]. Colonel Zerbo established the Military Committee of Recovery for National Progress as the supreme governmental authority, thus eradicating the 1977 constitution.


Colonel Zerbo also encountered resistance from trade unions and was overthrown two years later by Maj. Dr. [[Jean-Baptiste Ouédraogo]] and the Council of Popular Salvation (CSP) in the [[1982 Upper Voltan coup d'état]]. The CSP continued to ban political parties and organizations, yet promised a transition to civilian rule and a new constitution.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vqEHU3iW2i0C&pg=PA137|title=Revolutionary Overthrow of Constitutional Orders in Africa|last=Anyangwe|first=Carlson|date=2012|publisher=African Books Collective|isbn=9789956727780|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Burkina Faso's history, also called Upper Volta, endured between 1960 and 1987, 6 military coups and the establishment of 3 republics.|url=https://www.blaisecompaore.com/en/political-and-military-career/1960-1983-engagement/|access-date=5 November 2020|website=Blaise Compaore|language=en-GB}}</ref>


Map references: Africa
====1983 coup d'état====
Infighting developed between the right and left factions of the CSP. The leader of the leftists, Capt. [[Thomas Sankara]], was appointed prime minister in January 1983, but was subsequently arrested. Efforts to free him, directed by Capt. [[Blaise Compaoré]], resulted in a military coup d'état on 4 August 1983.


The coup brought Sankara to power and his government began to implement a series of revolutionary programs which included mass-vaccinations, infrastructure improvements, the expansion of women's rights, encouragement of domestic agricultural consumption, and anti-desertification projects.<ref name="UprightDVD" />


===Burkina Faso (since 1984)===
{{Infobox former country|demonym={{hlist|Burkinabé|Burkinabè|Burkinese}}|established=4 August 1983|capital=[[Ouagadougou]]|national_languages=[[Mòoré language|Mòoré]]<br/> [[Fula language|Fula]]<br/>[[Dioula language|Dioula]]<ref name="auto3"/>|official_languages=[[French language|French]]|national_motto={{native phrase|fr|"Unité–Progrès–Justice"|italics=off}}<br/>{{small|"Unity–Progress–Justice"}}|national_anthem={{nowrap|{{native phrase|fr|[[Une Seule Nuit]] / Ditanyè|nolink=yes}}<br/>{{small|''One Single Night / Hymn of Victory''}}}}<br/><center>[[File:Hymne National du Burkina Faso.ogg]]</center>|date_event2=October 15, 1987|event2=1987 Burkinabé coup d'état|date_event1=December 25, 1985|event1=[[Agacher Strip War]]|year_leader1=1983–1987|government_type=[[Unitary state|Unitary]] [[Marxist-Leninist]] [[one-party]] [[socialist state]] under a [[military junta]]|leader1=[[Thomas Sankara]]|title_leader=[[President of Burkina Faso|President]]|event_start=1983 Burkinabè coup d'etat|area_km2=274,200|year_end=1987|year_start=1983|conventional_long_name=Republic of Upper Volta {{small|{{nobold|(1983–1984)}}<br />''République de Haute-Volta''}}<hr />Burkina Faso {{small|{{nobold|(1984–1987)}}}}|common_name=Burkina Faso|currency_code=XOF|currency=[[West African CFA franc]]<ref name="auto4"/>|image_coat=Coat of arms of Burkina Faso 1984-1991.svg|image_flag=Flag of Burkina Faso.svg|today=|HDI_year=|HDI=|GDP_PPP_year=1986|GDP_PPP=$2.036&nbsp;billion|area_rank=|legislature=}}


Area:
On 2 August 1984, on President Sankara's initiative, the country's name changed from "Upper Volta" to "Burkina Faso", or ''land of the honest men''; (the literal translation is ''land of the upright men''.)<ref>
[https://www.wdl.org/en/item/635/ More (Language of the Mossi Tribe) Phrase Book] – "Burkina Faso is a former French colony, which became the independent state of Upper Volta in 1960. In 1984 the country adopted its present name, meaning 'Land of Incorruptible People.'"
</ref><ref>Kingfisher Geography Encyclopedia. {{ISBN|1-85613-582-9}}. Page 170</ref>{{qn|date=March 2020}}<ref>{{cite book|last= Manning|first= Patrick|title= Francophone Sub-Saharan Africa: 1880–1995|year= 1998|publisher= Cambridge University Press |location= Cambridge | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=i4bPWSPutYcC
| isbn = 9780521645195
| page = 126
| quote = The name of the country was chnged to Burkina Faso, and Sankara launched it on an aggressive, populist program of self-help.
}}</ref><ref>The name is an [[Amalgamation (linguistics)|amalgam]] of [[More language|More]] ''burkina'' ("honest", "upright", or "incorruptible men") and [[Dioula language|Jula]] ''faso'' ("homeland"; literally "father's house"). The "-be" suffix in the name for the people – Burkinabe – comes from the Fula plural suffix for people, ''-ɓe''.</ref> The presidential decree was confirmed by the National Assembly on 4 August. The demonym for people of Burkina Faso, "Burkinabé", includes expatriates or descendants of people of Burkinabé origin.


total: 274,200 sq km
Sankara's government comprised the National Council for the Revolution (CNR – {{lang-fr | Conseil national révolutionnaire}}), with Sankara as its president, and established popular [[Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (Burkina Faso)|Committees for the Defense of the Revolution]] (CDRs). The [[Pioneers of the Revolution]] youth programme was also established.


land: 273,800 sq km
Sankara launched an ambitious socioeconomic programme for change, one of the largest ever undertaken on the African continent.<ref name="UprightDVD" /> His foreign policies centred on [[anti-imperialism]], with his government rejecting all [[foreign aid]], pushing for [[odious debt]] reduction, nationalising all land and mineral wealth and averting the power and influence of the [[International Monetary Fund]] (IMF) and [[World Bank]]. His domestic policies included a nationwide literacy campaign, land redistribution to peasants, railway and road construction and the outlawing of [[female genital mutilation]], [[forced marriage]]s and [[polygamy]].<ref name="Grila2"/><ref name="UprightDVD" />


water: 400 sq km
Sankara pushed for agrarian self-sufficiency and promoted public health by vaccinating 2,500,000 children against [[meningitis]], [[yellow fever]], and [[measles]].<ref name="Grila2"/> His national agenda also included planting over 10,000,000 trees to halt the growing [[desertification]] of the [[Sahel]]. Sankara called on every village to build a medical dispensary and had over 350 communities build schools with their own labour.<ref name="UprightDVD" /><ref>{{Cite news|url= http://thomassankara.net/resurrecting-thomas-sankara/?lang=en|title= Resurrecting Thomas Sankara – My Blog|last= X|first= Mr|date= 28 October 2015|work= My Blog|access-date= 25 April 2017}}</ref>


==== 1987 coup d'état ====
On 15 October 1987, Sankara, along with twelve other officials, died in a coup d'état organized by Blaise Compaoré, Sankara's former colleague, who served as Burkina Faso's president from October 1987 until October 2014.<ref>{{Cite web|url= http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2015/06/reviving-thomas-sankara-spirit-150603104633020.html|title= Reviving Thomas Sankara's spirit|publisher= Al Jazeera|access-date= 25 April 2017}}</ref> After the coup and although Sankara was known to be dead, some CDRs mounted an armed resistance to the [[Army of Burkina Faso|army]] for several days.{{citation needed|date= July 2014}} A majority{{quantify|date=March 2020}} of Burkinabé citizens hold that [[Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs|France's foreign ministry]], the Quai d'Orsay, was behind Compaoré in organizing the coup.


Compaoré gave as one of the reasons for the coup the deterioration in relations with neighbouring countries.<ref>{{cite book|last1= Kasuka|first1= Bridgette|title= African Leaders|date= 2011|publisher= Bankole Kamara Taylor|location= 3rd Paragraph|isbn= 978-1468114362|page= 13|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=80SvCmSTxGoC&pg=PA128}}</ref> Compaoré argued that Sankara had jeopardised foreign relations with the former colonial power (France) and with neighbouring [[Ivory Coast]].<ref name="ReutersChe2"/> Following the coup Compaoré immediately reversed the nationalizations, overturned nearly all of Sankara's policies, returned the country back into the IMF fold, and ultimately spurned most of Sankara's legacy. Following an alleged [[1989 Burkinabé coup d'état attempt|coup-attempt in 1989]], Compaoré introduced limited democratic reforms in 1990. Under the new (1991) [[Constitution of Burkina Faso|constitution]], Compaoré was [[1991 Burkinabé presidential election|re-elected]] without opposition in December 1991. In 1998 Compaoré won [[1998 Burkinabé presidential election|election]] in a landslide. In 2004, 13 people were tried for plotting a coup against President Compaoré and the coup's alleged mastermind was sentenced to life imprisonment.<ref>"Burkina Faso Profile." Burkina Faso Profile. BBC NEWS AFRICA, 21 March 2014. Web. 24 September 2014.</ref> {{As of| 2014}}, Burkina Faso remained one of the [[Least developed country|least-developed countries]] in the world.<ref>{{Cite web|url= https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/cdp/ldc/ldc_list.pdf|title= List of Least Developed Countries|last= United Nation|year= 2016|publisher= United Nations|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110301020225/http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/cdp/ldc/ldc_list.pdf|archive-date= 1 March 2011|url-status= dead}}</ref>


Area - comparative: slightly larger than Colorado
Compaoré's government played the role of negotiator in several West-African disputes, including the [[2010–11 Ivorian crisis]], the Inter-Togolese Dialogue (2007), and the [[2012 Malian coup d'état|2012 Malian Crisis]].


Between February and April 2011, the death of a schoolboy provoked [[2011 Burkinabè protests|protests]] throughout the country, coupled with a military mutiny and a magistrates' strike.


====October 2014 protests====
{{Main|2014 Burkinabé uprising}}
Starting on 28 October 2014 protesters began to march and demonstrate in Ouagadougou against President Blaise Compaoré, who appeared{{qn|date=March 2020}} ready to amend the constitution and extend his 27-year rule. On 30 October some protesters set fire to the parliament building<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-29831262|title=Burkina Faso parliament set ablaze|newspaper= BBC News|access-date= 30 October 2014|date= 30 October 2014}}</ref> and took over the national TV headquarters.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.smh.com.au/world/burkina-faso-protesters-set-parliament-on-fire-take-over-state-tv-and-march-on-presidency-20141031-11emg3.html|title= Burkina Faso protesters set parliament on fire, take over state TV and march on presidency|work= The Sydney Morning Herald|access-date= 30 October 2014|date= 30 October 2014}}</ref> [[Ouagadougou Airport|Ouagadougou International Airport]] closed and MPs suspended the vote on changing the constitution (the change would have allowed Compaoré to stand for re-election in 2015). Later in the day, the military dissolved all government institutions and imposed a [[curfew]].<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-10-30/burkina-faso-president-dissolves-government-as-protests-escalate|title= Burkina Faso General Takes Power After President Resigns|author1= Gongo, Simon|author2= Bax, Pauline|name-list-style= amp|work= Bloomberg BusinessWeek|url-status= dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150102122055/http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-10-30/burkina-faso-president-dissolves-government-as-protests-escalate|archive-date= 2 January 2015 }}</ref>


Land boundaries:
On 31 October 2014, President Compaoré, facing mounting pressure, resigned after 27&nbsp;years in office.<ref>Herve, Taoko and Cowelloct, Alan (31 October 2014) [https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/01/world/africa/burkina-faso-unrest-blaise-compaore.html?_r=0 Burkina Faso's President Resigns, and General Takes Reins]. ''The New York Times''.</ref> [[Yacouba Isaac Zida|Lt. Col. Isaac Zida]] said that he would lead the country during its transitional period before the planned [[Burkinabé presidential election, 2015|2015 presidential election]], but there were concerns{{by whom|date=March 2020}} over his close ties to the former president.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-29863004|title=Army backs new Burkina Faso leader Isaac Zida|newspaper= BBC News|date= November 2014}}</ref> In November 2014 opposition parties, [[civil society|civil-society]] groups and religious leaders adopted a plan for a transitional authority to guide Burkina Faso to elections.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.reuters.com/article/2014/11/09/us-burkina-politics-idUSKCN0IT0U320141109|title= Burkina Faso talks agree on plan for return to civilian rule|work= Reuters|access-date= 9 November 2014|archive-date= 10 November 2014|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141110231047/http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/11/09/us-burkina-politics-idUSKCN0IT0U320141109|url-status= dead}}</ref> Under the plan [[Michel Kafando]] became the transitional [[President of Burkina Faso]] and Lt. Col. Zida became the acting Prime Minister and Defense Minister.


total: 3,192 km
====2015 coup d'état====
{{main|2015 Burkinabé coup d'état}}
On 16 September 2015, the [[Regiment of Presidential Security]] (RSP) seized the country's president and prime minister and then declared the [[National Council for Democracy]] the new national government.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/burkinafaso/11870962/Burkina-Faso-coup-military-says-it-now-controls-country-after-arresting-leaders-live.html|title= Burkina Faso coup: military says it now controls country after arresting leaders: live|newspaper= The Daily Telegraph|date= 17 September 2015 |author= Raziye Akkoc |others= agencies}}</ref> However, on 22 September 2015, the coup leader, [[Gilbert Diendéré]], apologized and promised to restore civilian government.<ref>{{Cite web |title = Burkina Faso Leader Apologizes To Nation For Seizing Power in a Coup |url = https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/09/22/442441403/burkina-faso-leader-apologizes-to-nation-for-seizing-power-in-a-coup |access-date = 23 September 2015}}</ref> On 23 September 2015 the prime minister and interim president were restored to power.<ref>{{Cite web |title = A Week After Coup, Burkina Faso's Interim President Back in Power|url = https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/09/23/442826830/1-week-after-coup-burkina-fasos-interim-president-back-in-power |access-date = 23 September 2015}}</ref>


border countries: Benin 306 km, Cote d'Ivoire 584 km, Ghana 548 km, Mali 1,000 km, Niger 628 km, Togo 126 km
==== November 2015 election ====
{{main|Burkinabé general election, 2015}}
General elections took place in Burkina Faso on 29 November 2015. [[Roch Marc Christian Kaboré]] won the election in the first round with 53.5% of the vote, defeating businessman [[Zéphirin Diabré]], who took 29.7%.<ref name="Kabore wins" /> Kaboré was sworn in as president on 29 December 2015.<ref name="swears in new president" />


==== Terrorist attacks ====
{{main|2016 Ouagadougou attacks}}{{See also|Terrorism in Burkina Faso}}
In February 2016 a terrorist attack occurred at the Splendid Hotel and Capuccino café-bar in the centre of Ouagadougou: 30 people died. [[Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb]] (AQIM) and [[Al-Mourabitoun (militant group)|Al-Mourabitoun]], two groups which until then had mostly operated in neighbouring [[Mali]], claimed responsibility for the attack. Since then, similar groups have carried out numerous{{quantify|date=March 2020}} attacks in the northern and eastern parts of the country. One terrorist attack occurred on the evening of Friday, 11 October 2019, on a mosque in the village of Salmossi near the border with Mali, leaving 16 people dead and two injured.<ref name="France 24">{{cite news |title= 16 killed in Burkina Faso mosque attack: security sources |url= https://www.france24.com/en/20191012-16-killed-in-burkina-faso-mosque-attack-security-sources |access-date= 13 October 2019 |publisher= France 24 |date= 12 October 2019 }}
</ref><ref name="BBC">
{{cite news
|title= Deadly attack on Burkina Faso mosque
|url= https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-50028315
|access-date= 13 October 2019 |work= BBC
|date= 12 October 2019
}}
</ref>


On 8 July 2020, the United States raised concerns after a [[Human Rights Watch]] report revealed mass graves with at least 180 bodies, which were found in northern Burkina Faso where soldiers were fighting jihadists.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bf.usembassy.gov/u-s-embassy-ouagadougou-statement-on-human-rights-watch-report-july-8-burkina-faso-allegations-of-extrajudicial-killings/|title= U.S. Embassy Ouagadougou Statement on Human Rights Watch Report (July 8): Burkina Faso Allegations of Extrajudicial Killings |access-date=8 July 2020|website=U.S. Embassy in Burkina Faso|date= 8 July 2020 }}</ref>


Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
On June 4, 2021, the Associated Press reported that according to the government of Burkina Faso, gunmen killed at least 100 people in Solhan village in northern Burkina Faso near the Niger border. A local market and several homes were also burned down. A government spokesman blamed jihadists. This was the deadliest attack recorded in Burkina Faso since the West African country was overrun by jihadists linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State about five years ago, said Heni Nsaibia, senior researcher at the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project.<ref>Portland Press Herald, June 5, 2021 </ref>


==Government and politics==
{{main|Politics of Burkina Faso}}
{{see also|2015 Burkinabe coup d'état}}
[[File:Blaise Compaoré 2014 White House.png|thumb|upright|President Blaise Compaoré ruled Burkina Faso from a coup d'état in 1987 until he lost power in 2014.]]
[[File:Assemblee Nationale Burkina Faso.jpg|thumb|The [[National Assembly of Burkina Faso|National Assembly]] building in downtown [[Ouagadougou]]]]


With French help, Blaise Compaoré seized power in a coup d'état in 1987. He overthrew his long-time friend and ally [[Thomas Sankara]], who was killed in the coup.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13101197 "Burkina Faso's Blaise Compaore sacks his government"], BBC News, 15 April 2011.</ref>


Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
The [[Constitution of Burkina Faso|constitution]] of 2 June 1991 established a [[Semi-presidential system|semi-presidential government]]: its parliament could be dissolved by the [[List of heads of state of Burkina Faso|President of the Republic]], who was to be [[Elections in Burkina Faso|elected]] for a term of seven years. In 2000, the constitution was amended to reduce the presidential term to five years and set term limits to two, preventing successive re-election. The amendment took effect during the 2005 elections. If passed beforehand, it would have prevented Compaoré from being reelected.


Other presidential candidates challenged the election results. But in October 2005, the constitutional council ruled that, because Compaoré was the sitting president in 2000, the amendment would not apply to him until the end of his second term in office. This cleared the way for his candidacy in [[Burkina Faso presidential elections, 2005|the 2005 election]]. On 13 November 2005, Compaoré was reelected in a landslide, because of a divided political opposition.


In the [[Burkinabé presidential election, 2010|2010 Presidential elections]], President Compaoré was re-elected. Only 1.6&nbsp;million Burkinabés voted, out of a total population 10&nbsp;times that size.


Climate: tropical; warm, dry winters; hot, wet summers
The [[2011 Burkinabè protests]] were a series of popular protests that called for the resignation of Compaoré, democratic reforms, higher wages for troops and public servants and economic freedom.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=182823|work=The Daily Star|date=23 April 2011|access-date=24 April 2011|title=Burkina opposition calls anti-president demo}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/28/world/africa/28burkina.html|work=The New York Times|title=Mayor's Home Burned as Burkina Faso Protests Continue|date=27 April 2011|access-date=30 April 2011|first1=Hervé|last1=Taoko|first2=Adam|last2=Nossiter|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430114102/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/28/world/africa/28burkina.html|archive-date=30 April 2011|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-04-28/burkina-faso-riot-police-join-wave-of-protests-after-government-dissolved.html|publisher=Bloomberg L.P.|date=28 April 2011|access-date=30 April 2011|title=Burkina Faso Riot Police Join Wave of Protests After Government Dissolved|first=Simon|last=Gongo}}</ref> As a result, governors were replaced and wages for public servants were raised.<ref>{{cite news|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13542959|date=25 May 2011|access-date=28 May 2011|title=Burkina Faso teachers' strike: Union agrees deal|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110527020543/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13542959|archive-date= 27 May 2011|url-status= live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/etn/news_content.php?id=1623195|work=Taiwan News|date=9 June 2011|access-date=11 June 2011|title=Burkina Faso government replaces its governors}}</ref>


The parliament consisted of [[unicameralism|one chamber]] known as the [[National Assembly (Burkina Faso)|National Assembly]], which had 111&nbsp;seats with members elected to serve five-year terms. There was also a constitutional chamber, composed of ten members, and an economic and social council whose roles were purely consultative. The 1991 constitution created a [[bicameralism|bicameral]] parliament, but the upper house (Chamber of Representatives) was abolished in 2002.


The Compaoré administration had worked to [[Decentralization#Government decentralization|decentralize power]] by devolving some of its powers to regions and municipal authorities. But the widespread distrust of politicians and lack of political involvement by many residents complicated this process. Critics described this as a hybrid decentralisation.<ref>{{cite web|title=Failure Likely|author=Tiendrebeongo, Aristide|publisher=dandc.eu|date=March 2013|url=http://www.dandc.eu/en/article/decentralisation-burkina-faso-coming-against-obstacles-because-local-people-are-distrustful}}</ref>


Terrain: mostly flat to dissected, undulating plains; hills in west and southeast
[[Political freedom]]s are severely restricted in Burkina Faso. [[Political freedom|Human rights organizations]] had criticised the Compaoré administration for numerous acts of state-sponsored violence against journalists and other politically active members of society.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/talktojazeera/2017/01/africa-human-rights-court-limits-justice-170107092107153.html|title=Africa's human rights court and the limits of justice|publisher=Al Jazeera|access-date=27 October 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/252867.pdf|title=Burkina Faso 2015 Human Rights Report|access-date=3 June 2018|year=2015|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]}}</ref>


In mid-September 2015 the Kafando government, along with the rest of the post-October 2014 political order, was [[2015 Burkinabe coup d'état|temporarily overthrown]] in a coup attempt by the [[Regiment of Presidential Security]] (RSP). They installed Gilbert Diendéré as chairman of the new [[National Council for Democracy]].<ref name=DailyTelegraph/> On 23 September 2015, the prime minister and interim president were restored to power.<ref name=npr-back>{{cite web|title=A Week After Coup, Burkina Faso's Interim President Back in Power|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/09/23/442826830/1-week-after-coup-burkina-fasos-interim-president-back-in-power|access-date=23 September 2015|date=23 September 2015|publisher=[[NPR]]}}</ref><ref name=npr-apology>{{Cite web|title=Burkina Faso Leader Apologizes To Nation For Seizing Power in a Coup|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/09/22/442441403/burkina-faso-leader-apologizes-to-nation-for-seizing-power-in-a-coup|access-date=23 September 2015|date=22 September 2015|publisher=NPR}}</ref> The [[Burkinabé general election, 2015|national elections]] were subsequently rescheduled for 29 November.


Kaboré won the election in the first round of voting, receiving 53.5% of the vote against 29.7% for the second place candidate, [[Zephirin Diabré]].<ref name="Kabore wins">Mathieu Bonkoungou and Nadoun Coulibaly, [https://news.yahoo.com/kabore-wins-burkina-faso-presidential-vote-electoral-commission-003634457.html "Kabore wins Burkina Faso presidential election"], Reuters, 1 December 2015.</ref> He was sworn in as president on 29 December 2015.<ref name="swears in new president">[https://news.yahoo.com/burkina-faso-swears-president-capping-transition-161614791.html "Burkina Faso swears in new president, capping transition"], Agence France-Presse, 29 December 2015.</ref> The [[BBC]] described the president as a "French-educated banker ... [who] sees himself as a social democrat, and has pledged to reduce youth unemployment, improve education and healthcare, and make health provision for children under six free of charge".<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13072774 | title=Burkina Faso profile| work=BBC News| date=5 March 2018}}</ref>


Elevation extremes:
The prime minister is head of government and is appointed by the president with the approval of the National Assembly. He is responsible for recommending a cabinet for appointment by the president. Paul Kaba Thieba was appointed PM in early 2016.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2018/burkina-faso | title=Burkina Faso| date=4 January 2018}}</ref>


lowest point: Mouhoun (Black Volta) River 200 m
According to a World Bank Report in late 2018, the political climate was stable; the government was facing "social discontent marked by major strikes and protests, organized by unions in several economic sectors, to demand salary increases and social benefits .... and increasingly frequent jihadist attacks". The next elections would be held in 2020.<ref name="auto2">{{cite web |url=https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/burkinafaso/overview|website=Danube Travel|date=26 November 2017|title=Burkina Faso |access-date=6 January 2019}}</ref>


highest point: Tena Kourou 749 m
=== Constitution ===
{{Further|Constitution of Burkina Faso}}


In 2015, Kaboré promised to revise the 1991 constitution. The revision was completed in 2018. One condition prevents any individual from serving as president for more than ten years either consecutively or intermittently and provides a method for impeaching a president. A referendum on the constitution for the Fifth Republic was scheduled for 24 March 2019.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://apanews.net/en/news/burkina-faso-referendum-new-constitutional-set-for-march-2019|website=Danube Travel|date=28 August 2018 |title=Burkina Faso: Referendum on new constitution set for March 2019|access-date=6 January 2019}}</ref>


Certain rights are also enshrined in the revised wording: access to drinking water, access to decent housing and a recognition of the right to civil disobedience, for example. The referendum was required because the opposition parties in Parliament refused to sanction the proposed text.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.rfi.fr/afrique/20180827-burkina-faso-le-referendum-constitutionnel-prevu-le-24-mars-2019 | title=Burkina Faso: Le référendum constitutionnel prévu le 24 mars 2019 – Radio France Internationale| date=27 August 2018}}</ref>


Natural resources: manganese, limestone, marble; small deposits of gold, antimony, copper, nickel, bauxite, lead, phosphates, zinc, silver
===Foreign relations===
{{Further|Foreign relations of Burkina Faso}}


Burkina Faso is a member of the [[African Union]], [[G5 Sahel]], [[Community of Sahel–Saharan States]], [[La Francophonie]], [[Organisation of Islamic Cooperation]], [[Economic Community of West African States]], and United Nations.


===Military===
{{main|Military of Burkina Faso}}


Land use:
The [[Army of Burkina Faso|army]] consists of some 6,000&nbsp;men in voluntary service, augmented by a part-time national People's Militia composed of civilians between 25 and 35&nbsp;years of age who are trained in both military and civil duties. According to ''Jane's Sentinel Country Risk Assessment'', Burkina Faso's Army is undermanned for its force structure and poorly equipped, but has wheeled light-armour vehicles, and may have developed useful combat expertise through interventions in Liberia and elsewhere in Africa.


arable land: 13%
In terms of training and equipment, the regular Army is believed to be neglected in relation to the élite Regiment of Presidential Security ({{lang-fr|link=no|Régiment de la Sécurité Présidentielle}} – RSP). Reports have emerged in recent years of disputes over pay and conditions.<ref>''[https://web.archive.org/web/20100827071950/http://www.janes.com/articles/Janes-Sentinel-Security-Assessment-West-Africa/Army-Burkina-Faso.html Jane's Sentinel Security Assessment – West Africa]'', 15 April 2009</ref> There is an air force with some 19&nbsp;operational aircraft, but no navy, as the country is landlocked. Military expenses constitute approximately 1.2% of the nation's GDP.


permanent crops: 0%
In April 2011, there was an [[2011 Burkina Faso mutiny|army mutiny]]; the president named new chiefs of staff, and a curfew was imposed in [[Ouagadougou]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13107109|access-date=17 April 2011|title=Burkina Faso capital under curfew after army mutiny|work=BBC News|date=16 April 2011}}</ref>


permanent pastures: 22%
===Law enforcement===
{{main|Law enforcement in Burkina Faso}}
Burkina Faso employs numerous police and security forces, generally modeled after organizations used by [[French police]]. France continues to provide significant support and training to police forces. The ''Gendarmerie Nationale'' is organized along military lines, with most police services delivered at the brigade level. The [[Gendarmerie]] operates under the authority of the Minister of Defence, and its members are employed chiefly in the rural areas and along borders.<ref name="Das, pp.&nbsp;139–141">Das, Dilip K. and Palmiotto, Michael J. (2005) ''World Police Encyclopedia'', Routledge, {{ISBN|0-415-94250-0}}. pp.&nbsp;139–141</ref>


forests and woodland: 50%
There is a municipal police force controlled by the [[Ministry of Territorial Administration]]; a national police force controlled by the Ministry of Security; and an autonomous [[Regiment of Presidential Security]] (''Régiment de la Sécurité Présidentielle'', or RSP), a 'palace guard' devoted to the protection of the President of the Republic. Both the gendarmerie and the national police are subdivided into both administrative and judicial police functions; the former are detailed to protect public order and provide security, the latter are charged with criminal investigations.<ref name="Das, pp.&nbsp;139–141"/>


other: 15% (1993 est.)
All foreigners and citizens are required to carry photo ID passports, or other forms of identification or risk a fine, and police spot identity checks are commonplace for persons traveling by auto, [[Share taxi|bush-taxi]], or bus.<ref>U.S. Dept. of State, [https://web.archive.org/web/20131114034455/http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1075.html Burkina Faso: Country Specific Information]</ref><ref>Foreign and Commonwealth Office,{{cite web|url=http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travelling-and-living-overseas/travel-advice-by-country/sub-saharan-africa/burkina-faso|title=Sub-Saharan Africa: Burkina Faso|access-date=13 August 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090827125629/http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travelling-and-living-overseas/travel-advice-by-country/sub-saharan-africa/burkina-faso|archive-date=27 August 2009 }} . Government of the United Kingdom</ref>


===Administrative divisions===
{{main|Regions of Burkina Faso|Provinces of Burkina Faso|Departments of Burkina Faso}}
The country is divided into [[Regions of Burkina Faso|13&nbsp;administrative regions]]. These regions encompass [[Provinces of Burkina Faso|45&nbsp;provinces]] and [[Departments of Burkina Faso|301&nbsp;departments]]. Each region is administered by a governor.


==Geography==
[[File:Burkina sat.png|thumb|Satellite image of Burkina Faso]]
{{main|Geography of Burkina Faso}}


Irrigated land: 200 sq km (1993 est.)
[[File:Burkina Faso Map.jpg|upright=1.5|thumb|Map of Burkina Faso]]
Burkina Faso lies mostly between latitudes [[9th parallel north|9°]] and [[15th parallel north|15°N]] (a small area is north of 15°), and longitudes [[6th meridian west|6°W]] and [[3rd meridian east|3°E]].


It is made up of two major types of countryside. The larger part of the country is covered by a [[peneplain]], which forms a gently undulating landscape with, in some areas, a few isolated hills, the last vestiges of a [[Precambrian]] [[massif]]. The southwest of the country, on the other hand, forms a [[sandstone]] massif, where the highest peak, [[Ténakourou]], is found at an elevation of {{convert|749|m|ft|0|sp=us}}. The massif is bordered by sheer cliffs up to {{convert|150|m|ft|0|abbr=on|sp=us}} high. The average altitude of Burkina Faso is {{convert|400|m|ft|0|abbr=on|sp=us}} and the difference between the highest and lowest terrain is no greater than {{convert|600|m|ft|0|abbr=on|sp=us}}. Burkina Faso is therefore a relatively flat country.


The country owes its former name of Upper Volta to three rivers which cross it: the [[Black Volta]] (or ''Mouhoun''), the [[White Volta]] (''Nakambé'') and the [[Red Volta]] (''Nazinon''). The Black Volta is one of the country's only two rivers which flow year-round, the other being the [[Komoé River|Komoé]], which flows to the southwest. The basin of the [[Niger River]] also [[drainage basin|drains]] 27% of the country's surface.


Natural hazards: recurring droughts
The Niger's [[tributary|tributaries]] – the Béli, Gorouol, Goudébo, and Dargol – are [[Torrent (stream)|seasonal streams]] and flow for only four to six months a year. They still can flood and overflow, however. The country also contains numerous lakes – the principal ones are Tingrela, [[Lake Bam|Bam]], and Dem. The country contains large ponds, as well, such as Oursi, Béli, Yomboli, and Markoye. [[Drought|Water shortages]] are often a problem, especially in the north of the country.
[[File:WP 35, SDr9776.JPG|right|thumb|[[Savanna]]h near the [[Gbomblora Department]], on the road from [[Gaoua]] to [[Batié, Burkina Faso|Batié]]]]


Burkina Faso lies within two terrestrial ecoregions: [[Sahelian Acacia savanna]] and [[West Sudanian savanna]].<ref name="DinersteinOlson2017">{{cite journal|last1=Dinerstein|first1=Eric|last2=Olson|first2=David|last3=Joshi|first3=Anup|last4=Vynne|first4=Carly|last5=Burgess|first5=Neil D.|last6=Wikramanayake|first6=Eric|last7=Hahn|first7=Nathan|last8=Palminteri|first8=Suzanne|last9=Hedao|first9=Prashant|last10=Noss|first10=Reed|last11=Hansen|first11=Matt|last12=Locke|first12=Harvey|last13=Ellis|first13=Erle C|last14=Jones|first14=Benjamin|last15=Barber|first15=Charles Victor|last16=Hayes|first16=Randy|last17=Kormos|first17=Cyril|last18=Martin|first18=Vance|last19=Crist|first19=Eileen|last20=Sechrest|first20=Wes|last21=Price|first21=Lori|last22=Baillie|first22=Jonathan E. M.|last23=Weeden|first23=Don|last24=Suckling|first24=Kierán|last25=Davis|first25=Crystal|last26=Sizer|first26=Nigel|last27=Moore|first27=Rebecca|last28=Thau|first28=David|last29=Birch|first29=Tanya|last30=Potapov|first30=Peter|last31=Turubanova|first31=Svetlana|last32=Tyukavina|first32=Alexandra|last33=de Souza|first33=Nadia|last34=Pintea|first34=Lilian|last35=Brito|first35=José C.|last36=Llewellyn|first36=Othman A.|last37=Miller|first37=Anthony G.|last38=Patzelt|first38=Annette|last39=Ghazanfar|first39=Shahina A.|last40=Timberlake|first40=Jonathan|last41=Klöser|first41=Heinz|last42=Shennan-Farpón|first42=Yara|last43=Kindt|first43=Roeland|last44=Lillesø|first44=Jens-Peter Barnekow|last45=van Breugel|first45=Paulo|last46=Graudal|first46=Lars|last47=Voge|first47=Maianna|last48=Al-Shammari|first48=Khalaf F.|last49=Saleem|first49=Muhammad|title=An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm|journal=BioScience|volume=67|issue=6|year=2017|pages=534–545|issn=0006-3568|doi=10.1093/biosci/bix014|pmid=28608869|pmc=5451287|doi-access=free}}</ref>


===Climate===
[[File:Koppen-Geiger Map BFA present.svg|thumb|Map of [[Köppen climate classification]]]]


Environment - current issues: recent droughts and desertification severely affecting agricultural activities, population distribution, and the economy; overgrazing; soil degradation; deforestation
Burkina Faso has a primarily tropical climate with two very distinct seasons. In the rainy season, the country receives between {{convert|60|and|90|cm|in|1|abbr=on|sp=us}} of rainfall; in the dry season, the [[harmattan]] – a hot dry wind from the Sahara – blows. The rainy season lasts approximately four months, May/June to September, and is shorter in the north of the country. Three climatic zones can be defined: the Sahel, the Sudan-Sahel, and the Sudan-Guinea. The [[Sahel]] in the north typically receives less than {{convert|60|cm|in|1|abbr=on|sp=us}}<ref name=relationship>{{cite web|url=http://www.sim.org/country.asp?fun=1&CID=18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080309142111/http://www.sim.org/country.asp?CID=18&fun=1|archive-date=9 March 2008|title=SIM Country Profile: Burkina Faso|access-date=5 August 2006}}</ref> of rainfall per&nbsp;year and has high temperatures, {{convert|5|–|47|°C|°F|0|lk=on}}.


A relatively dry [[tropical savanna]], the Sahel extends beyond the borders of Burkina Faso, from the [[Horn of Africa]] to the Atlantic Ocean, and borders the [[Sahara]] to its north and the fertile region of the [[Sudan (region)|Sudan]] to the south. Situated between 11°3' and 13°5'&nbsp;north [[latitude]], the Sudan-Sahel region is a transitional zone with regards to rainfall and temperature. Further to the south, the Sudan-Guinea zone receives more than {{convert|90|cm|in|1|abbr=on|sp=us}}<ref name=relationship/> of rain each year and has cooler average temperatures.


[[File:Wreckage of a dam (Dourtenga, 2008).jpg|thumb|Damage caused by the Dourtenga floods in 2007]]


Environment - international agreements:
Geographic and environmental causes can also play a significant role in contributing to Burkina Faso's issue of food insecurity.<ref>{{Cite journal|title = Agroclimatic Shock, Income Inequality, and Poverty: Evidence from Burkina Faso|last = Reardon|first = Thomas|year = 1996|journal = World Development|doi = 10.1016/0305-750x(96)00009-5|volume=24|issue = 5|pages=901–914}}</ref> As the country is situated in the [[Sahel]] region, Burkina Faso experiences some of the most radical climatic variation in the world, ranging from severe flooding to extreme drought.<ref>{{Cite journal|title = Cultural barriers to climate change adaptation: A case study from Northern Burkina Faso|last = Ostergaard Nielsen|first = Jonas|date = February 2010|journal = Global Environmental Change|doi = 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2009.10.002|volume=20|pages=142–152}}</ref> The unpredictable climatic shock that Burkina Faso citizens often face results in strong difficulties in being able to rely on and accumulate wealth through agricultural means.<ref>{{Cite journal|title = Human Vulnerability to Climate Variability in the Sahel: Farmers' Adaptation Strategies in Northern Burkina Faso|author = Barbier|year = 2009|journal = Environmental Management|doi = 10.1007/s00267-008-9237-9|pmid = 19037691|display-authors=etal|volume=43|issue = 5|pages=790–803|bibcode = 2009EnMan..43..790B|s2cid = 9634833}}</ref>


party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
Burkina Faso's climate also renders its crops vulnerable to insect attacks, including attacks from [[locust]]s and [[Cricket (insect)|crickets]], which destroy crops and further inhibit food production.<ref>{{cite journal|last1 = Groten|first1 = S. M. E.|year = 1993|title = NDVI—crop monitoring and early yield assessment of Burkina Faso|journal = International Journal of Remote Sensing|volume = 14|issue = 8|pages = 1495–1515|doi=10.1080/01431169308953983|bibcode = 1993IJRS...14.1495G }}</ref> Not only is most of the population of Burkina Faso dependent on agriculture as a source of income, but they also rely on the agricultural sector for food that will directly feed the household.<ref name="Coping"/> Due to the vulnerability of agriculture, more and more families are having to look for other sources of non-farm income,<ref>{{Cite journal|title = The costs and risks of coping with drought: livelihood impacts and farmers' responses in Burkina Faso|authors = Roncoli, Ingram, and Kirshen|year = 2001|journal = Climate Research|doi = 10.3354/cr019119|volume = 19|pages = 119–132|bibcode = 2001ClRes..19..119R|df = dmy-all|doi-access = free}}</ref> and often have to travel outside of their regional zone to find work.<ref name="Coping">{{Cite journal|title = Coping with household-level food insecurity in drought-affected areas of Burkina Faso|issue = 9|pages = 1065–1074|journal = World Development|volume = 16|doi = 10.1016/0305-750X(88)90109-X|date = September 1988|last1 = Reardon|first1 = Thomas|last2 = Matlon|first2 = Peter|last3 = Delgado|first3 = Christopher|url = http://oar.icrisat.org/7395/1/WorldDev_16_9_1065-1074_1988.pdf}}</ref>


signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban
=== Natural resources ===
Burkina Faso's natural resources include gold, [[manganese]], [[limestone]], [[marble]], [[phosphate]]s, [[pumice]], and [[Salt mining|salt]].


===Wildlife===
{{Further|Wildlife of Burkina Faso}}


Burkina Faso has a larger number of [[Elephant|elephants]] than many countries in West Africa. Lions, leopards and buffalo can also be found here, including the dwarf or red buffalo, a smaller reddish-brown animal which looks like a fierce kind of short-legged cow. Other large predators live in Burkina Faso, such as the cheetah, the caracal or African lynx, the spotted hyena and the African wild dog, one of the continent's most endangered species.<ref>[http://www.our-africa.org/burkina-faso/geography-wildlife?ref=nf Geography & Wildlife] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150903210757/http://www.our-africa.org/burkina-faso/geography-wildlife?ref=nf|date=3 September 2015 }}. our-africa.org</ref>


Geography - note: landlocked
Burkina Faso's [[Wildlife in Burkina Faso|fauna and flora]] are protected in four national parks:
* The [[W National Park]] in the east which passes Burkina Faso, Benin, and Niger
* The Arly Wildlife Reserve (Arly National Park in the east)
* The Léraba-Comoé Classified Forest and Partial Reserve of Wildlife in the west
* The [[Mare aux Hippopotames]] in the west


and several reserves: see [[List of national parks in Africa]] and [[Nature reserves of Burkina Faso]].


==Economy==
{{main|Economy of Burkina Faso}}


----
[[File:Tree map export 2009 Burkina Faso.jpeg|thumb|Burkina Faso's exports in 2009. Every year gold and cotton constitute more than 70% of the country's exports and the prices of these commodities have fluctuated significantly in the past 10 years. See the 2016 figure]]


People
The value of Burkina Faso's exports fell from $2.77&nbsp;billion in 2011 to $754&nbsp;million in 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://atlas.media.mit.edu/explore|archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20140904015759/http://atlas.media.mit.edu/explore/tree_map/hs/export/pak/all/show/2012/|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 September 2014|title=OEC: Products exported by Bulgaria (2012)|work=The Observatory of Economic Complexity|access-date=30 October 2014 }}</ref> Agriculture represents 32% of its gross domestic product and occupies 80% of the working population. It consists mostly of rearing livestock. Especially in the south and southwest, the people grow crops of [[sorghum]], [[pearl millet]], maize (corn), peanuts, rice and cotton, with surpluses to be sold. A large part of the economic activity of the country is funded by international aid, despite having gold ores in abundance.


----
The top five export commodities in 2017 were as follows, in order of importance: gems and precious metals, US$1.9&nbsp;billion (78.5% of total exports), cotton, $198.7&nbsp;million (8.3%), ores, slag, ash, $137.6&nbsp;million (5.8%), fruits, nuts: $76.6&nbsp;million (3.2%) and oil seeds: $59.5&nbsp;million (2.5%).<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.worldstopexports.com/burkina-fasos-top-10-exports/ | title=Burkina Faso's Top 10 Exports| date=17 January 2019}}</ref>


Population: 11,946,065
A December 2018 report from the World Bank indicates that in 2017, economic growth increased to 6.4% in 2017 (vs. 5.9% in 2016) primarily due to gold production and increased investment in infrastructure. The increase in consumption linked to growth of the wage bill also supported economic growth. Inflation remained low, 0.4% that year but the public deficit grew to 7.7% of GDP (vs. 3.5% in 2016). The government was continuing to get financial aid and loans to finance the debt. To finance the public deficit, the Government combined concessional aid and borrowing on the regional market. The World Bank said that the economic outlook remained favorable in the short and medium term, although that could be negatively impacted. Risks included high oil prices (imports), lower prices of gold and cotton (exports) as well as terrorist threat and labour strikes.<ref name="auto2"/>


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 2000 est.)
Burkina Faso is part of the [[West African Monetary and Economic Union]] (UMEOA) and has adopted the [[West African CFA franc|CFA franc]]. This is issued by the [[Central Bank of the West African States]] (BCEAO), situated in [[Dakar]], Senegal. The BCEAO manages the monetary and reserve policy of the member states, and provides regulation and oversight of financial sector and banking activity. A legal framework regarding licensing, bank activities, organizational and capital requirements, inspections and sanctions (all applicable to all countries of the Union) is in place, having been reformed significantly in 1999. [[Microfinance]] institutions are governed by a separate law, which regulates microfinance activities in all WAEMU countries. The insurance sector is regulated through the Inter-African Conference on Insurance Markets (CIMA).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mfw4a.org/burkina-faso/burkina-faso-financial-sector-profile.html|title=Burkina Faso Financial Sector Profile|access-date=11 June 2015|url-status=bot: unknown|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141210114640/https://www.mfw4a.org/burkina-faso/burkina-faso-financial-sector-profile.html|archive-date=10 December 2014 }}, MFW4A</ref>


[[File:Essakane Mill in Burkina Faso.jpg|thumb|Processing facilities at the Essakane Mine in Burkina Faso]]


In 2018, tourism was almost non-existent in large parts of the country. The U.S. government (and others) warn their citizens not to travel into large parts of Burkina Faso: "The northern Sahel border region shared with Mali and Niger due to crime and terrorism. The provinces of Kmoandjari, Tapoa, Kompienga, and Gourma in East Region due to crime and terrorism".<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/burkina-faso-travel-advisory.html|title=Burkina Faso Travel Advisory|date=11 October 2016|website=Government of USA|access-date=6 January 2019}}</ref>


Age structure:
The 2018 CIA World Factbook provides this updated summary. "Burkina Faso is a poor, landlocked country that depends on adequate rainfall. Irregular patterns of rainfall, poor soil, and the lack of adequate communications and other infrastructure contribute to the economy's vulnerability to external shocks. About 80% of the population is engaged in subsistence farming and cotton is the main cash crop. The country has few natural resources and a weak industrial base. Cotton and gold are Burkina Faso's key exports ...The country has seen an upswing in gold exploration, production, and exports.


0-14 years: 48% (male 2,866,361; female 2,822,990)
While the end of the political crisis has allowed Burkina Faso's economy to resume positive growth, the country's fragile security situation could put these gains at risk. Political insecurity in neighboring Mali, unreliable energy supplies, and poor transportation links pose long-term challenges." The report also highlights the 2018–2020 International Monetary Fund program, including the government's plan to "reduce the budget deficit and preserve critical spending on social services and priority public investments".<ref name="auto1"/>


15-64 years: 49% (male 2,808,797; female 3,097,048)
A 2018 report by the African Development Bank Group discussed a macroeconomic evolution: "higher investment and continued spending on social services and security that will add to the budget deficit". This group's prediction for 2018 indicated that the budget deficit would be reduced to 4.8% of GDP in 2018 and to 2.9% in 2019. Public debt associated with the National Economic and Social Development Plan was estimated at 36.9% of GDP in 2017.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.afdb.org/en/countries/west-africa/burkina-faso/burkina-faso-economic-outlook/ | title=Burkina Faso Economic Outlook| date=27 March 2019}}</ref>


65 years and over: 3% (male 149,474; female 201,395) (2000 est.)
Burkina Faso is a member of the [[Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa]] (OHADA).<ref>{{cite web|title=OHADA.com: The business law portal in Africa|url=http://www.ohada.com/index.php|access-date=22 March 2009}}</ref> The country also belongs to the United Nations, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and World Trade Organization.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2834.htm | title=Burkina Faso}}</ref>


=== Mining ===
{{main|Mining in Burkina Faso}}
There is mining of copper, iron, [[manganese]], gold, [[cassiterite]] (tin ore), and phosphates.<ref>[http://www.inadev.org/profile_-_burkina_faso.htm Profile – Burkina Faso]. Inadev.org. Retrieved 5 April 2014.</ref> These operations provide employment and generate international aid. Gold production increased 32% in 2011 at six gold mine sites, making Burkina Faso the fourth-largest gold producer in Africa, after South Africa, Mali and Ghana.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/iamgolds-growing-investment-in-burkina-faso/article4103071/|location=Toronto|work=The Globe and Mail|title=Iamgold's growing investment in Burkina Faso|author=York, Jeoffrey|date=15 April 2012}}</ref>


A 2018 report indicated that the country expected record 55 tonnes of gold in that year, a two-thirds increase over 2013. According to Oumarou Idani, there is a more important issue. "We have to diversify production. We mostly only produce gold, but we have huge potential in manganese, zinc, lead, copper, nickel and limestone".<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/business-and-economy/2018-02-17-shiny-future-for-burkina-fasos-gold-mining-industry/ | title=Shiny future for Burkina Faso's gold-mining industry}}</ref>


Population growth rate: 2.71% (2000 est.)
==Food insecurity <span class="anchor" id="Food insecurity in Burkina Faso"></span>==
According to the [[Global Hunger Index]], a multidimensional tool used to measure and track a country's hunger levels,<ref>{{Cite web|title = Global Hunger Index {{!}} IFPRI|url = http://www.ifpri.org/topic/global-hunger-index|website = ifpri.org|access-date = 20 November 2015}}</ref> Burkina Faso ranked 65 out of 78&nbsp;countries in 2013.<ref name="Know About Hunger">{{Cite web|title = UN World Food Program|url = https://www.wfp.org/stories/10-things-know-about-hunger-burkina-faso|website = wfp.org|access-date = 19 October 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151012201025/http://www.wfp.org/stories/10-things-know-about-hunger-burkina-faso|archive-date = 12 October 2015|url-status = dead}}</ref> It is estimated that there are currently over 1.5&nbsp;million children who are at risk of food insecurity in Burkina Faso, with around 350,000&nbsp;children who are in need of emergency medical assistance.<ref name="Know About Hunger"/> However, only about a third of these children will actually receive adequate medical attention.<ref name="Cost of Hunger">{{Cite web|url = http://documents.wfp.org/stellent/groups/public/documents/newsroom/wfp275851.pdf|title = The Cost of Hunger in Africa: Burkina Faso 2015|publisher = African Union Commission}}</ref> Only 11.4&nbsp;percent of children under the age of two receive the daily recommended number of meals.<ref name="Know About Hunger"/> Stunted growth as a result of food insecurity is a severe problem in Burkina Faso, affecting at least a third of the population from 2008 to 2012.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Statistics|url = http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/burkinafaso_statistics.html|website = UNICEF|access-date = 19 October 2015}}</ref> Additionally, stunted children, on average, tend to complete less school than children with normal growth development,<ref name="Cost of Hunger"/> further contributing to the low levels of education of the Burkina Faso population.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.prb.org/Publications/Articles/2014/education-in-burkina-faso.aspx|title = Education of Marginalized Populations in Burkina Faso}}</ref>


The [[European Commission]] expects that approximately 500,000&nbsp;children under age&nbsp;5 in Burkina Faso will suffer from acute malnutrition in 2015, including around 149,000 who will suffer from its most life-threatening form.<ref name="ECHO Factsheet"/> Rates of micronutrient deficiencies are also high.<ref name="DHS Program"/> According to the [[Demographic and Health Surveys|Demographic and Health Survey]] (DHS&nbsp;2010), 49&nbsp;percent of women and 88&nbsp;percent of children under the age of five suffer from anemia.<ref name="DHS Program">{{Cite journal|title = The DHS Program – Burkina Faso: DHS, 2010 – Final Report (French)|url = http://dhsprogram.com/publications/publication-FR256-DHS-Final-Reports.cfm|website = dhsprogram.com|access-date = 19 October 2015|date = April 2012}}</ref> Forty percent of infant deaths can be attributed to malnutrition, and in turn, these infant mortality rates have decreased Burkina Faso's total work force by 13.6&nbsp;percent, demonstrating how food security affects more aspects of life beyond health.<ref name="Know About Hunger"/>


These high rates of food insecurity and the accompanying effects are even more prevalent in rural populations compared to urban ones, as access to health services in rural areas is much more limited and awareness and education of children's nutritional needs is lower.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Gains and losses as Burkina Faso fights child hunger|url = http://www.irinnews.org/report/99767/gains-and-losses-as-burkina-faso-fights-child-hunger|agency = IRIN|access-date = 19 October 2015|date = 11 March 2014}}</ref>


Birth rate: 45.26 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
An October 2018 report by [[USAid]] stated that droughts and floods remained problematic, and that "violence and insecurity are disrupting markets, trade and livelihoods activities in some of Burkina Faso's northern and eastern areas". The report estimated that over 954,300 people needed food security support, and that, according to [[UNICEF]], an "estimated 187,200 children under 5 years of age will experience severe acute malnutrition". Agencies providing assistance at the time included USAID's Office of Food for Peace (FFP) working with the UN [[World Food Programme]], the NGO [[Oxfam]] Intermón and [[ACDI/VOCA]].<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.usaid.gov/burkina-faso/food-assistance | title=Food Assistance Fact Sheet – Burkina Faso &#124; U.S. Agency for International Development| date=19 October 2018}}</ref>


===Approaches to improving food security===




Death rate: 17.04 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
====World Food Programme====
The United Nations’ World Food Programme has worked on programs that are geared towards increasing food security in Burkina Faso.
The Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation&nbsp;200509 (PRRO) was formed to respond to the high levels of malnutrition in Burkina Faso, following the food and nutrition crisis in 2012.<ref name="World Food Programme"/> The efforts of this project are mostly geared towards the treatment and prevention of malnutrition and include take home rations for the caretakers of those children who are being treated for malnutrition.<ref name="World Food Programme"/> Additionally, the activities of this operation contribute to families' abilities to withstand future food crises. Better nutrition among the two most vulnerable groups, young children and pregnant women, prepares them to be able to respond better in times when food security is compromised, such as in droughts.<ref name="World Food Programme"/>


The Country Programme (CP) has two parts: food and nutritional assistance to people with HIV/AIDS, and a school feeding program for all primary schools in the Sahel region.<ref name="Brief">{{Cite web|url = http://documents.wfp.org/stellent/groups/public/documents/ep/wfp272247.pdf|title = Burkina Faso Brief|publisher = World Food Programme}}</ref> The HIV/AIDS nutrition program aims to better the nutritional recovery of those who are living with HIV/AIDS and to protect at-risk children and orphans from malnutrition and food security.<ref name="Brief"/> As part of the school feeding component, the Country Programme's goals are to increase enrollment and attendance in schools in the Sahel region, where enrollment rates are below the national average.<ref name="World Food Programme"/> Furthermore, the program aims at improving gender parity rates in these schools, by providing girls with high attendance in the last two years of primary school with take-home rations of cereals as an incentive to households, encouraging them to send their girls to school.<ref name="World Food Programme"/>


The WFP concluded the formation of a subsequently approved plan in August 2018 "to support the Government's vision of 'a democratic, unified and united nation, transforming the structure of its economy and achieving a strong and inclusive growth through patterns of sustainable consumption and production.' It will take important steps in WFP's new strategic direction for strengthened national and local capacities to enable the Government and communities to own, manage, and implement food and nutrition security programmes by 2030".<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www1.wfp.org/operations/bf01-burkina-faso-transitional-icsp-january-december-2018 | title=Burkina Faso Transitional ICSP (January – December 2018) &#124; World Food Programme}}</ref>


Net migration rate: -1.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)
====World Bank====
The [[World Bank Group|World Bank]] was established in 1944, and comprises five institutions whose shared goals are to end extreme poverty by 2030 and to promote shared prosperity by fostering income growth of the lower forty percent of every country.<ref>{{Cite web|title = What We Do|url = http://www.worldbank.org/en/about/what-we-do|publisher = World Bank|access-date = 2 November 2015}}</ref> One of the main projects the World Bank is working on to reduce food insecurity in Burkina Faso is the Agricultural Productivity and Food Security Project.<ref name="AgProdFSP">{{Cite web|title = Projects : Agricultural Productivity and Food Security Project {{!}} The World Bank|url = http://www.worldbank.org/projects/P114236/agricultural-productivity-food-security-project?lang=en|publisher = World Bank|access-date = 2 November 2015}}</ref> According to the World Bank, the objective of this project is to "improve the capacity of poor producers to increase food production and to ensure improved availability of food products in rural markets."<ref name="AgProdFSP"/> The Agricultural Productivity and Food Security Project has three main parts. Its first component is to work towards the improvement of food production, including financing grants and providing 'voucher for work' programs for households who cannot pay their contribution in cash.<ref name="AgProdFSP"/> The project's next component involves improving the ability of food products, particularly in rural areas.<ref name="AgProdFSP"/> This includes supporting the marketing of food products, and aims to strengthen the capabilities of stakeholders to control the variability of food products and supplies at local and national levels.<ref name="AgProdFSP"/> Lastly, the third component of this project focuses on institutional development and capacity building. Its goal is to reinforce the capacities of service providers and institutions who are specifically involved in project implementation.<ref name="AgProdFSP"/> The project's activities aim to build capacities of service providers, strengthen the capacity of food producer organizations, strengthen agricultural input supply delivery methods, and manage and evaluate project activities.<ref name="AgProdFSP"/>


The December 2018 report by the World Bank indicated that the poverty rate fell slightly between 2009 and 2014, from 46% to a still high 40.1%. The report provided this updated summary of the country's development challenges: "Burkina Faso remains vulnerable to climatic shocks related to changes in rainfall patterns and to fluctuations in the prices of its export commodities on world markets. Its economic and social development will, to some extent, be contingent on political stability in the country and the subregion, its openness to international trade, and export diversification".<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/burkinafaso/overview | title=Overview}}</ref>


===Food security===
[[File:Burkina Faso - Tarfila Farming Group.jpg|thumb|A group of farmers in Tarfila, Burkina Faso]]


Sex ratio:
Burkina Faso is faced with high levels of [[food insecurity]].<ref name="World Food Programme"/> As defined by the 1996 [[World Food Summit]], "food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy lifestyle."<ref>{{Cite journal|url = http://argus.iica.ac.cr/Esp/organizacion/LTGC/Documentacion/BibliotecaVenezuela/Boletines/2009/n4/foodsecurity-Springer-art%C3%ADculo2.pdf|title = Food security: definition and measurement|last = Pinstrup-Andersen|first = Per|date = 21 January 2009|journal = Food Security|doi = 10.1007/s12571-008-0002-y|volume = 1|pages = 5–7|s2cid = 207431757|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304074246/http://argus.iica.ac.cr/Esp/organizacion/LTGC/Documentacion/BibliotecaVenezuela/Boletines/2009/n4/foodsecurity-Springer-art%C3%ADculo2.pdf|archive-date = 4 March 2016|url-status = dead|df = dmy-all}}</ref> There has not been much successful improvement on this issue of food security within recent years.<ref name="World Food Programme"/> Burkina Faso's rapidly growing population (around 3.6% annually) continues to put a strain on the country's resources and infrastructure, which can further limit accessibility to food.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Burkina Faso ICE Case Study|url = http://www1.american.edu/ted/ICE/burkina-food-riot.html|website = 1.american.edu|access-date = 2 November 2015|url-status = dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304120209/http://www1.american.edu/ted/ICE/burkina-food-riot.html|archive-date = 4 March 2016|df = dmy-all}}</ref>


at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
Because the country is landlocked and prone to [[natural disaster]]s, including drought and floods, many families struggle to protect themselves from severe [[hunger]].<ref name="World Food Programme"/> While recent harvest productions have improved some, much of the population is still having a hard time overcoming the continuous food and nutrition crises of the past decade.<ref name="ECHO Factsheet"/> [[Malnutrition]] is especially common in women and children, with large amounts of the population suffering from [[stunted growth]] and [[micronutrient deficiencies]] such as [[anemia]].<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PDACU311.pdf|title = USAID Office of Food for Peace Burkina Faso Food Security Country Framework|publisher = United States Agency International Development}}</ref> Food insecurity has grown to be a structural problem in Burkina Faso, only to be intensified by high [[food prices]]. All of these factors combined with high poverty levels have left Burkina Faso vulnerable to chronic high levels of food insecurity and malnutrition.<ref name="World Food Programme">{{Cite web|title = Burkina Faso {{!}} WFP {{!}} United Nations World Food Programme – Fighting Hunger Worldwide|url = https://www.wfp.org/countries/burkina-faso/overview|website = wfp.org|access-date = 19 October 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150910072256/http://www.wfp.org/countries/burkina-faso/overview|archive-date = 10 September 2015|url-status = dead}}</ref>


under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
====Social and economic causes====
Poverty continues to be strongly linked to food insecurity.<ref>{{Cite journal|url = http://secure.secondbite.org/sites/default/files/A_review_of_the_literature_describing_the_link_between_poverty_food_insecurity_and_obesity_w.pdf|title = A review of the literature describing the link between poverty, food insecurity and obesity with specific reference to Australia|last = Burns|first = Cate|date = April 2004|journal = VicHealth|url-status = dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151121074451/http://secure.secondbite.org/sites/default/files/A_review_of_the_literature_describing_the_link_between_poverty_food_insecurity_and_obesity_w.pdf|archive-date = 21 November 2015|df = dmy-all}}</ref> As one of the poorest countries in the world, Burkina Faso has around 43.7% of its population living under the [[Poverty Line]]<ref>{{cite web|last=Hagberg|first= Sten|title=Poverty in Burkina Faso|year=2001|url= http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:67217/FULLTEXT01.pdf}}</ref> and ranked 185 out of 188&nbsp;countries on the [[United Nations Development Programme|UNDP]] Human Development Index in 2015.<ref name="World Food Programme" /> The Human Development Index is a measure of quality of life, taking into account three main areas of human development: longevity, education, and economic standard of living.<ref>{{Cite journal|url = http://eds.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=3&sid=676c460a-1c0d-4294-bcf9-839e0ba3c837%40sessionmgr198&hid=126|title = Burkina Faso 2015&nbsp;Country Review|last = Youngblood Coleman|first = Denise|year = 2015|journal = Burkina Faso Country Review}}{{Dead link|date=August 2018|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> These high levels of poverty found in Burkina Faso, combined with the soaring food prices of the [[global food crisis]] continue to contribute to Burkina Faso's issue of food insecurity.<ref>{{Cite journal|url = http://www.agricultureandfoodsecurity.com/content/pdf/2048-7010-1-2.pdf|title = Food security for Africa: an urgent global challenge|last = Sasson|first = Albert|year = 2012|journal = Agriculture and Food Security|doi = 10.1186/2048-7010-1-2|volume=1|pages=2|s2cid = 13248687|doi-access = free}}</ref> The global food crisis of 2007–2008 was a drastic surge in food prices that led to high rates of hunger, malnutrition, and political and economic instability in nations across the globe.<ref>{{cite web|author1=Headey, Derek|author2=Shenggen Fan|name-list-style=amp|title=Reflections on the global food crisis: How did it happen? How has it hurt? And how can we prevent the next one? Vol.&nbsp;165. Intl Food Policy Res Inst, 2010|url= http://www.agricultureandfoodsecurity.com/content/pdf/2048-7010-1-2.pdf}}</ref> This strongly affected Burkina Faso because around 80% of Burkina Faso's population is rural, relying on [[subsistence farming]] to make a living.<ref name="ECHO Factsheet">{{Cite web|url =http://ec.europa.eu/echo/files/aid/countries/factsheets/burkina_faso_en.pdf|title = ECHO Factsheet – Burkina Faso|date =3 October 2013|publisher = European Commission}}</ref> For instance, when natural disasters such as floods, droughts, or locust attacks occur and cause crops to fail, farmers in Burkina Faso become dependent on grain purchases.<ref name="Colin Thor West">{{Cite journal|title = Famines are a Thing of the Past: Food Security Trends in Northern Burkina Faso|last = West|first = Colin Thor|year = 2014|journal = Human Organization|doi = 10.17730/humo.73.4.t6952215w6281m36|pmid =31354167|volume=73|issue = 4|pages=340–350|pmc = 6660007|id = {{ProQuest|1640567666}}}}</ref> Because of the global food crisis, local grain prices dramatically increased, limiting farmers' access to grain through market exchanges.<ref name="Colin Thor West" />


15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female
==Infrastructure and services==
=== Water ===
[[File:Grand marché de Koudougou.jpg|thumb|The ''Grand marché'' in [[Koudougou]], Burkina Faso]]
While [[Tertiary sector of the economy|services]] remain underdeveloped, the National Office for Water and Sanitation (ONEA), a [[state-owned]] [[utility company]] run along commercial lines, is emerging as one of the best-performing utility companies in Africa.<ref name=ODI1>Peter Newborne 2011. [https://web.archive.org/web/20120526073427/http://www.odi.org.uk/work/regions-countries/details.asp?id=222&title=burkina-faso ''Pipes and People: Progress in Water Supply in Burkina Faso's Cities''], London: [[Overseas Development Institute]]</ref> High levels of autonomy and a skilled and dedicated management have driven ONEA's ability to improve production of and access to clean water.<ref name=ODI1/>


65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female
Since 2000, nearly 2&nbsp;million more people have access to water in the four principal urban centres in the country; the company has kept the quality of [[Water infrastructure|infrastructure]] high (less than 18% of the water is lost through leaks – one of the lowest in [[sub-Saharan Africa]]), improved financial reporting, and increased its annual revenue by an average of 12% (well above inflation).<ref name=ODI1/> Challenges remain, including difficulties among some customers in paying for services, with the need to rely on international aid to expand its infrastructure.<ref name=ODI1/> The state-owned, commercially run venture has helped the nation reach its [[Millennium Development Goal]] (MDG) targets in water-related areas, and has grown as a viable company.<ref name=ODI1/>


total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
However, access to drinking water has improved over the last 28 years. According to UNICEF, access to drinking water has increased from 39 to 76% in rural areas between 1990 and 2015. In this same time span, access to drinking water increased from 75 to 97% in urban areas.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.unicef.org/bfa/english/bfa_wsh_programme-overview2016.pdf|website=UNICEF|access-date=1 May 2018|title=Burkina Faso: Programme Overview: Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH)}}</ref>


=== Electricity ===
A 33-megawatt solar power plant in Zagtouli, near Ouagadougou, came online in late November 2017. At the time of its construction, it was the largest solar power facility in West Africa.<ref>{{cite news|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|title=Burkina Faso launches Sahel region's largest solar power plant|url=https://www.euractiv.com/section/development-policy/news/burkina-faso-launches-sahel-regions-largest-solar-power-plant/|work=EURACTIV|date=27 November 2017|access-date=6 March 2018 }}</ref>


=== Other ===
The growth rate in Burkina Faso is high although it continues to be plagued by corruption and incursions from terrorist groups from Mali and Niger.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worlddiplomacy.org/Countries/BurkinaFaso/InfoBur.html|title=Burkina Faso|access-date=17 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006140324/http://www.worlddiplomacy.org/Countries/BurkinaFaso/InfoBur.html|archive-date=6 October 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>


Infant mortality rate: 108.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
===Transport===
[[File:Sudanese Style Railway Station Bobo Dioulasso Burkina Faso.jpg|thumb|The railway station in [[Bobo Dioulasso]] was built during the colonial era and remains in operation.]]
{{main|Transport in Burkina Faso}}
Transport in Burkina Faso is limited by relatively underdeveloped infrastructure.


As of June 2014 the main international airport, [[Ouagadougou Airport]], had regularly scheduled flights to many destinations in West Africa as well as Paris, [[Brussels]] and [[Istanbul]]. The other international airport, [[Bobo Dioulasso Airport]], has flights to Ouagadougou and [[Port Bouet Airport|Abidjan]].


[[Rail transport in Burkina Faso]] consists of a single line which runs from [[Kaya, Burkina Faso|Kaya]] to [[Abidjan]] in Ivory Coast via [[Ouagadougou]], [[Koudougou]], Bobo Dioulasso and [[Banfora]]. ''Sitarail'' operates a passenger train three times a week along the route.<ref>European Rail Timetable, Summer&nbsp;2014 Edition</ref>


Life expectancy at birth:
There are 15,000&nbsp;kilometres of roads in Burkina Faso, of which 2,500&nbsp;kilometres are paved.<ref>{{cite web|title=Burkina Faso Road Network|url=https://dlca.logcluster.org/display/public/DLCA/2.3+Burkina+Faso+Road+Network|website=Logistics Capacity Assessments (LCAs)|access-date=4 August 2018}}</ref>


total population: 46.73 years
==Science and technology==
{{Main|Science and technology in Burkina Faso}}


male: 46.29 years
In 2009, Burkina Faso spent 0.20% of GDP on research and development (R&D), one of the lowest ratios in West Africa. There were 48 researchers (in full-time equivalents) per million inhabitants in 2010, which is more than twice the average for sub-Saharan Africa (20 per million population in 2013) and higher than the ratio for Ghana and Nigeria (39). It is, however, much lower than the ratio for Senegal (361 per million inhabitants). In Burkina Faso in 2010, 46% of researchers were working in the health sector, 16% in engineering, 13% in natural sciences, 9% in agricultural sciences, 7% in the humanities and 4% in social sciences.<ref name="UNESCO Science Report">{{Cite book|url=http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0023/002354/235406e.pdf|title=UNESCO Science Report: towards 2030|publisher=UNESCO|year=2015|isbn=978-92-3-100129-1|pages=472–497}}</ref>


female: 47.18 years (2000 est.)
In January 2011, the government created the Ministry of Scientific Research and Innovation. Up until then, management of science, technology and innovation had fallen under the Department of Secondary and Higher Education and Scientific Research. Within this ministry, the Directorate General for Research and Sector Statistics is responsible for planning. A separate body, the Directorate General of Scientific Research, Technology and Innovation, co-ordinates research. This is a departure from the pattern in many other West African countries where a single body fulfils both functions. The move signals the government's intention to make science and technology a development priority.<ref name="UNESCO Science Report" />


In 2012, Burkina Faso adopted a ''National Policy for Scientific and Technical Research'', the strategic objectives of which are to develop R&D and the application and commercialization of research results. The policy also makes provisions for strengthening the ministry's strategic and operational capacities. One of the key priorities is to improve food security and self-sufficiency by boosting capacity in agricultural and environmental sciences. The creation of a centre of excellence in 2014 at the International Institute of Water and Environmental Engineering in Ouagadougou within the World Bank project provides essential funding for capacity-building in these priority areas.<ref name="UNESCO Science Report" />


A dual priority is to promote innovative, effective and accessible health systems. The government wishes to develop, in parallel, applied sciences and technology and social and human sciences. To complement the national research policy, the government has prepared a ''National Strategy to Popularize Technologies, Inventions and Innovations'' (2012) and a ''National Innovation Strategy'' (2014). Other policies also incorporate science and technology, such as that on ''Secondary and Higher Education and Scientific Research'' (2010), the ''National Policy on Food and Nutrition Security'' (2014) and the ''National Programme for the Rural Sector'' (2011).<ref name="UNESCO Science Report" />


Total fertility rate: 6.44 children born/woman (2000 est.)
In 2013, Burkina Faso passed the Science, Technology and Innovation Act establishing three mechanisms for financing research and innovation, a clear indication of high-level commitment. These mechanisms are the National Fund for Education and Research, the National Fund for Research and Innovation for Development and the Forum of Scientific Research and Technological Innovation.<ref name="UNESCO Science Report" />


==Society==
===Demographics===
[[File:Ouagadougou (3839513403).jpg|thumb|upright|A Burkinabè [[Tuareg people|Tuareg]] man in [[Ouagadougou]]]]
{{main|Demographics of Burkina Faso}}
{|class="wikitable" style="float: right; margin-left: 10px"
! colspan="4" style="text-align:center; background:#cfb;"|Population{{UN_Population|ref}}
|-
! style="background:#cfb;"|Year
! style="background:#cfb;"|Million
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|1950||style="text-align:right;"|4.3
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|2000||style="text-align:right;"|11.6
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{UN_Population|Year}}||style="text-align:right;"|{{#expr:{{formatnum:{{UN_Population|Burkina Faso}}|R}}/1e6 round 1}}
|}
Burkina Faso is an ethnically integrated, secular state where most people are concentrated in the south and centre, where their density sometimes exceeds 48&nbsp;persons per square kilometre (125/sq.&nbsp;mi.). Hundreds of thousands of Burkinabè migrate regularly to Ivory Coast and Ghana, mainly for seasonal agricultural work. These flows of workers are affected by external events; the September 2002 coup attempt in Ivory Coast and the ensuing fighting meant that hundreds of thousands of Burkinabè returned to Burkina Faso. The regional economy suffered when they were unable to work.<ref name=bn/>


In 2015, most of the population belonged to "one of two West African ethnic cultural groups: the Voltaic and the Mande. Voltaic Mossi make up about 50% of the population and are descended from warriors who moved to the area from Ghana around 1100, establishing an empire that lasted over 800 years".<ref name="worldpopulationreview.com"/>


Nationality:
The [[total fertility rate]] of Burkina Faso is 5.93&nbsp;children born per woman (2014 estimates), the sixth highest in the world.<ref name=cia/>


noun: Burkinabe (singular and plural)
In 2009 the [[U.S. Department of State]]'s ''Trafficking in Persons Report'' reported that [[Slavery in modern Africa|slavery]] in Burkina Faso continued to exist and that Burkinabè children were often the victims.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://gvnet.com/humantrafficking/BurkinaFaso-2.htm|title=Country Narrative – Burkina Faso|website=gvnet.com}}</ref> Slavery in the [[Sahel]] states in general, is an entrenched institution with a long history that dates back to the [[trans-Saharan slave trade]].<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7693397.stm "West Africa slavery still widespread]". BBC News. 27 October 2008.</ref> In 2018, an estimated 82,000 people in the country were living under "modern slavery" according to the Global Slavery Index.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.globalslaveryindex.org/2018/data/country-data/burkina-faso/ | title=Country Data}}</ref>


adjective: Burkinabe
{{Largest cities of Burkina Faso}}


===Ethnic groups===
{{Main|Ethnic groups in Burkina Faso}}
Burkina Faso's 17.3&nbsp;million people belong to two major West African ethnic cultural groups—the [[Gur languages|Voltaic]] and the [[Mandé peoples|Mande]] (whose common language is [[Dioula language|Dioula]]). The Voltaic [[Mossi people|Mossi]] make up about one-half of the population. The Mossi claim descent from warriors who migrated to present-day Burkina Faso from northern Ghana around 1100&nbsp;AD. They established an empire that lasted more than 800&nbsp;years. Predominantly farmers, the Mossi kingdom is led by the ''[[Mogho Naba]],'' whose court is in Ouagadougou.<ref name="bn">[https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2834.htm "Burkina Faso"], U.S. Department of State, June 2008.<br />{{PD-notice}}</ref>


===Languages===
{{bar box
|title=Languages in Burkina Faso
|titlebar=#ddd
|left1=Languages
|right1=percent
|float=right
|bars=
{{bar percent|Mossi|darkgreen|50.5}}
{{bar percent|Fula|purple|9.3}}
{{bar percent|Gourmanche|red|6.1}}
{{bar percent|Bambara|black|4.9}}
{{bar percent|Bissa|orange|3.2}}
{{bar percent|Bwamu|green|2.1}}
{{bar percent|Dagara|darkblue|2}}
{{bar percent|San|white|1.9}}
{{bar percent|Lobiri|darkred|1.8}}
{{bar percent|Lyele|gray|1.7}}
{{bar percent|Bobo|tan|1.4}}
{{bar percent|Senoufo|lime|1.4}}
{{bar percent|Nuni|violet|1.2}}
{{bar percent|Dafing|darkblue|1.1}}
{{bar percent|Tamasheq|yellow|1}}
{{bar percent|Kassena|brown|0.7}}
{{bar percent|Gouin|darkbrown|0.4}}
{{bar percent|Dogon|amber|0.3}}
{{bar percent|Songhai|bronze|0.3}}
{{bar percent|Gourounsi|corn|0.3}}
{{bar percent|Ko|maroon|0.1}}
{{bar percent|Koussasse|charcoal|0.1}}
{{bar percent|Sembla|wheat|0.1}}
{{bar percent|Siamou|crimson|0.1}}
{{bar percent|Other National|khaki|5}}
{{bar percent|Other African|Magenta|0.2}}
{{bar percent|French|cyan|1.3}}
{{bar percent|Other Foreign|olive|0.1}}
}}
{{Further|Languages of Burkina Faso}}


Ethnic groups: Mossi over 40%, Gurunsi, Senufo, Lobi, Bobo, Mande, Fulani
Burkina Faso is a [[multilingual]] country. The [[official language]] is French, which was introduced during the colonial period. French is the principal language of administrative, political and judicial institutions, public services, and the press. It is the only language for laws, administration and courts. Altogether, an estimated 69&nbsp;languages are spoken in the country,<ref>[http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=BF Lewis, M. Paul (ed.), 2009. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16th&nbsp;edition. Dallas, Tex.: SIL International.] (Page on "Languages of Burkina Faso.")</ref> of which about 60&nbsp;languages are [[indigenous language|indigenous]]. The [[Mossi language]] ({{lang-mos|Mòoré}}) is the most spoken language in Burkina Faso, spoken by about half the population, mainly in the central region around the capital, Ouagadougou, along with other, closely related [[Gurunsi languages]] scattered throughout Burkina.


According to the 2006 Census, the languages spoken natively in Burkina Faso were [[Mossi language|Mossi]] by 50.5% of the population, [[Fula language|Fula]] by 9.3%, [[Gourmanché language|Gourmanché]] by 6.1%, [[Bambara language|Bambara]] by 4.9%, [[Bissa language|Bissa]] by 3.2%, [[Bwamu language|Bwamu]] by 2.1%, [[Dagara language|Dagara]] by 2%, [[San language|San]] by 1.9%, [[Lobiri language|Lobiri]] with 1.8%, [[Lyélé language|Lyélé]] with 1.7%, [[Bobo language|Bobo]] and [[Sénoufo language|Sénoufo]] with 1.4% each, [[Nuni language|Nuni]] by 1.2%, [[Dafing language|Dafing]] by 1.1%, [[Tamasheq language|Tamasheq]] by 1%, [[Kasséna language|Kasséna]] by 0.7%, [[Gouin language|Gouin]] by 0.4%, [[Dogon language|Dogon]], [[Songhai language|Songhai]], and [[Gourounsi language|Gourounsi]] by 0.3% each, [[Ko language|Ko]], [[Koussassé language|Koussassé]], [[Sembla language|Sembla]], and [[Siamou language|Siamou]] by 0.1% each, other national languages by 5%, other African languages by 0.2%, French (the official language) by 1.3%, and other foreign languages by 0.1%.<ref>[https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20131113161626/http://www.insd.bf/n/contenu/enquetes-recensements/rgph_bf/themes_en_demographie/Theme2-Etat_et_structure_de_la_population.pdf]</ref>


In the west, [[Mande languages]] are widely spoken, the most predominant being [[Dioula language|Dioula]] (also known as Jula or Dyula), others including [[Bobo language|Bobo]], [[Samo language (Burkina)|Samo]], and [[Marka language|Marka]]. [[Fula language|Fula]] is widespread, particularly in the north. [[Gourmanché language|Gourmanché]] is spoken in the east, while [[Bissa language|Bissa]] is spoken in the south.


Religions: indigenous beliefs 40%, Muslim 50%, Christian (mainly Roman Catholic) 10%
===Religion===
{{Pie chart
|thumb = right
|caption = Religion in Burkina Faso (2006)<ref name="RGPH2006a">{{cite web|url=http://cns.bf/IMG/pdf/Depliant_Resultats_Definitifs_du_RGPH_2006.pdf|title=Recensement général de la population et de l'habitation de 2006|author=Comité national du recensement|date=July 2008|publisher=Conseil national de la statistique|access-date=20 January 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511060719/http://cns.bf/IMG/pdf/Depliant_Resultats_Definitifs_du_RGPH_2006.pdf|archive-date=11 May 2011 }}</ref>
|label1 = [[Islam]]
|value1 = 60.5
|color1 = MediumSeaGreen
|label2 = Christianity
|value2 = 23.2
|color2 = DodgerBlue
|label3 = [[Traditional African religions|Indigenous beliefs]]
|value3 = 15.3
|color3 = GreenYellow
|label4 = [[Irreligious]] and others
|value4 = 1.0
|color4 = Gray
}}
[[File:Moschee von Bobo-Dioulasso.jpg|thumb|The Grand Mosque of [[Bobo-Dioulasso]]]]
{{main|Religion in Burkina Faso}}
Statistics on religion in Burkina Faso can be misleading because [[Islam]] and Christianity are often practiced in tandem with indigenous religious beliefs. The [[government of Burkina Faso]]'s 2006 census reported that 60.5% of the population practice Islam, and that the majority of this group belong to the [[Sunni]] branch,<ref name=RGPH2006>{{cite web|url=http://cns.bf/IMG/pdf/Depliant_Resultats_Definitifs_du_RGPH_2006.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511060719/http://cns.bf/IMG/pdf/Depliant_Resultats_Definitifs_du_RGPH_2006.pdf|archive-date=11 May 2011|title=Recensement général de la population et de l'habitation de 2006|author=Comité national du recensement|date=July 2008|publisher=Conseil national de la statistique|access-date=20 January 2011|url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=report2010>[https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/2010/148665.htm International Religious Freedom Report 2010: Burkina Faso]. United States [[Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor]] (17 November 2010). ''This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the [[public domain]].''</ref> while a small minority adheres to [[Shia Islam]].<ref>[http://www.pewforum.org/files/2009/10/Shiarange.pdf Mapping the Global Muslim Population. Estimate Range of Shia by Country] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161215111357/http://www.pewforum.org/files/2009/10/Shiarange.pdf |date=15 December 2016 }}. Pew Forum, 2010</ref>


A significant number of Sunni Muslims identify with the [[Tijaniyah]] [[Sufi]] order. The government estimated that 23.2% of the population are Christians (19% being Roman Catholics and 4.2% members of Protestant denominations); 15.3% follow [[African traditional religion|traditional indigenous beliefs]] such as the [[Dogon religion]], 0.6% have other religions, and 0.4% have none.<ref name=RGPH2006/><ref name=report2010/>


===Health===
{{main|Health in Burkina Faso}}
In 2016, the average life expectancy was estimated at 60 for males and 61 for females. In 2018, the under-five mortality rate and the infant mortality rate was 76&nbsp;per&nbsp;1000 live births.<ref name="WHO">{{cite web|title=Statistics in Burkina Faso|url=https://www.who.int/countries/bfa/en/|publisher=[[World Health Organization]]}}</ref> In 2014, the median age of its inhabitants was 17 and the estimated population growth rate was 3.05%.<ref name=cia>[https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/burkina-faso/ Burkina Faso]. ''The World Factbook''</ref>


Languages: French (official), native African languages belonging to Sudanic family spoken by 90% of the population
In 2011, health expenditures was 6.5% of GDP; the maternal mortality ratio was estimated at 300&nbsp;deaths per&nbsp;100000 live births and the physician density at 0.05&nbsp;per&nbsp;1000 population in 2010. In 2012, it was estimated that the adult HIV [[prevalence]] rate (ages&nbsp;15–49) was 1.0%.<ref>[http://www.unaids.org/en/regionscountries/countries/burkinafaso/ UN AIDS: HIV/AIDS – adult prevalence rate]. Retrieved 25 July 2014.</ref> According to the 2011 UNAIDS Report, HIV prevalence is declining among pregnant women who attend antenatal clinics.<ref>{{citation|url=http://www.unaids.org/en/media/unaids/contentassets/documents/unaidspublication/2011/JC2216_WorldAIDSday_report_2011_en.pdf|title=UNAIDS World AIDS Day Report 2011|publisher=UNAIDS|access-date=29 March 2012}}</ref> According to a 2005&nbsp;World Health Organization report, an estimated 72.5% of Burkina Faso's girls and women have had [[female genital mutilation]], administered according to traditional rituals.<ref>[https://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/topics/fgm/prevalence/en/index.html Female genital mutilation and other harmful practices], WHI.int</ref>


Central government spending on health was 3% in 2001.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://globalis.gvu.unu.edu/indicator_detail.cfm?IndicatorID=142&Country=BF|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110516041014/http://globalis.gvu.unu.edu/indicator_detail.cfm?IndicatorID=142&Country=BF|archive-date=16 May 2011|title=Globalis – an interactive world map – Burkina Faso – Central government expenditures on health|publisher=Globalis.gvu.unu.edu|access-date=1 October 2009}}</ref> {{As of|2009}}, studies estimated there were as few as 10&nbsp;physicians per 100,000&nbsp;people.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|url=http://www.afro.who.int/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1018&Itemid=2045&lang=en|title=WHO Country Offices in the WHO African Region – WHO &#124; Regional Office for Africa|publisher=Afro.who.int|access-date=20 June 2010}}</ref> In addition, there were 41&nbsp;nurses and 13&nbsp;midwives per 100,000&nbsp;people.<ref name="autogenerated1"/> [[Demographic and Health Surveys]] has completed three surveys in Burkina Faso since 1993, and had another in 2009.<ref name="Burkina Surveys">[https://web.archive.org/web/20110816011006/http://www.measuredhs.com/countries/country_main.cfm?ctry_id=50&c=Burkina%20Faso Burkina Faso DHS Surveys], measuredhs.com</ref>


A [[Dengue fever]] outbreak in 2016 killed 20 patients. Cases of the disease were reported from all 12 districts of Ouagadougou.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-38078754|title=Dengue fever kills 20 in Burkina Faso|date=23 November 2016|via=www.bbc.com}}</ref>


Literacy:
===Education===
{{main|Education in Burkina Faso}}
[[File:Gando-School-Burkina-Faso.JPG|thumb|The [[Gando, Burkina Faso|Gando]] primary school. Its architect, [[Diébédo Francis Kéré]], received the [[Aga Khan Award for Architecture]] in 2004.]]
Education in Burkina Faso is divided into primary, secondary and higher education.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Africa/Burkina-Faso-EDUCATION.html|title=Education – Burkina Faso|publisher=Nationsencyclopedia.com|access-date=1 October 2009}}</ref> High school costs approximately CFA&nbsp;25,000 (US$50) per year, which is far above the means of most Burkinabè families. Boys receive preference in schooling; as such, girls' education and literacy rates are far lower than their male counterparts. An increase in girls' schooling has been observed because of the government's policy of making school cheaper for girls and granting them more scholarships.


definition: age 15 and over can read and write
To proceed from primary to middle school, middle to high school or high school to college, national exams must be passed. Institutions of higher education include the [[University of Ouagadougou]], [[The Polytechnic University of Bobo-Dioulasso]], and the [[University of Koudougou]], which is also a teacher training institution. There are some small private colleges in the capital city of [[Ouagadougou]] but these are affordable to only a small portion of the population.


total population: 19.2%
There is also the [[International School of Ouagadougou]] (ISO), an American-based private school located in Ouagadougou.


male: 29.5%
The 2008&nbsp;UN Development Program Report ranked Burkina Faso as the country with the lowest level of literacy in the world, despite a concerted effort to double its literacy rate from 12.8% in 1990 to 25.3% in 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR_20072008_EN_Complete.pdf|title=UNDP Human Development Report 2007/2008|access-date=13 January 2016|url-status=bot: unknown|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429033726/http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR_20072008_EN_Complete.pdf|archive-date=29 April 2011 }}. Palgrave Macmillan. 2007. {{ISBN|978-0-230-54704-9}}</ref>


female: 9.2% (1995 est.)
==Culture==
{{main|Culture of Burkina Faso}}
[[File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Een Nunuma of Winiama maskerdanser TMnr 20031569.jpg|thumb|A masked Winiama dancer, ca. 1970]]
[[Literature in Burkina Faso]] is based on the [[oral tradition]], which remains important. In 1934, during French occupation, Dim-Dolobsom Ouedraogo published his ''Maximes, pensées et devinettes mossi'' (''Maximes, Thoughts and Riddles of the Mossi''), a record of the oral history of the [[Mossi people]].<ref name="KS">{{cite book|last=Salhi|first=Kamal|title=Francophone Voices|publisher=Intellect Books|year=1999|page=37|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G9u9TeDegXMC|isbn=978-1-902454-03-0|access-date=26 April 2014}}</ref>


The oral tradition continued to have an influence on Burkinabè writers in the post-independence Burkina Faso of the 1960s, such as [[Nazi Boni]] and Roger Nikiema.<ref name="TJA">{{cite book|last=Allan|first=Tuzyline Jita|title=Women's Studies Quarterly: Teaching African Literatures in a Global Literary|publisher=[[Feminist Press]]|year=1997|page=86|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QD8TgZVWugYC|isbn=978-1-55861-169-6|access-date=26 April 2014}}</ref> The 1960s saw a growth in the number of playwrights being published.<ref name="KS"/> Since the 1970s, literature has developed in Burkina Faso with many more writers being published.<ref name="JM">{{cite book|last=Marchais|first=Julien|title=Burkina Faso|publisher=Petit Futé|pages=91–92|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6jsBLSzJWYsC|language=fr|isbn=978-2-7469-1601-2|year=2006|access-date=26 April 2014}}</ref>


The [[theatre of Burkina Faso]] combines traditional Burkinabè performance with the colonial influences and post-colonial efforts to educate rural people to produce a distinctive national theatre. Traditional ritual ceremonies of the many ethnic groups in Burkina Faso have long involved dancing with [[mask]]s. Western-style theatre became common during colonial times, heavily influenced by [[French theatre]]. With independence came a new style of theatre inspired by [[Theatre of the Oppressed|forum theatre]] aimed at educating and entertaining Burkina Faso's rural people.


----
===Arts and crafts===
{{Main|Art of Burkina Faso}}
[[File:Burkina faso artisan painted gourds.jpg|thumb|Artisan garland of decorative painted [[gourd]]s in [[Ouagadougou]]]]


Government
In addition to several rich traditional artistic heritages among the peoples, there is a large artist community in Burkina Faso, especially in [[Ouagadougou]]. Much of the crafts produced are for the country's growing tourist industry.


----
Burkina Faso also hosts the International Art and Craft Fair, Ouagadougou. It is better known by its French name as [[SIAO]], ''Le Salon International de l' Artisanat de Ouagadougou'', and is one of the most important African handicraft fairs.


Country name:
===Cuisine===
{{main|Burkinabé cuisine}}
[[File:Fufu.jpg|thumb|A plate of [[fufu]] (right) accompanied with [[peanut soup]]]]


conventional long form: none
Typical of West African cuisine, Burkina Faso's cuisine is based on [[staple food]]s of [[sorghum]], [[millet]], rice, maize, peanuts, potatoes, [[bean]]s, [[yam (vegetable)|yam]]s and [[okra]].<ref name="ox">{{cite web|title=Oxfam's Cool Planet – Food in Burkina Faso|publisher=[[Oxfam]]|url=http://www.oxfam.org.uk/coolplanet/ontheline/explore/journey/burkina/food.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120517115414/http://www.oxfam.org.uk/coolplanet/ontheline/explore/journey/burkina/food.htm|archive-date=17 May 2012|access-date=21 May 2008}}</ref> The most common sources of animal protein are chicken, chicken eggs and fresh water fish. A typical Burkinabè beverage is Banji or Palm Wine, which is fermented [[Palm wine|palm sap]]; and Zoom-kom, or "grain water" purportedly the national drink of Burkina Faso. Zoom-kom is milky-looking and whitish, having a water and cereal base, best drunk with ice cubes. In the more rural regions, in the outskirts of Burkina, you would find Dolo, which is drink made from fermented millet.<ref>[http://sinotables.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1217:lhumeur-de-dom-zoom-kom-la-boisson-star-des-burkinabes&catid=48:encontinu-secondtwo-droite article in French on Burkinabe Zoom-kom]</ref>


conventional short form: Burkina Faso
===Cinema===
{{main|Cinema of Burkina Faso}}
The [[cinema of Burkina Faso]] is an important part of West African and African film industry.<ref>Spaas, Lieve (2000) "Burkina Faso," in ''The Francophone Film: A Struggle for Identity,'' pp.&nbsp;232–246. Manchester: Manchester University Press, {{ISBN|0719058619}}.</ref> Burkina's contribution to [[African cinema]] started with the establishment of the film festival [[FESPACO]] (Festival Panafricain du Cinéma et de la Télévision de Ouagadougou), which was launched as a film week in 1969. Many of the nation's filmmakers are known internationally and have won international prizes.


former: Upper Volta
For many years the headquarters of the Federation of Panafrican Filmmakers (FEPACI) was in Ouagadougou, rescued in 1983 from a period of moribund inactivity by the enthusiastic support and funding of President Sankara. (In 2006 the Secretariat of FEPACI moved to South Africa, but the headquarters of the organization is still in Ouagadougou.) Among the best known directors from Burkina Faso are [[Gaston Kaboré]], [[Idrissa Ouedraogo]] and [[Dani Kouyate]].<ref>Turégano, Teresa Hoefert (2005) ''African Cinema and Europe: Close-Up on Burkina Faso'', Florence: European Press Academic, {{ISBN|888398031X}}.</ref> Burkina produces popular television series such as ''Les Bobodiouf''. Internationally known filmmakers such as Ouedraogo, Kabore, Yameogo, and Kouyate make popular television series.


===Sports===
[[File:Burkina team.png|thumb|right|[[Burkina Faso national football team]] in white during a match]]
{{main|Sport in Burkina Faso}}
Sport in Burkina Faso is widespread and includes football (soccer), basketball, cycling, rugby union, handball, tennis, boxing and martial arts. Football is the most popular sport in Burkina Faso, played both professionally, and informally in towns and villages across the country. The national team is nicknamed "Les Etalons" ("the Stallions") in reference to the legendary horse of Princess [[Yennenga]].


In 1998, Burkina Faso hosted the [[Africa Cup of Nations]] for which the Omnisport Stadium in Bobo-Dioulasso was built. Burkina Faso qualified for the [[2013 Africa Cup of Nations|2013 African Cup of Nations]] in South Africa and reached the final, but then lost to Nigeria 0–1. The country is currently ranked 53rd in the [[FIFA World Rankings]], and has shown improvement in recent years, although they have never qualified for a [[FIFA World Cup]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fifa.com/worldranking/rankingtable/index.html|access-date=4 February 2017|title=The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking|publisher=FIFA}}</ref>


Data code: UV
Basketball is another sport which enjoys much popularity for both men and women.<ref>{{cite book|last=Keim|first=Marion|title=Sport and Development Policy in Africa – Results of collaborative study of selected country cases|publisher=SUN PRESS|date= 2014|orig-year=1st pub. 2014|pages=206|chapter=COUNTRY PROFILE OF SPORT AND DEVELOPMENT – Sport and Popularity|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8jsrAwAAQBAJ&q=burkina+faso+most+popular+sport&pg=PA57|isbn=978-1-920689-20-9}}</ref> The country's [[Burkina Faso national basketball team|national team]] had its most successful year in 2013 when it qualified for the [[AfroBasket]], the continent's prime basketball event.


===Media===
[[File:Burkina Faso media 2010.jpg|thumb|A Burkinabé photographer at work in [[Ouagadougou]]]]
{{main|Media of Burkina Faso|Communications in Burkina Faso}}


The nation's principal media outlet is its state-sponsored combined television and radio service, ''Radiodiffusion-Télévision Burkina'' (RTB).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rtb.bf/|title=Radiodiffusion-Télévision Burkina|publisher=Rtb.bf|access-date=1 October 2009}}</ref> ''RTB'' broadcasts on two [[medium-wave]] ([[Amplitude modulation|AM]]) and several [[Frequency modulation|FM]] frequencies. Besides RTB, there are privately owned sports, cultural, music, and religious FM radio stations. ''RTB'' maintains a worldwide short-wave news broadcast (''Radio Nationale Burkina'') in the French language from the capital at Ouagadougou using a 100&nbsp;kW transmitter on 4.815 and 5.030&nbsp;MHz.<ref>Radio Station World, ''[http://radiostationworld.com/locations/burkina_faso/ Burkina Faso: Governmental Broadcasting Agencies]''</ref>


Government type: parliamentary
Attempts to develop an independent press and media in Burkina Faso have been intermittent. In 1998, investigative journalist [[Norbert Zongo]], his brother Ernest, his driver, and another man were assassinated by unknown assailants, and the bodies burned. The crime was never solved.<ref name="autogenerated2">Committee to Protect Journalists, [http://www.cpj.org/africa/burkina-faso/ ''Burkina Faso'']</ref> However, an independent Commission of Inquiry later concluded that Norbert Zongo was killed for political reasons because of his investigative work into the death of David Ouedraogo, a chauffeur who worked for François Compaoré, President Blaise Compaoré's brother.<ref name="en.rsf.org">Reporters Sans Frontieres, ''[http://en.rsf.org/predator-what-s-happening-about-the-inquiry-into-norbert-zongo-s-death,2485.html What’s Happening About The Inquiry Into Norbert Zongo’s Death?] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140421082231/http://en.rsf.org/predator-what-s-happening-about-the-inquiry-into-norbert-zongo-s-death%2C2485.html|date=21 April 2014 }}''</ref><ref name="Outrageous Denial of Justice">Reporters Sans Frontieres, ''[http://www.ifex.org/burkina_faso/2006/07/21/outrageous_denial_of_justice_in/ Outrageous Denial Of Justice]'' 21 July 2006</ref>


In January 1999, François Compaoré was charged with the murder of David Ouedraogo, who had died as a result of torture in January 1998. The charges were later dropped by a military tribunal after an appeal. In August 2000, five members of the President's personal security guard detail (''Régiment de la Sécurité Présidentielle'', or RSP) were charged with the murder of Ouedraogo. RSP members Marcel Kafando, Edmond Koama, and Ousseini Yaro, investigated as suspects in the Norbert Zongo assassination, were convicted in the Ouedraogo case and sentenced to lengthy prison terms.<ref name="en.rsf.org"/><ref name="Outrageous Denial of Justice"/>


Since the death of Norbert Zongo, several protests regarding the Zongo investigation and treatment of journalists have been prevented or dispersed by government police and security forces. In April 2007, popular radio reggae host [[Sams'K Le Jah|Karim Sama]], whose programs feature reggae songs interspersed with critical commentary on alleged government injustice and corruption, received several death threats.<ref>IFEX, ''[http://www.ifex.org/burkina_faso/2007/04/30/radio_station_temporarily_pulls/ Radio Station Temporarily Pulls Programme After Host Receives Death Threats]'', 26 April 2007</ref>


Capital: Ouagadougou
Sama's personal car was later burned outside the private radio station ''Ouaga FM'' by unknown vandals.<ref>FreeMuse.org, ''[http://freemuse.org/archives/928 Death threat against Reggae Radio Host] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426215002/http://freemuse.org/archives/928|date=26 April 2014 }}'', 3 May 2007</ref> In response, the [[Committee to Protect Journalists]] (CPJ) wrote to President Compaoré to request his government investigate the sending of e-mailed death threats to journalists and radio commentators in Burkina Faso who were critical of the government.<ref name="autogenerated2"/> In December 2008, police in Ouagadougou questioned leaders of a protest march that called for a renewed investigation into the unsolved Zongo assassination. Among the marchers was Jean-Claude Meda, the president of the Association of Journalists of Burkina Faso.<ref>Keita, Mohamed, ''[http://cpj.org/blog/2008/12/burkina-faso-police-question-zongo-protesters.php#more Burkina Faso Police Question Zongo Protesters]'', Committee to Protect Journalists, 15 December 2008</ref>


===Cultural festivals and events===
Every two years, Ouagadougou hosts the [[Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou]] (FESPACO), the largest African cinema festival on the continent (February, odd years).


Held every two years since 1988, the [[International Art and Craft Fair, Ouagadougou]] (SIAO), is one of Africa's most important trade shows for art and handicrafts (late October-early November, even years).


Administrative divisions: 30 provinces; Bam, Bazega, Bougouriba, Boulgou, Boulkiemde, Ganzourgou, Gnagna, Gourma, Houe, Kadiogo, Kenedougou, Komoe, Kossi, Kouritenga, Mouhoun, Namentenga, Naouri, Oubritenga, Oudalan, Passore, Poni, Sanguie, Sanmatenga, Seno, Sissili, Soum, Sourou, Tapoa, Yatenga, Zoundweogo
Also every two years, the [[Symposium de sculpture sur granit de Laongo]] takes place on a site located about {{convert|35|km|abbr=off}} from [[Ouagadougou]], in the province of [[Oubritenga]].


note: a new electoral code was approved by the National Assembly in January 1997; the number of administrative provinces was increased from 30 to 45 (Bale, Bam, Banwa, Bazega, Bougouriba, Boulgou, Boulkiemde, Comoe, Ganzourgou, Gnagna, Gourma, Houet, Ioba, Kadiogo, Kenedougou, Komandjari, Kompienga, Kossi, Koupelogo, Kouritenga, Kourweogo, Leraba, Loroum, Mouhoun, Nahouri, Namentenga, Nayala, Naumbiel, Oubritenga, Oudalan, Passore, Poni, Samentenga, Sanguie, Seno, Sissili, Soum, Sourou, Tapoa, Tuy, Yagha, Yatenga, Ziro, Zondomo, Zoundweogo), however, this change has not yet been approved by the US Board on Geographic Names
The [[National Culture Week of Burkina Faso]], better known by its French name La Semaine Nationale de la culture (SNC), is one of the most important cultural activities of Burkina Faso. It is a biennial event which takes place every two years in Bobo Dioulasso, the second-largest city in the country.


The [[Festival International des Masques et des Arts]] (FESTIMA), celebrating [[Traditional African masks|traditional masks]], is held every two years in [[Dédougou]].


==See also==
{{portal|Africa}}
* [[Index of Burkina Faso-related articles]]
* [[Outline of Burkina Faso]]


Independence: 5 August 1960 (from France)
==References==
{{Reflist}}


==Bibliography==
*{{cite book|ref=Rupley|title=Historical Dictionary of Burkina Faso|author1=Rupley, Lawrence|author2=Bangali, Lamissa|author3=Diamitani, Boureima|name-list-style=amp|publisher= The Scarecrow Press|year= 2013|isbn=978-0-8108-6770-3}}


==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
* Engberg-Perderson, Lars, ''Endangering Development: Politics, Projects, and Environment in Burkina Faso'' (Praeger Publishers, 2003).
* Englebert, Pierre, ''Burkina Faso: Unsteady Statehood in West Africa'' (Perseus, 1999).
* Howorth, Chris, ''Rebuilding the Local Landscape: Environmental Management in Burkina Faso'' (Ashgate, 1999).
* McFarland, Daniel Miles and Rupley, Lawrence A, ''Historical Dictionary of Burkina Faso'' (Scarecrow Press, 1998).
* Manson, Katrina and Knight, James, ''Burkina Faso'' (Bradt Travel Guides, 2011).
* Roy, Christopher D and Wheelock, Thomas G B, ''Land of the Flying Masks: Art and Culture in Burkina Faso: The Thomas G.B. Wheelock Collection'' (Prestel Publishing, 2007).
* Sankara, Thomas, ''Thomas Sankara Speaks: The Burkina Faso Revolution 1983–1987'' (Pathfinder Press, 2007).
* Sankara, Thomas, ''We are the Heirs of the World's Revolutions: Speeches from the Burkina Faso Revolution 1983–1987'' (Pathfinder Press, 2007).
{{refend}}


National holiday: Anniversary of the Revolution, 4 August (1983)
==External links==
{{Sister project links|voy=Burkina Faso|Burkina Faso}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100915153509/http://www.gouvernement.gov.bf/ Premier Ministère], official government portal. {{in lang|fr}}
* [https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/burkina-faso/ Burkina Faso]. ''[[The World Factbook]]''. [[Central Intelligence Agency]].
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080507010159/http://www.lefaso.net/ LeFaso.net], a news information site.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080821140152/http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/govpubs/for/burkinafaso.htm Burkina Faso] from ''UCB Libraries GovPubs''.
* {{curlie|Regional/Africa/Burkina_Faso}}
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13072774 Burkina Faso profile] from the [[BBC News]].
* {{wikiatlas|Burkina Faso}}
* [http://allafrica.com/burkinafaso/ News headline links] from [[AllAfrica.com]].
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120526073427/http://www.odi.org.uk/work/regions-countries/details.asp?id=222&title=burkina-faso Overseas Development Institute]
* [http://www.newint.org/columns/country/2011/07/01/burkina-faso-profile/ Country profile] at [[New Internationalist]].
* [http://www.ifs.du.edu/ifs/frm_CountryProfile.aspx?Country=BF Key Development Forecasts for Burkina Faso] from [[International Futures]].


===Trade===
* [http://wits.worldbank.org/CountryProfile/Country/BFA/Year/2011/Summary World Bank 2011 Trade Summary for Burkiana Faso]


{{Burkina Faso topics}}
{{Navboxes
|title = Related articles
|list =
{{Countries of Africa}}
{{African Union}}
{{Community of Sahel–Saharan States}}
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Constitution: 2 June 1991 approved by referendum; 11 June 1991 formally adopted
{{Authority control}}



[[Category:Burkina Faso| ]]<!--please leave the empty space as standard-->

[[Category:Economic Community of West African States]]
Legal system: based on French civil law system and customary law
[[Category:French-speaking countries and territories]]

[[Category:French West Africa]]

[[Category:Landlocked countries]]

[[Category:Least developed countries]]
Suffrage: universal
[[Category:Member states of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie]]

[[Category:Member states of the African Union]]

[[Category:Member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation]]

[[Category:Member states of the United Nations]]
Executive branch:
[[Category:States and territories established in 1960]]

[[Category:West African countries]]
chief of state: President Captain Blaise COMPAORE (since 15 October 1987)
[[Category:1960 establishments in Africa]]

[[Category:Countries in Africa]]
head of government: Prime Minister Kadre Desire OUEDRAOGO (since 6 February 1996)
[[Category:Republics]]

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister

elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; the president may serve unlimited terms; election last held 15 November 1998 (next to be held NA 2005); prime minister appointed by the president with the consent of the legislature

election results: Blaise COMPAORE reelected president with 88% percent of the vote, with 56% of voter turnout

note: despite his reelection, President COMPAORE faces a growing political crisis due to his mishandling of an investigation into the assassination of a newspaper editor and pressure for political reform



Legislative branch: bicameral; consists of a National Assembly or Assemblee des Deputes Populaires (ADP) (111 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the purely consultative Chamber of Representations or Chambre des Representants (178 seats; members are appointed to serve three-year terms)

elections: National Assembly election last held 11 May 1997 (next to be held NA 2002)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CDP 101, PDP 6, RDA 2, ADF 2



Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Appeals Court



Political parties and leaders: African Democratic Rally or RDA [Gerard Kango OUEDRAOGO, Clement SANOU]; Alliance for Democracy and Federation or ADF [Herman YAMEOGO]; Congress for Democracy and Progress or CDP [Din Salif SAWADAGO]; Group for Progressive Democrats or GDP [Issa TIENDREBEOGO]; Movement for Tolerance and Progress or MTP [Noyabtigungu Congo KABORE]; Party for African Independence or PAI [leader NA]; Party for Democracy and Progress or PDP [Joseph KI-ZERBO]; Party for Progress and Social Development or PPDS [leader NA]; Union of Greens for the Development of Burkina Faso or UVDB [Ram OVEDRAGO]



Political pressure groups and leaders: Burkinabe General Confederation of Labor or CGTB; Burkinabe Movement for Human Rights or HBDHP; Group of 14 February; National Confederation of Burkinabe Workers or CNTB; National Organization of Free Unions or ONSL; watchdog/political action groups throughout the country in both organizations and communities



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



Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Bruno ZIDOUEMBA

chancery: 2340 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 332-5577

FAX: [1] (202) 667-1882



Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Jimmy J. KOLKER

embassy: Avenue Raoul Follerau, Ouagadougou

mailing address: 01 B. P. 35, Ouagadougou

telephone: [226] 306723 through 306725

FAX: [226] 303890



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



----

Economy

----

Economy - overview: One of the poorest countries in the world, landlocked Burkina Faso has a high population density, few natural resources, and a fragile soil. About 90% of the population is engaged in (mainly subsistence) agriculture which is highly 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 its macroeconomic progress in 2000-2001 depends on continued low inflation, reduction in the trade deficit, and reforms designed to encourage private investment.



GDP: purchasing power parity - $12.4 billion (1999 est.)



GDP - real growth rate: 5.5% (1999 est.)



GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,100 (1999 est.)



GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 36%

industry: 20%

services: 44% (1997)



Population below poverty line: NA%



Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%



Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.5% (1999 est.)



Labor force: 4.679 million (persons 10 years old and over, according to a sample survey taken in 1991)

note: a large part of the male labor force migrates annually to neighboring countries for seasonal employment



Labor force - by occupation: agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%



Unemployment rate: NA%



Budget:

revenues: $277 million

expenditures: $492 million, including capital expenditures of $233 million (1995 est.)



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



Industrial production growth rate: 4.2% (1995)



Electricity - production: 225 million kWh (1998)



Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 64.44%

hydro: 35.56%

nuclear: 0%

other: 0% (1998)



Electricity - consumption: 209 million kWh (1998)



Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1998)



Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1998)



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



Exports: $311 million (f.o.b., 1998 est.)



Exports - commodities: cotton, animal products, gold



Exports - partners: Cote d'Ivoire, Taiwan, France, Colombia, Italy, Mali



Imports: $572 million (f.o.b., 1998 est.)



Imports - commodities: machinery, food products, petroleum



Imports - partners: Cote d'Ivoire, France, Senegal, Togo, Nigeria, US



Debt - external: $1.3 billion (1997)



Economic aid - recipient: $484.1 million (1995)



Currency: 1 Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes



Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 647.25 (January 2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95 (1998), 583.67 (1997), 511.55 (1996), 499.15 (1995)

note: since 1 January 1999, the CFAF franc is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 CFA francs per euro



Fiscal year: calendar year



----

Communications

----

Telephones - main lines in use: 30,000 (1995)



Telephones - mobile cellular: 0 (1995)



Telephone system: all services only fair

domestic: microwave radio relay, open wire, and radiotelephone communication stations

international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)



Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 17, shortwave 1 (1998)



Radios: 370,000 (1997)



Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)



Televisions: 100,000 (1997)



Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (1999)



----

Transportation

----

Railways:

total: 622 km (517 km from Ouagadougou to the Cote d'Ivoire border and 105 km from Ouagadougou to Kaya)

narrow gauge: 622 km 1.000-m gauge (1995 est.)



Highways:

total: 12,506 km

paved: 2,001 km

unpaved: 10,505 km (1996 est.)



Ports and harbors: none



Airports: 33 (1999 est.)



Airports - with paved runways:

total: 2

over 3,047 m: 1

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (1999 est.)



Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 31

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 13

under 914 m: 16 (1999 est.)



----

Military

----

Military branches: Army, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, National Police, People's Militia



Military manpower - availability:

males age 15-49: 2,500,962 (2000 est.)



Military manpower - fit for military service:

males age 15-49: 1,282,483 (2000 est.)



Military expenditures - dollar figure: $66 million (FY96)



Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2% (FY96)



----

Transnational Issues

----

Disputes - international: none

Revision as of 18:00, 14 June 2021

From the CIA World Factbook 2000. Not Wikified.



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.


Geography


Location: Western Africa, north of Ghana


Geographic coordinates: 13 00 N, 2 00 W


Map references: Africa


Area:

total: 274,200 sq km

land: 273,800 sq km

water: 400 sq km


Area - comparative: slightly larger than Colorado


Land boundaries:

total: 3,192 km

border countries: Benin 306 km, Cote d'Ivoire 584 km, Ghana 548 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

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: 13%

permanent crops: 0%

permanent pastures: 22%

forests and woodland: 50%

other: 15% (1993 est.)


Irrigated land: 200 sq km (1993 est.)


Natural hazards: recurring droughts


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


Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban


Geography - note: landlocked


People

Population: 11,946,065

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 2000 est.)


Age structure:

0-14 years: 48% (male 2,866,361; female 2,822,990)

15-64 years: 49% (male 2,808,797; female 3,097,048)

65 years and over: 3% (male 149,474; female 201,395) (2000 est.)


Population growth rate: 2.71% (2000 est.)


Birth rate: 45.26 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)


Death rate: 17.04 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)


Net migration rate: -1.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)


Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female

total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2000 est.)


Infant mortality rate: 108.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)


Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 46.73 years

male: 46.29 years

female: 47.18 years (2000 est.)


Total fertility rate: 6.44 children born/woman (2000 est.)


Nationality:

noun: Burkinabe (singular and plural)

adjective: Burkinabe


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


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


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


Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 19.2%

male: 29.5%

female: 9.2% (1995 est.)


Government

Country name:

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Burkina Faso

former: Upper Volta


Data code: UV


Government type: parliamentary


Capital: Ouagadougou


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

note: a new electoral code was approved by the National Assembly in January 1997; the number of administrative provinces was increased from 30 to 45 (Bale, Bam, Banwa, Bazega, Bougouriba, Boulgou, Boulkiemde, Comoe, Ganzourgou, Gnagna, Gourma, Houet, Ioba, Kadiogo, Kenedougou, Komandjari, Kompienga, Kossi, Koupelogo, Kouritenga, Kourweogo, Leraba, Loroum, Mouhoun, Nahouri, Namentenga, Nayala, Naumbiel, Oubritenga, Oudalan, Passore, Poni, Samentenga, Sanguie, Seno, Sissili, Soum, Sourou, Tapoa, Tuy, Yagha, Yatenga, Ziro, Zondomo, Zoundweogo), however, this change has not yet been approved by the US Board on Geographic Names


Independence: 5 August 1960 (from France)


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


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


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


Suffrage: universal


Executive branch:

chief of state: President Captain Blaise COMPAORE (since 15 October 1987)

head of government: Prime Minister Kadre Desire OUEDRAOGO (since 6 February 1996)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister

elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; the president may serve unlimited terms; election last held 15 November 1998 (next to be held NA 2005); prime minister appointed by the president with the consent of the legislature

election results: Blaise COMPAORE reelected president with 88% percent of the vote, with 56% of voter turnout

note: despite his reelection, President COMPAORE faces a growing political crisis due to his mishandling of an investigation into the assassination of a newspaper editor and pressure for political reform


Legislative branch: bicameral; consists of a National Assembly or Assemblee des Deputes Populaires (ADP) (111 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the purely consultative Chamber of Representations or Chambre des Representants (178 seats; members are appointed to serve three-year terms)

elections: National Assembly election last held 11 May 1997 (next to be held NA 2002)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CDP 101, PDP 6, RDA 2, ADF 2


Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Appeals Court


Political parties and leaders: African Democratic Rally or RDA [Gerard Kango OUEDRAOGO, Clement SANOU]; Alliance for Democracy and Federation or ADF [Herman YAMEOGO]; Congress for Democracy and Progress or CDP [Din Salif SAWADAGO]; Group for Progressive Democrats or GDP [Issa TIENDREBEOGO]; Movement for Tolerance and Progress or MTP [Noyabtigungu Congo KABORE]; Party for African Independence or PAI [leader NA]; Party for Democracy and Progress or PDP [Joseph KI-ZERBO]; Party for Progress and Social Development or PPDS [leader NA]; Union of Greens for the Development of Burkina Faso or UVDB [Ram OVEDRAGO]


Political pressure groups and leaders: Burkinabe General Confederation of Labor or CGTB; Burkinabe Movement for Human Rights or HBDHP; Group of 14 February; National Confederation of Burkinabe Workers or CNTB; National Organization of Free Unions or ONSL; watchdog/political action groups throughout the country in both organizations and communities


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


Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Bruno ZIDOUEMBA

chancery: 2340 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 332-5577

FAX: [1] (202) 667-1882


Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Jimmy J. KOLKER

embassy: Avenue Raoul Follerau, Ouagadougou

mailing address: 01 B. P. 35, Ouagadougou

telephone: [226] 306723 through 306725

FAX: [226] 303890


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


Economy

Economy - overview: One of the poorest countries in the world, landlocked Burkina Faso has a high population density, few natural resources, and a fragile soil. About 90% of the population is engaged in (mainly subsistence) agriculture which is highly 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 its macroeconomic progress in 2000-2001 depends on continued low inflation, reduction in the trade deficit, and reforms designed to encourage private investment.


GDP: purchasing power parity - $12.4 billion (1999 est.)


GDP - real growth rate: 5.5% (1999 est.)


GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,100 (1999 est.)


GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 36%

industry: 20%

services: 44% (1997)


Population below poverty line: NA%


Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%


Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.5% (1999 est.)


Labor force: 4.679 million (persons 10 years old and over, according to a sample survey taken in 1991)

note: a large part of the male labor force migrates annually to neighboring countries for seasonal employment


Labor force - by occupation: agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%


Unemployment rate: NA%


Budget:

revenues: $277 million

expenditures: $492 million, including capital expenditures of $233 million (1995 est.)


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


Industrial production growth rate: 4.2% (1995)


Electricity - production: 225 million kWh (1998)


Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 64.44%

hydro: 35.56%

nuclear: 0%

other: 0% (1998)


Electricity - consumption: 209 million kWh (1998)


Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1998)


Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1998)


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


Exports: $311 million (f.o.b., 1998 est.)


Exports - commodities: cotton, animal products, gold


Exports - partners: Cote d'Ivoire, Taiwan, France, Colombia, Italy, Mali


Imports: $572 million (f.o.b., 1998 est.)


Imports - commodities: machinery, food products, petroleum


Imports - partners: Cote d'Ivoire, France, Senegal, Togo, Nigeria, US


Debt - external: $1.3 billion (1997)


Economic aid - recipient: $484.1 million (1995)


Currency: 1 Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes


Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 647.25 (January 2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95 (1998), 583.67 (1997), 511.55 (1996), 499.15 (1995)

note: since 1 January 1999, the CFAF franc is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 CFA francs per euro


Fiscal year: calendar year


Communications

Telephones - main lines in use: 30,000 (1995)


Telephones - mobile cellular: 0 (1995)


Telephone system: all services only fair

domestic: microwave radio relay, open wire, and radiotelephone communication stations

international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)


Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 17, shortwave 1 (1998)


Radios: 370,000 (1997)


Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)


Televisions: 100,000 (1997)


Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (1999)


Transportation

Railways:

total: 622 km (517 km from Ouagadougou to the Cote d'Ivoire border and 105 km from Ouagadougou to Kaya)

narrow gauge: 622 km 1.000-m gauge (1995 est.)


Highways:

total: 12,506 km

paved: 2,001 km

unpaved: 10,505 km (1996 est.)


Ports and harbors: none


Airports: 33 (1999 est.)


Airports - with paved runways:

total: 2

over 3,047 m: 1

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (1999 est.)


Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 31

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 13

under 914 m: 16 (1999 est.)


Military

Military branches: Army, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, National Police, People's Militia


Military manpower - availability:

males age 15-49: 2,500,962 (2000 est.)


Military manpower - fit for military service:

males age 15-49: 1,282,483 (2000 est.)


Military expenditures - dollar figure: $66 million (FY96)


Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2% (FY96)


Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: none

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