Burkina Faso

COUNTRY NAME:

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

BURKINA FASO ETYMOLOGY:

“Burkina Faso” combines two of the nation's languages and means “the land of upright men.”

BURKINA FASO CAPITAL CITY:

Ouagadougou is the capital city of Burkina Faso.

BURKINA FASO CURRENCY:

The West African CFA franc is the official currency of Burkina Faso.

BURKINA FASO HISTORY:

Bobo, Lobi, and Gurunsi tribes were the very first inhabitants of the region.
The Mossi and Gurma people immigrating to the region in the 14th century.
The Mossi Empire became a French protectorate in 1897.
By the beginning of the 20th century, the French had managed to dominate all ethnic groups.
The French called the region “Upper Volta Valley”.
It became a separate colony in 1919.
In 1932, the land was divided among the Niger, the Sudan, and Côte d'Ivoire.
It was reconstituted in 1947.
Upper Volta became an independent country on August 5, 1960 as an autonomous republic within the French community.
President Maurice Yameogo was deposed on Jan. 3, 1966, by a military coup led by Col. Sangoulé Lamizana.
The coup dissolved the national assembly and suspended the constitution.
Constitutional rule was restored in 1978 following an election and presidential vote.
On Nov. 25, 1980, Col. Sayé Zerbo led a bloodless coup that toppled Lamizana.
In turn, Maj. Jean-Baptist Ouedraogo ousted Zerbo on Nov. 7, 1982.
Thomas Sankara, a Marxist-Leninist, challenged the traditional Mossi chiefs, advocated women's liberation, and allied the country with North Korea, Libya, and Cuba.
The revolutionary leader renamed the country as “Burkina Faso” in an attempt to leave behind the colonial past.
Sankara’s efforts brought about a marked improvement in the living standards but caused an economic upheaval in the country.
Sankara was assassinated by his own soldiers on October 15, 1987.
His best friend Blaise Compaoré took over as president and proposed to make amendments in Sankara’s policies.
To sever ties to the colonial past, Sankara changed the name of the country in 1984 to Burkina Faso, which combines two of the nation's languages and means “the land of upright men.”
In 1991 he agreed to economic reforms proposed by the World Bank.
A new constitution paved the way for elections in 1991.
Compaoré has own three consecutive presidential elections.

BURKINA FASO DEMOGRAPHICS:

Larger parts of the population are concentrated in the south and center of the country.
Population densities are high in these regions which encourages migration in search of work opportunities.
About half of the total population is Muslim.
Christianity and traditional African beliefs are also widely practiced.

BURKINA FASO GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS:

Burkina Faso is run by a parliamentary republic government.
Administrative divisions consist of 45 provinces.
Republic Day is observed as a national holiday on 11 December (1958).
The Constitution was approved by referendum on 2 June 1991.
It was formally adopted on 11 June 1991.
The last constitutional amendment took place in January 2002.
The legal system was based on French civil law system and customary law.
Burkina Faso has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction.
The president is the chief of state.
The Prime Minister is the head of government.
The cabinet comprises of a Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister.
The president is elected by popular vote for a five year term.
The prime minister is appointed by the president with the consent of the legislature.
The legislative branch is represented by a unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale.
It comprises of 111 seats and members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms.
The judicial branch is represented by the Supreme Court and Appeals Court.

BURKINA FASO CULTURE:

Traditional masks and dance are the hallmark of Burkina Faso’s culture.
The masks are used in religious rites and prayers.
The Popular Theatre in Ouagadougou is a center of social and cultural events.
Cinema and theatre are highly encouraged in Burkina Faso.
The country also hosts the annual Pan-African film festival.
Laongo is an important center for fine arts and has works by world renowned sculptors on display.
Moré and Dioula are the major native languages of the country.

BURKINA FASO ECONOMY:

Burkina Faso is one of the poorest countries of the world.
Natural resources are limited and industries are underdeveloped.
Over 90% of the population survives through subsistence agriculture.
Cotton is the main cash crop.
Privatization of state-owned enterprises has encouraged economical development in recent years.
The government also revised its investment code in 2004 in order to encourage foreign investments.
Burkina Faso is also making progress in gold trade and production.
Burkina Faso received a Millennium Challenge Account threshold grant to improve girls' education at the primary school level,.
The GDP (purchasing power parity) as calculated in 2007 was $17.2 billion.
77% of the population is unemployed.
46.4% of the population is below poverty line.
Agricultural produce includes cotton, peanuts, shea nuts, sesame, sorghum, millet, corn, rice and livestock.
The main industries are cotton lint, beverages, agricultural processing, soap, cigarettes, textiles and gold.
Industrial production growth rate is 5.2% (2007 est.)
Export commodities include cotton, livestock and gold.
Import commodities include capital goods, foodstuffs and petroleum.
The Central Bank of the West African States is the responsible authority for the country’s finances.

BURKINA FASO INFRASTRUCTURE:

Telephone services are underdeveloped with only one fixed line connection per 100 people.
Cellular phone services are rapidly gaining ground.
There are 31 radio broadcast stations in all.
There are 3 television broadcast stations.
Internet facilities are limited.
Burkina Faso has 33 airports out of which only 2 have paved runways.
The railway lined spread over 622 km.
The roadways span a network of 92,495 km.

BURKINA FASO EDUCATION:

Education in Burkina Faso is divided into primary, secondary, and higher education.
Schooling is not sponsored by the government.
Most people find it difficult to afford secondary education.
Boys are often given preference for educational access over girls.
For every level of education, students are required to pass a national examination.
The government is making efforts to encourage education among females by subsidizing the fee and offering scholarships.
Institutions of higher education include the University of Ouagadougou, and The Polytechnical University in Bobo-Dioulasso, the University of Koudougou.
International School of Ouagadougou (ISO) is an American-based private school located in the capital city.
The literacy levels in Burkina Faso are amongst the lowest in the world.

BURKINA FASO NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES:

Burkina Faso is surrounded by:

Mali (north)
Niger (east)
Benin (south east)
Togo and Ghana (south)
Côte d'Ivoire (south west)

BURKINA FASO GEOGRAPHICAL SETTINGS:

Burkina Faso is located in Western Africa.
Its geographic coordinates are 13 00 N, 2 00 W.
The country spans a total area of 274,200 sq km.
It is a landlocked country.
The climate is tropical with warm, dry winters and hot, wet summers.
Terrain is mostly flat to dissected with undulating plains and hills in west and southeast .
The highest point is Tena Kourou standing at 749 m.
Natural resources include manganese, limestone, marble; small deposits of gold, phosphates, pumice and salt.
17.66% of the land is arable.
Recurring droughts are common.

BURKINA FASO FREEDOM:

Burkina Faso gained its independence from France on 5 August 1960.

BURKINA FASO NOTABLE PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY:

Moumouni Fabre (1953-) -politician and diplomat
François Djobi Bassolet (died 2001): journalist, historian, and cultural leader.
Joseph Ki-Zerbo (1922–2006), politician, historian, writer and activist
Bernadette Sanou Dao (born 1952), author and poet
Gabin Dabiré, musician
Yennenga, legendary African princess, mother of the Mossi people

Henri Zongo (died 1989), military officer involved in the 1987 Coup d'état in Burkina Faso

BURKINA FASO COUNTRY FAMOUS FOR:

Burkina Faso is famous for its traditional masks and music.

BURKINA FASO TOTAL POPULATION:

According to a 2008 census, the total population was estimated to be 15,264,735.
Mortality rate is high due to the prevalence of AID.
The annual population growth rate is 3.109% (2008 est.)
Birth rate: 44.68 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate: 13.59 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)