Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta) achieved independence from France in 1960. Repeated military coups during the 1970s and 1980s were followed by multiparty elections in the early 1990s. Current President Blaise COMPAORE came to power in a 1987 military coup and has won every election since then. Burkina Faso's high population density and limited natural resources result in poor economic prospects for the majority of its citizens.

Western Africa, north of Ghana

13 00 N, 2 00 W

Africa

total: 274,200 sq km
country comparison to the world: 75
land: 273,800 sq km
water: 400 sq km

slightly larger than Colorado

total: 3,193 km
border countries: Benin 306 km, Cote d'Ivoire 584 km, Ghana 549 km, Mali 1,000 km, Niger 628 km, Togo 126 km

0 km (landlocked)

none (landlocked)

tropical; warm, dry winters; hot, wet summers

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

lowest point: Mouhoun (Black Volta) River 200 m
highest point: Tena Kourou 749 m

manganese, limestone, marble; small deposits of gold, phosphates, pumice, salt

arable land: 20.79%
permanent crops: 0.24%
other: 78.98% (2011)

250 sq km (2003)

12.5 cu km (2011)

total: 0.72 cu km/yr (46%/3%/51%)
per capita: 54.99 cu m/yr (2005)

recurring droughts

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

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

landlocked savanna cut by the three principal rivers of the Black, Red, and White Voltas

noun: Burkinabe (singular and plural)
adjective: Burkinabe

Mossi over 40%, other approximately 60% (includes Gurunsi, Senufo, Lobi, Bobo, Mande, and Fulani)

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

Muslim 60.5%, Catholic 19%, animist 15.3%, Protestant 4.2%, other 0.6%, none 0.4%

17,812,961 (July 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 61
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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected

0-14 years: 45.5% (male 4,062,522/female 4,044,548)
15-24 years: 20% (male 1,794,740/female 1,775,072)
25-54 years: 28.9% (male 2,608,676/female 2,532,406)
55-64 years: 3.1% (male 229,202/female 324,921)
65 years and over: 2.5% (male 168,099/female 272,775) (2013 est.)

total dependency ratio: 92.3 %
youth dependency ratio: 87.6 %
elderly dependency ratio: 4.7 %
potential support ratio: 21.3 (2013)

total: 17 years
male: 16.8 years
female: 17.1 years (2013 est.)

3.06% (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 8

42.81 births/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 4

12.21 deaths/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 27

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 105

urban population: 26.5% of total population (2011)
rate of urbanization: 6.02% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

OUAGADOUGOU (capital) 2.053 million (2011)

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.69 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2013 est.)

19.4
note: median age at first birth among women 25-29 (2010 est.)

300 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)
country comparison to the world: 38

total: 78.3 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 9
male: 85.67 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 70.72 deaths/1,000 live births (2013 est.)

total population: 54.43 years
country comparison to the world: 206
male: 52.43 years
female: 56.48 years (2013 est.)

6 children born/woman (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 5

16.2% (2010/11)

6.5% of GDP (2011)
country comparison to the world: 96

0.05 physicians/1,000 population (2010)

0.4 beds/1,000 population (2010)

1.2% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 42

110,000 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 39

7,100 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 29

degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: dengue fever, malaria, and yellow fever
water contact disease: schistosomiasis
respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis
animal contact disease: rabies
note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2013)

2.3% (2008)
country comparison to the world: 181

26% (2009)
country comparison to the world: 24

4% of GDP (2010)
country comparison to the world: 111

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 28.7%
male: 36.7%
female: 21.6% (2007 est.)

total: 7 years
male: 7 years
female: 6 years (2011)

total number: 1,521,006
percentage: 38 % (2006 est.)

total: 3.8%
country comparison to the world: 140
male: 4.6%
female: 2.9% (2006)

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

parliamentary republic

name: Ouagadougou
geographic coordinates: 12 22 N, 1 31 W
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

13 regions; Boucle du Mouhoun, Cascades, Centre, Centre-Est, Centre-Nord, Centre-Ouest, Centre-Sud, Est, Hauts-Bassins, Nord, Plateau-Central, Sahel, Sud-Ouest

5 August 1960 (from France)

Republic Day, 11 December (1958); note - commemorates the day that Upper Volta became an autonomous republic in the French Community

several previous; latest approved by referendum 2 June 1991, adopted 11 June 1991; amended several times, last in 2012 (2012)

civil law based on the French model and customary law

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

chief of state: President Blaise COMPAORE (since 15 October 1987)
head of government: Prime Minister Luc-Adolphe TIAO (since 18 April 2011)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 21 November 2010 (next to be held in 2015); prime minister appointed by the president with the consent of the legislature
election results: Blaise COMPAORE reelected president; percent of popular vote - Blaise COMPAORE 80.2%, Hama Arba DIALLO 8.2%, Benewende Stanislas SANKARA 6.3%, other 5.3%

unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (127 seats; members are elected by proportional representation in one national constituency of 16 seats, and 45 multi-member constituencies having between 2 and 9 seats with members serving five-year terms)
elections: National Assembly election last held on 2 December 2012 (next to be held in 2017)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CDP 70, ADF-RDA 19, Union for Progress and Reform 19, UPR 4, UNIR-MS 4, CFD-B 3, PDS/Metba 2, other 6

highest court(s): Supreme Court of Appeals or Cour de Cassation (consists of NA judges); Constitutional Council or Conseil Constitutionnel (consists of the council president and 3 judges)
judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judge appointments mostly controlled by the president of Burkina Faso; judge tenure NA; Constitutional Council judges appointed by the president of Burkina Faso upon the proposal of the minister of justice; judges appointed for 9-year terms with one-third of judges renewed every 3 years
subordinate courts: Appeals Court; High Court; first instance tribunals; district courts; specialized courts relating to issues of labor, children, and juveniles; village (customary) courts

African Democratic Rally-Alliance for Democracy and Federation or ADF-RDA [Gilbert OUEDRAOGO]

Burkinabe General Confederation of Labor or CGTB [Tole SAGNON]
other: watchdog/political action groups throughout the country in both organizations and communities

ACP, AfDB, AU, CD, ECOWAS, EITI (candidate country), Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MONUSCO, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNITAR, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

chief of mission: Ambassador Seydou BOUDA (since 2 September 2011)
chancery: 2340 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 332-5577
FAX: [1] (202) 667-1882

chief of mission: Ambassador Tulinabo S. MUSHINGI (since 25 July 2013)
embassy: 602 Avenue Raoul Follereau, Koulouba, Secteur 4
mailing address: 01 B. P. 35, Ouagadougou 01; pouch mail - US Department of State, 2440 Ouagadougou Place, Washington, DC 20521-2440
telephone: [226] 50-49-53-00
FAX: [226] 50-49-56-28

two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a yellow five-pointed star in the center; red recalls the country's struggle for independence, green is for hope and abundance, and yellow represents the country's mineral wealth
note: uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia

white stallion

name: "Le Ditanye" (Anthem of Victory)
lyrics/music: Thomas SANKARA
note: adopted 1974; also known as "Une Seule Nuit" (One Single Night), Burkina Faso's anthem was written by the country's president, an avid guitar player

Burkina Faso is a poor, landlocked country that relies heavily on cotton and gold exports for revenue. The country has few natural resources and a weak industrial base. About 90% of the population is engaged in subsistence agriculture, which is vulnerable to periodic drought. Cotton is the main cash crop. Since 1998, Burkina Faso has embarked upon a gradual privatization of state-owned enterprises and in 2004 revised its investment code to attract foreign investment. As a result of this new code and other legislation favoring the mining sector, the country has seen an upswing in gold exploration and production. By 2010, gold had become the main source of export revenue. Gold mining production doubled between 2009 and 2010. Two new mining projects were launched in the third quarter of 2011. Local community conflict persists in the mining and cotton sectors, but the Prime Minister has made efforts to defuse some of the economic cause of public discontent, including announcing income tax reductions, reparations for looting victims, and subsidies for basic food items and fertilizer. An IMF mission to Burkina Faso in October 2011 expressed general satisfaction with the measures. The risk of a mass exodus of the 3 to 4 million Burinabe who live and work in Cote d'Ivoire has dissipated, and trade, power, and transport links are being restored. Burkina Faso experienced a severe drought in 2011, which decimated grazing land and decreased harvests, creating food insecurity and damaging the country's agricultural base.

$24.57 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 124
note: data are in 2012 US dollars

$10.89 billion (2012 est.)

9% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 12

$1,400 (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 204
note: data are in 2012 US dollars

14.1% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 109

household consumption: 60.4%
government consumption: 17.9%
investment in fixed capital: 20.1%
investment in inventories: -0.1%
exports of goods and services: 29.6%
imports of goods and services: -27.9%

agriculture: 34.1%
industry: 23.7%
services: 42.2% (2012 est.)

cotton, peanuts, shea nuts, sesame, sorghum, millet, corn, rice; livestock

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

6.5% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 37

6.668 million
country comparison to the world: 65
note: a large part of the male labor force migrates annually to neighboring countries for seasonal employment (2007)

agriculture: 90%
industry and services: 10% (2000 est.)

77% (2004)
country comparison to the world: 199

46.7% (2009 est.)

lowest 10%: 2.9%
highest 10%: 32.2% (2009 est.)

39.5 (2007)
country comparison to the world: 63

revenues: $2.5 billion
expenditures: $2.846 billion (2012 est.)

23% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 143

-3.2% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 125

calendar year

3.8% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 117

4.25% (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 86

NA%

$1.845 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 127

$3.91 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 134

$2.123 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 130

$NA

$-247.6 million (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 90

$2.746 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 133

gold, cotton, livestock

China 25.9%, Turkey 24.8%, Belgium 5.2% (2012)

$2.675 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 151

capital goods, foodstuffs, petroleum

Cote dIvoire 17.6%, France 15.2%, Ghana 4.8%, Togo 4.4% (2012)

$1.025 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 132

$2.607 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 139

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar -

670 million kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 158

773.1 million kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 157

0 kWh (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 143

150 million kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 90

252,000 kW (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 154

87.3% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 84

0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 194

12.7% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 107

0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 133

0 bbl/day (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 140

0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 198

0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 134

0 bbl (1 January 2013 es)
country comparison to the world: 197

0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 139

9,960 bbl/day (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 154

0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 139

11,660 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 127

0 cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 202

0 cu m (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 203

0 cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 198

0 cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 142

0 cu m (1 January 2013 es)
country comparison to the world: 200

1.454 million Mt (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 154

141,400 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 139

9.98 million (2012)
country comparison to the world: 79

general assessment: system includes microwave radio relay, open-wire, and radiotelephone communication stations; in 2006 the government sold a 51 percent stake in the national telephone company and ultimately plans to retain only a 23 percent stake in the company
domestic: fixed-line connections stand at less than 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular usage, fostered by multiple providers, is increasing rapidly from a low base
international: country code - 226; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2011)

2 TV stations - 1 state-owned and 1 privately owned; state-owned radio runs a national and regional network; substantial number of privately owned radio stations; transmissions of several international broadcasters available in Ouagadougou (2007)

.bf

1,795 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 164

178,100 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 144

23 (2013)
country comparison to the world: 133

total: 2
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2013)

total: 21
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 13
under 914 m:

total: 622 km
country comparison to the world: 106
narrow gauge: 622 km 1.000-m gauge
note: another 660 km of this railway extends into Cote d'Ivoire (2008)

total: 15,272 km
country comparison to the world: 121
note: does not include urban roads (2010)

Army, Air Force of Burkina Faso (Force Aerienne de Burkina Faso, FABF), National Gendarmerie (2011)

18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription; women may serve in supporting roles (2013)

males age 16-49: 3,735,735 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49: 2,366,168
females age 16-49: 2,367,673 (2010 est.)

male: 193,905
female: 191,662 (2010 est.)

1.39% of GDP (2012)
country comparison to the world: 223

adding to illicit cross-border activities, Burkina Faso has issues concerning unresolved boundary alignments with its neighbors; demarcation is currently underway with Mali, the dispute with Niger was referred to the ICJ in 2010, and a dispute over several villages with Benin persists; Benin retains a border dispute with Burkina Faso around the town of Koualou