Burkina Faso

Map of Burkina Faso President: Blaise Compaoré (1987) Prime Minister: Tertius Zongo (2007) Land area: 105,714 sq mi (273,799 sq km); total area: 105,869 sq mi (274,200 sq km) Population (2008 est.): 14,761,339 (growth rate: 2.9%); birth rate: 44.9/1000; infant mortality rate: 88.2/1000; life expectancy: 49.5; density per sq km: 53 Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Ouagadougou, 962,100 Monetary unit: CFA Franc Current government officials Languages: French (official); native African (Sudanic) languages 90% Ethnicity/race: Mossi (over 40%), Gurunsi, Senufo, Lobi, Bobo, Mande, Fulani National Holiday: Republic Day, December 11 Religions: Islam 50%, indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian (mainly Roman Catholic) 10% Literacy rate: 21.8% (2006 est.) Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2007 est.): $17.2 billion; per capita $1,300. Real growth rate: 4.2%. Inflation: -0.2%. Unemployment: 77% Arable land: 14%. Agriculture: cotton, peanuts, shea nuts, sesame, sorghum, millet, corn, rice; livestock. Labor force: 5 million; note: a large part of the male labor force migrates annually to neighboring countries for seasonal employment (2003); agriculture 90%, industry and services 10% (2000 est.). Industries: cotton lint, beverages, agricultural processing, soap, cigarettes, textiles, gold. Natural resources: manganese, limestone, marble; small deposits of gold, phosphates, pumice, salt. Exports: $543.5 million f.o.b. (2006 est.): cotton, livestock, gold. Imports: $1.016 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.): capital goods, food products, petroleum. Major trading partners: China, Singapore, Ghana, Bangladesh, France, Côte d'Ivoire, Togo (2004). Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 97,400 (2005); mobile cellular: 572,200 (2005). Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 17, shortwave 3 (2002). Television broadcast stations: 1 (2002). Internet hosts: 442 (2003). Internet users: 64,600 (2005). Transportation: Railways: total: 622 km (2004). Highways: total: 15,272 km km; paved: 4,766 km; unpaved: 10,506 km (2004). Ports and harbors: none. Airports: 34 (2006 est.). International disputes: two villages are in dispute along the border with Benin; Benin accuses Burkina Faso of moving boundary pillars; Burkina Faso border regions remain a staging area for Liberia and Cote d'Ivoire rebels and an asylum for refugees caught in local fighting; the Ivoirian Government accuses Burkina Faso of sheltering Ivoirian rebels. Major sources and definitions

Geography

Slightly larger than Colorado, Burkina Faso, formerly known as Upper Volta, is a landlocked country in West Africa. Its neighbors are Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, Niger, Benin, Togo, and Ghana. The country consists of extensive plains, low hills, high savannas, and a desert area in the north.

Government

Parliamentary.

History

Burkina Faso was originally inhabited by the Bobo, Lobi, and Gurunsi peoples, with the Mossi and Gurma peoples immigrating to the region in the 14th century. The lands of the Mossi empire became a French protectorate in 1897, and by 1903 France had subjugated the other ethnic groups. Called Upper Volta by the French, it became a separate colony in 1919, was partitioned among Niger, the Sudan, and Côte d'Ivoire in 1932, and was reconstituted in 1947. An autonomous republic within the French Community, Upper Volta became independent on Aug. 5, 1960.

President Maurice Yameogo was deposed on Jan. 3, 1966, by a military coup led by Col. Sangoulé Lamizana, who dissolved the national assembly and suspended the constitution. Constitutional rule returned in 1978 with the election of an assembly and a presidential vote in June in which Gen. Lamizana won by a narrow margin over three other candidates.

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. But the real revolutionary change occurred the following year when a 33-year-old flight commander, Thomas Sankara, took control. A Marxist-Leninist, he challenged the traditional Mossi chiefs, advocated women's liberation, and allied the country with North Korea, Libya, and Cuba. 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.”

While Sankara's investments in schools, food production, and clinics brought some improvement in living standards, foreign investment declined, many businesses left the country, and unhappy labor unions began strikes. On Oct. 15, 1987, formerly loyal soldiers assassinated Sankara. His best friend and ally Blaise Compaoré became president. Compaoré immediately set about “rectifying” Sankara's revolution. In 1991, he agreed to economic reforms proposed by the World Bank. A new constitution paved the way for elections in 1991, which Compaoré won easily, although opposition parties boycotted. In 1998, he was reelected by a landslide. A coup against the president was foiled in 2003, and he was reelected a third time in 2005.

Prime Minister Yonli resigned in June 2007 and was replaced by Tertius Zongo, who has served as the ambassador to the United States and as the country's finance minister.

See also Encyclopedia: Burkina Faso.
U.S. State Dept. Country Notes: Burkina Faso

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