General information: The State of Burkina Faso (in the past – Upper Volta) achieved independence in 1960 (until 1960 – a colony of France). The period of political instability in the 70s and 80s. ended with the holding of multi-party elections in the early 1990s. Hundreds of thousands of agricultural workers migrate annually to Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. See areacodesexplorer.com to know more about Burkina Faso History.
Geography
Location: West Africa, north of Ghana.
Geographic coordinates: 13° 00′ N. latitude, 2° 00′ W
Reference map: Africa.
Area: total: 274,200 square kilometers; land surface area: 273,800 km2; water surface area: 400 km2
Comparative area: slightly larger than the state of Colorado.
Land borders: total length: 3,192 km; with neighboring states: with Benin 306 km, with Côte d’Ivoire 584 km, with Ghana 548 km, with Mani 1,000 km, with Niger 628 km, with Togo 126 km.
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked).
Maritime claims: none (landlocked).
Climate: tropical; warm dry winter; what a wet summer.
Relief: mostly flat, hilly in places, hills in the west and southeast.
Maximum and minimum heights: lowest point: Mukhun River (Black Volta) 200 m; highest point: Mount Tena Kourou 749 m
Natural resources: manganese, limestone, marble; small deposits of gold, antimony, copper, nickel, bauxite, lead, phosphates, zinc and silver.
Land use: arable land: 13%; cultivated land: 0%; pastures: 22%; forests and plantations: 50%; others: 15% (1993 est.).
Irrigated land: 200 km2 (1993 est.).
Natural Hazards: Periodic droughts.
Current environmental issues: droughts and desertification, preventing the settlement of the territory and seriously harming agriculture and the economy as a whole; excessive grazing; soil degradation; deforestation.
International environmental agreements: member: Biodiversity, Climate change, Desertification, Endangered species, Hazardous waste, Marine life conservation, Ozone layer protection, Wetlands; signed but not ratified: Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban.
Note to the section “Geography”: the country has no access to the sea.
Population
Population: 12,272,289; note: estimates for this country take into account rising AIDS deaths; due to the spread of AIDS, life expectancy, population size and population growth may actually be lower, and child mortality and overall mortality rates correspondingly higher; there may also be changes in the age structure and ratio of priests (July 2001 est.).
Age structure: under 14: 47.5% (male 2,937,285; female 2,892,107); 15 to 64 years old: 49.59% (male 2,903,153; female 3,183,121); over 65: 2.91% (male 150,688; female 205,935) (2001 est.).
Population growth: 2.68% (2001 est.).
Birth rate: 44.79 newborns / 1000 people. (2001 est.).
Mortality: 17.05 deaths / 1000 people (2001 est.).
Migration: -0.97 people / 1000 people (2001 est.).
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male/female; up to 15 years: 1.02 male/female; from 15 to 64 years old: 0.91 male/female; over 65: 0.73 male/female; for the general population: 0.95 male/female (2001 est.);
Child mortality: 106.92 deaths/1000 births (2001 est.).
Life expectancy: for the general population: 46.41 years; men: 45.86 years; women: 46.98 years (2001 est.).
Total fertility rate: 6.35 children/wives. (2001 est.).
Proportion of adults infected with HIV: 6.44% (1999 est.).
Number of people infected with HIV: 350,000 (1999 est.).
AIDS deaths: 43,000 (1999 est.).
Nationality: noun: resident of Burkina Faso; adjective: pertaining to Burkina Faso.
Ethnic groups: Mossi over 40%, Gurunsi, Senufo, Lobi, Bobo, Mande, Fulani.
Believers: adherents of local beliefs 40%, Muslims 50%, Christians (mostly Catholics) 10%.
Language(s): French (official); 90% of the population speaks indigenous African languages belonging to the Sudanese group.
Literacy: definition: persons aged 15 and over who can read and write; for the general population: 19.2%; men: 29.5%; women: 9.2% (1995 est.). State Name:
Politics
Common long form: absent;
conventional short form: Burkina Faso; former: Upper Volta, Republic of Upper Volta.
State structure: parliamentary.
Capital: Ouagadougou.
Administrative division: 30 provinces: Ba-zega, Bam, Buguriba, Bulgu, Bulkimde, Ganzur-gu, Gnanya, Gurma, Zundweogo, Yatenga, Kadiogo, Kenedugu, Komoe, Kosei, Kuritenga, Mukhun, Na-mentenga, Nauri, Passor, Pony, Sangwi, Sanma-tenga, Hay, Sissipi, Sum, Suru, Tapoa, Ubri-tenga, Udalan, Ue; note: in January 1997 the National Assembly approved a new electoral code; the number of administrative provinces was increased to 45 (Bazega, Bale, Bam, Banwa, Buguriba, Bulgu, Bulkiemde, Ganzurgu, Gnanya, Gurma, Ziro, Zondomo, Zundweogo, Ioba, Yaga, Yatenga, Kadiogo, Kenedugu, Komandjari, Komoe, Kompienga, Kosei, Kupepogo, Kurveogo, Kuritenga, Leraba, Lorum, Mukhun, Nayala, Namentenga, Nauri, Nombiel, Passor, Pony, Samentenga, Sangvi, Hay, Sissili, Sum, Suru, Tapoa, Tui, Ubritenga, Udalan, Ue); the new names are not yet recognized by the US Board of Geographic Names.
Independence: from August 5, 1960 (until 1960 – a colony of France).
National holiday: Republic Day, 11 December (1958).
Constitution: approved by referendum 2 June 1991; June 11, 1991 officially adopted.
Legal system: based on French civil law and customary law.
Suffrage: universal.
chief of state: President Blaise COMPAORE (since 15 October 1987);
head of government: Prime Minister Ernest Paramanga YONLI (since 6 November 2000)
Government: a council of ministers appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister; elections: the president is elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; the number of terms for which the president can be elected is not limited; elections last held 15 November 1998 (next to be held in 2005); the prime minister is appointed by the president with the consent of the legislators; election results: Blaise COMPAORE, with 88% of the vote, re-elected president; turnout was 56%; note: President COMPAORE faces a well-organized opposition; recent accusations against a former member of his bodyguard in the 1998 murder of a newspaper editor demonstrate an attempt to defuse the atmosphere.
Legislature: bicameral parliament; consists of the Assembly of People’s Deputies (111 members elected by popular vote for a five-year term) and a purely deliberative Chamber of Representatives (Chambre des Represen-tants) (178 members appointed for a three-year term); elections: for Assembly of People’s Deputies last held 11 May 1997 (next to be held in 2002); election results: distribution of votes by parties – no data; distribution of seats by parties – CDP101, PDP6, RDA2, ADF2.
Judiciary: Supreme Court; Court of Appeal.
Political parties and leaders: African Democratic Rally – Alliance for Democracy and Federation (RDA – ADF) (Herman YAMEOGO); Congress for Democracy and Progress (CDP) (Roch Marc-Christian KABORE); Movement for Tolerance and Progress (MTP) (Noyabtigungu Congo KABORE); African Independence Party (PAI) (Philippe OUEDRAOGO); Party for Democracy and Progress (PDP) (Joseph KI-ZERBO); Green Union for the Development of Burkina Faso (UVDB) (Ram OVEDRAGO).
Political influence groups and their leaders: General Confederation of Workers of Burkina Faso (CGTB); Burkina Faso Human Rights Movement (HBDHP); Group on February 14th; National Confederation of Workers of Burkina Faso (CNTB); National Organization of Free Trade Unions (ONSL); control committees (active political groups) throughout the country – in organizations and territorial units.
Participation in international organizations: 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, IOM, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MONUC, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB, WAEMU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTOO, WTRO.
Diplomatic representation in the USA: Head of Mission: Ambassador Bruno ZIDOUEMBA; office: 2340 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008; phone: [1] (202) 332-5577; fax: [Ts (202) 667-1882.
US Mission: Ambassador Jimmy J. KOLKER; embassy: Avenue Raoul Follerau, Ouagadougou; postal address: 01 V. R. 35, Ouagadougou; phone: [226] 306723; fax: [226] 303890.
Description of the flag: two equal horizontal stripes of red (top) and green with a yellow five-pointed star in the center; The colors of the Ethiopian flag, which are popular in Africa, are used.
