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___ Burkina Faso

A virtual guide to Burkina Faso. This page aims to give you a broad overview of Burkinabe art, culture, people, environment, geography, history, economy and government.
Beside a country profile this page contains links to sources that will provide you with in-depth information about this western African nation, e.g.: official web sites of Burkina Faso, addresses of Burkinabe and foreign embassies, country guides with travel information, tourist attractions, events and more like weather information, maps, statistics and local newspapers from Burkina Faso.

Burkina Faso, Mosquee Teoule
Mosque of Téoule © culture.gov.bf
  

Burkina Faso

Country Profile


Flag of Burkina Faso
Flag of Burkina Faso

Background:
Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta) is a landlocked country located in the middle of West Africa's "hump." It is geographically in the Sahel--the agricultural region between the Sahara Desert and the coastal rain forests.
Burkina Faso achieved independence from France in 1960. Repeated military coups during the 1970s and 1980s were followed by multiparty elections in the early 1990s. Burkina Faso's high population density and limited natural resources result in poor economic prospects for the majority of its citizens. Recent unrest in Cote d'Ivoire and northern Ghana has hindered the ability of several hundred thousand seasonal Burkinabe farm workers to find employment in neighboring countries.


border countries: Benin, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Togo
related countries: France
 
where in Africa is Burkina Faso

Official Name:
Burkina Faso
short form: Burkina
formerly Upper Volta

ISO Country Code: bf

Time:
Local Time = UTC (+-0; no UTC/GMT offset)
Actual Time: Tue-Mar-16  17:37

Capital City: Ouagadougou (pop.1 million)

Other Cities: Bobo-Dioulasso (450,000), Koudougou (90,000), Banfora, Dori, Fada N'Gourma, Ouahigouy.


Government:
Type: Parliamentary Republic
Independence: 5 August 1960 (from France).
Constitution: 11 June 1991 formally adopted; amended April 2000.

Geography:
Location: Western Africa, north of Ghana.
Area: 274 200 sq. km. (106 000 sq. mi.).
Terrain: Savanna; brushy plains and scattered hills.

Climate: Sahelian; pronounced wet and dry seasons.

People:
Nationality: Burkinabe (accent on last e).
Population: 12 million.
Ethnic groups: 63 ethnic groups among which are Mossi (almost half of the total population), Bobo, Mande, Lobi, Fulani, Gourounsi, and Sénoufo.
Religions: Muslim 55%, Christian 25%, Traditional beliefs 20%.
Languages: French, Mooré, Dioula, Fulfuldé, others.
Literacy: 30%

Natural resources: Manganese, limestone, marble; small deposits of gold, phosphates, pumice, salt.

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

Industries: Cotton lint, beverages, agricultural processing, soap, cigarettes, textiles, gold.

Exports partners: China 31.9%, Singapore 11.5%, Ghana 4.7%, Bangladesh 4.3% (2004)

Imports partners: France 29.3%, Cote d''Ivoire 16%, Togo 9.8% (2004)

Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF)


Note: External links will open in a new browser window.

Official Sites of Burkina Faso

Premier Ministère du Burkina Faso
Official website of the Prime Ministry (in French)

Présidence du Burkina Faso
The Burkina Faso Presidency.

DELGI
Délégation générale à l'informatique.



Ministère des Affaires Etrangères
Official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (in French)

Diplomatic Missions
Embassy of Burkina Faso to the US
Official website of the embassy, located at Washington D. C.
Ambassade du Burkina Faso en Belgique
Burkina's embassy at Belgium, provides country and travel information.
Diplomatic Missions of Burkina Faso
Address list of embassies and consulates abroad.
Foreign Diplomatic Missions to Burkina Faso
Address list of Foreign Diplomatic Missions to Burkina.


Statistics
Institut National de la Statistique et de la Demographie (INSD)
Statistical and other information by National Institute of Statistic and Demographics.


Maps
profile Map of Burkina Faso
Political map of Burkina Faso showing Burkina's provinces, cities and towns.
Google Earth Google Earth Burkina Faso
Zoomable satellite view of Burkina Faso.
Google Earth Google Earth Ouagadougou
Zoomable satellite view of Burkina Faso's capital city.
to Map of Africa
Political Map of Africa.

 

News

Agence d'Information du Burkina
Burkina press agency (in French)

Le faso.net
Press review (in French).
L'Observateur Paalga
Burkina daily (in French)
Le Pays
Burkina Faso daily news (in French).
Sidwaya Quotidien
Daily news from Burkina Faso (in French).
San Finna
Weekly magazine (in French).

TV
Télévision du Burkina TNB
National TV station (in French)
 

 

Arts & Culture

Ministère des Arts et et de la Culture
Ministry of Art and Culture of Burkina Faso.

Festival Panafricain du Cinéma et de la Télévision de Ouagadougou
Next Panafrican Film and Television Festival (FESPACO) will be held 2007.

Museum of Manéga
Manega Bendrologie Museum - mystics and cultures of Sahelian nations.

Musée des civilisations du sud-ouest
Museum devoted to the history, arts and the traditions of the people of south-west: Gan and Lobi.
 

 

Business & Economy

Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO)
Central Bank of Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Togo.

Union Économique et Monétaire Ouest Africaine (UEMOA)
West African Economic and Monetary Union (in French)
IZF.net, le portail de la Zone Franc CFA
Information about business and investment in the African countries within the monetary system of the Franc Zone - CFA. (in French)

Chambre de Commerce, d'Industrie et d'Artisanat du Burkina
The Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Craft.

Handicrafts From Burkina Faso
Site provides comprehensive information on arts and crafts of Burkina.
Salon International de l'Artisanat de Ouagadougou (SIAO)
International Arts and crafts fair.

___ Transportation
Air Burkina
The national airline based in Ouagadougou operating scheduled services to domestic and regional destinations in Togo, Benin, Mali, Niger, Côte d'Ivoire Ghana and France (Paris).
 
 

Destination Burkina Faso - Travel and Tour Guides

Discover Burkina Faso: attractions, festivals, events, tourist boards, tours and more.

Bienvenue au Burkina Faso
Official travel and tourism information on Burkina Faso (in French)

Le Pays Lobi
Geography, history, and society of the Lobi (in French).
Le Pays Kassena
Geography, history, and society of the Kassena people (in French).
Le Pays Sénoufo
Geography, history, and society of the Sénoufo nation (in French).


Cities
l'Association des Municpalités du Burkina Faso
Association of Burkina's municipalities with information about the cities (in French).

Ouagadougou
Commune de Ouagadougou
Official website of the capital city.

ABC Burkina
Discover the rural world of Burkina Faso.
Dogonalbum
Photogallery of the Dogon people.
Ouaganet.com
A community portal site for and about Burkina Faso.
 
 Books about Travel in Burkina Faso

US books 

Books about Burkina Faso
   Books about Burkina Faso
   Guide Burkina Faso (in French)
UK books  Burkina Faso Books
fr books  Guide Burkina Faso
German books  Bücher über Burkina Faso

Turka Habitat
Turka Habitat © culture.gov.bf

Education

Institute de recherche pour le développement Burkina Faso
French science and technology research institute for research, consultancy and training.
Université de Ouagadougou
Official website of Ouagadougou University (in French)
 
 

Environment

Clearing-House Mechanism of Burkina Faso
Biodiversity conservation related information from Burkina Faso.
Programme des Nations Unies pour le Développement au Burkina Faso
United Nations Development Program for Burkina Faso.
 
 

History

L'Histoire du Burkina Faso
History of Burkina Faso (in French)
Histoire du Burkina
Burkina's history and time line (in French)
 
 

Search

Portail des sites WEB du Burkina
A list of Burkina Faso websites.

Additional Information on Burkina Faso

Africa South of the Sahara: Burkina Faso
Stanford University.
BBC News Country Profile: Burkina Faso
Governments on the WWW: Burkina Faso
Index on Africa: Burkina Faso
MBendi Profile: Burkina Faso
Including economic overviews and directories of companies.
Open Directory Project: Burkina Faso
Wikipedia: Burkina Faso
The World Factbook -- Burkina Faso
 
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The Burkina Faso page was last modified on: Friday, 24-Jul-2009 18:47:41 CEST


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