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___ Burkina Faso |
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A virtual guide to Burkina Faso, the 'land of the upright/honest people'. Burkina Faso (formerly known as Upper Volta; French: Haute Volta) is a landlocked country located in the middle
of West Africa's "hump." The northern part lies geographically in the Sahel zone, the transition zone between the Sahara Desert in north and the tropical savanna in south. Burkina's landscape offers one major scenario, flat, with some rocky cliffs in Centre-Nord region and at the Banfora Escarpment arround Bobo-Dioulasso, the country's second largest city. The country sits on an extensive plateau, it is bordered by Mali in north and north west, by Niger in north east, by Benin in south east and by Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, and Togo in south. Burkina covers an area of 274,222 km², this is about three times the size of Austria, or slightly larger than the U.S. state of Colorado. Burkina Faso has a population of 19 million (in 2016); capital and largest city is Ouagadougou. Spoken languages are French (official), and several native languages of the Niger–Congo family like Mossi, Fulani and Dioula, spoken by about 90% of the Burkinabe population. |
Burkina Faso |
Country Profile |
Background: 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. In 2014 protests and mass uprising in Burkina led to the overthrow of long-serving ruler Blaise Compaore. Blaise Compaore has managed to run down one of the poorest countries on the planet for 27 years. Related countries: France |
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: Sun-Nov-10 08:10 Country Calling Code: +226 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 km² (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: 19 million (2016) 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 - commodities: gold, cotton, livestock Exports partners: Switzerland 53.3%, India 14.5% (2015) Imports - commodities: capital goods, foodstuffs, petroleum Imports partners: Cote dIvoire 23.1%, France 11.1%, Togo 7.5%, China 4.8%, Ghana 4.6% (2015) Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF) |
Image: Sputniktilt Official Sites of Burkina FasoNote: External links will open in a new browser window.Government of Burkina Faso Official website of the Government of Burkina Faso (in French) Ministère des Affaires Etrangères Official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 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. Ambassade du Burkina à Paris Burkina's embassy in France. Statistics Institut National de la Statistique et de la Demographie (INSD) Statistical and other information by National Institute of Statistic and Demographics. MapsMap of Burkina FasoPolitical map of Burkina Faso showing Burkina's provinces, cities and towns. Administrative Map of Burkina Faso Map of the 45 administrative provinces of Burkina Faso. Google Earth Burkina Faso Searchable map/satellite view of Burkina Faso. Google Earth Ouagadougou Searchable map/satellite view of Burkina Faso's capital city. African Continent: Map of Africa Political Map of Africa. Relief Map of Africa Map of West Africa Political Map of West Africa. |
NewsAgence d'Information du Burkina Burkina press agency (in French) Burkina24 Burkina news (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). TV RTB :: Radiodiffusion Télévision du Burkina National TV station (in French) Opinion Signal from the 'land of upright people' An article by Claus Stäcker: head of Deutsche Welle's Africa department. |
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Image: Alexander Leisser Arts & CultureMinistère des Arts 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. Ethnic groups: Mossi (48%, the people in central Burkina Faso, largest ethnic group) Fulani (10%, Fula people or Wolof, also Pël (Poel), are one of the largest ethnolinguistic groups in Africa) Lobi (7%), the Lobi people originated from what is today Ghana, they migrated into southern Burkina Faso and later into Côte d'Ivoire. Bobo (7%), Bobo people, an ethnic group living in the area of Bobo-Dioulasso in central west Burkina. Mandé (7%), Mandé people. Kassena, an ethnic group inhabiting the Kingdom of Dagbon in northern Ghana, and southern Burkina Faso, they are part of the Gurunsi people. |
Image: Hugues Business & EconomyCentral Bank of West African States (BCEAO) Central Bank of Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Togo. These countries comprise the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA). 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 du Burkina Faso The Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Salon International de l'Artisanat de Ouagadougou (SIAO) Annual International Arts and crafts fair in Ouagadougou. ___ Transportation Air Burkina The national airline based in Ouagadougou operating scheduled services to one domestic destination, Bobo-Dioulasso, and regional destinations in, Benin (Cotonou), Côte d'Ivoire (Abidjan; Ivory Coast), Ghana (Accra), Mali (Bamako), Niger (Niamey), Senegal (Dakar) and Togo (Lomé) . |
Image: Sean Moran Travel and Tour Consumer Information
Destination Burkina Faso - Travel and Tour GuidesDiscover Burkina Faso: Ouagadougou (capital and center of the Mossi Empire), Moro-Naba Ceremony (weekly Mossi show with a horse and traditional beer, and kola nut drinks), National Museum Ouagadougou (masks, ancestral statues and traditional costumes), Bobo Dioulasso (city with small-town Sahelian charm), Karfiguéla Falls at Komoé river, Tiébélé (Sahelian culture, stylish painted earthen huts), Mare aux Hippopotames (Hippo Lake, a biosphere reserve with a lake and a national park in the floodplain of the Volta Noire River). Burkinatourism Travel and tourism information on Burkina Faso (in French). Burkina.com Tourism, Travel, & Information Guide to Burkina Faso. 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). 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. Image: Guillaume Colin & Pauline Penot |
- culture.gov.bf - culture.gov.bf |
Image: Global Partnership for Education - GPE EducationInstitute 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 & NatureConvention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Biodiversity Convention related information about Burkina Faso. Programme des Nations Unies pour le Développement au Burkina Faso United Nations Development Program for Burkina Faso. |
HistoryL'Histoire du Burkina Faso avant l’indépendance L'Histoire du Burkina Faso après l’indépendance History of Burkina Faso before and after independence (in French) Burkina Faso profile - Timeline Burkina Faso historical timeline by BBC, A chronology of key events. History of Burkina Faso Burkina's history and timeline by Wikipedia. |
Major Cities in West Africa Abidjan, Abuja, Accra, Bamako, Banjul, Bissau, Conakry, Cotonou, Dakar, Freetown, Lagos, Lomé, Monrovia, Niamey, Nouakchott, Ouagadougou, Porto-Novo, Praia, Sao Tome City, Yamoussoukro Other Countries of Western Africa Benin | Cape Verde | Côte d'Ivoire | Gambia | Ghana | Guinea | Guinea-Bissau | Liberia Mali | Mauritania | Niger | Nigeria | Senegal | Sierra Leone | Togo |
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