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| Geography |
| Landlocked savanna cut by the three principal rivers of the Black, Red, and White Voltas |
| Location: |
Western Africa, north of Ghana |
| Geographic coordinates: |
13 00 N, 2 00 W |
| Area: |
total: 274,200 sq km land: 273,800 sq km water: 400 sq kmSize comparison: slightly larger than Colorado |
| Land Boundaries: |
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 |
| Coastline: |
0 km (landlocked) |
| Maritime claims: |
none (landlocked) |
| Climate: |
tropical; warm, dry winters; hot, wet summers |
| Terrain: |
mostly flat to dissected, undulating plains; hills in west and southeast |
| Elevation extremes: |
lowest point: Mouhoun (Black Volta) River 200 m highest point: Tena Kourou 749 m |
| Natural resources: |
manganese, limestone, marble; small deposits of gold, phosphates, pumice, salt |
| Land use: |
arable land: 17.66% permanent crops: 0.22% other: 82.12% (2005) |
| Irrigated land: |
300 sq km (2003) |
| Natural hazards: |
recurring droughts |
| Current Environment Issues: |
recent droughts and desertification severely affecting agricultural activities, population distribution, and the economy; overgrazing; soil degradation; deforestation |
| International Environment Agreements: |
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 |
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| People |
| Population: |
17,812,961 (July 2013 est.) 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 |
| Age structure: |
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.) population pyramid: |
| Median age: |
total: 17 years male: 16.8 years female: 17.2 years (2012 est.) |
| Population growth rate: |
3.073% (2012 est.) |
| Birth rate: |
43.2 births/1,000 population (2012 est.) |
| Death rate: |
12.47 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.) |
| Net migration rate: |
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.) |
| Sex ratio: |
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2011 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: |
total: 79.84 deaths/1,000 live births male: 87.26 deaths/1,000 live births female: 72.19 deaths/1,000 live births (2012 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth: |
total population: 54.07 years male: 52.09 years female: 56.1 years (2012 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: |
6 children born/woman (2013 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS – adult prevalence rate: |
1.2% (2009 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS – people living with HIV/AIDS: |
110,000 (2009 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS – deaths: |
7,100 (2009 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun: Burkinabe (singular and plural) adjective: Burkinabe |
| Ethnic groups: |
Mossi over 40%, other approximately 60% (includes Gurunsi, Senufo, Lobi, Bobo, Mande, and Fulani) |
| Religions: |
Muslim 60.5%, Catholic 19%, animist 15.3%, Protestant 4.2%, other 0.6%, none 0.4% |
| Languages: |
French (official), native African languages belonging to Sudanic family spoken by 90% of the population |
| Literacy: |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 21.8% male: 29.4% female: 15.2% (2003 est.) |
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| Government |
| Country name: |
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 |
| Government type: |
parliamentary republic |
| Capital: |
name: Ouagadougou geographic coordinates: 12 22 N, 1 31 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Administrative divisions: |
13 regions; Boucle du Mouhoun, Cascades, Centre, Centre-Est, Centre-Nord, Centre-Ouest, Centre-Sud, Est, Hauts-Bassins, Nord, Plateau-Central, Sahel, Sud-Ouest |
| Independence: |
5 August 1960 (from France) |
| National holiday: |
Republic Day, 11 December (1958); note – commemorates the day that Upper Volta became an autonomous republic in the French Community |
| Constitution: |
approved by referendum 2 June 1991; formally adopted 11 June 1991; last amended January 2002 |
| Legal system: |
civil law based on the French model and customary law |
| Suffrage: |
18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch: |
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 (For more information visit the World Leaders website ) 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% |
| Legislative branch: |
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 |
| Judicial branch: |
Supreme Court of Appeals or Cour de Cassation; Council of State or Conseil d’Etat; Court of Accounts or la Cour des Comptes; Constitutional Council or Conseil Constitutionnel |
| Political parties and leaders: |
African Democratic Rally-Alliance for Democracy and Federation or ADF-RDA [Gilbert OUEDRAOGO]; Citizen’s Popular Rally or RPC [Antoine QUARE]; Coalition of Democratic Forces of Burkina or CFD-B [Amadou Diemdioda DICKO]; Congress for Democracy and Progress or CDP [Roch Marc-Christian KABORE]; Democratic and Popular Rally or RDP [Nana THIBAUT]; Movement for Tolerance and Progress or MTP [Nayabtigungou Congo KABORE]; Party for African Independence or PAI [Soumane TOURE]; Party for Democracy and Progress-Socialist Party or PDP-PS [Ali LANKOANDE]; Party for Democracy and Socialism/Metba or PDS/Metba [Hama Arba DIALLO]; Party for National Rebirth or PAREN [Jeanne TRAORE]; Rally for the Development of Burkina or RDB [Antoine KARGOUGOU]; Rally of Ecologists of Burkina Faso or RDEB [Ram OUEDRAGO]; Republican Party for Integration and Solidarity or PARIS; Union for Democracy and Social Progress or UDPS [Fidele HIEN]; Union for Progress and Reform; Union for Rebirth – Sankarist Movement or UNIR-MS [Benewende STANISLAS]; Union for the Republic or UPR [Toussaint Abel COULIBALY]; Union of Sankarist Parties or UPS [Ernest Nongma OUEDRAOGO] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: |
Burkinabe General Confederation of Labor or CGTB [Tole SAGNON]; Burkinabe Movement for Human Rights or MBDHP [Chrysigone ZOUGMORE]; Group of 14 February [Benewende STANISLAS]; National Confederation of Burkinabe Workers or CNTB [Laurent OUEDRAOGO]; National Organization of Free Unions or ONSL [Paul KABORE] other: watchdog/political action groups throughout the country in both organizations and communities |
| International organization participation: |
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 |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: |
chief of mission: Ambassador Seydou BOUDA chancery: 2340 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-5577 FAX: [1] (202) 667-1882 |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: |
chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas DOUGHERTY 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 |
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| Economy |
| 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 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. |
| GDP (purchasing power parity): |
GDP (purchasing power parity): $24.03 billion (2012 est.) $22.46 billion (2011 est.) $21.56 billion (2010 est.) note: data are in 2012 US dollars |
| GDP (official exchange rate): |
GDP (official exchange rate): $10.27 billion (2012 est.) |
| GDP – real growth rate: |
7% (2012 est.) 4.2% (2011 est.) 7.9% (2010 est.) |
| GDP – per capita (PPP): |
GDP – per capita (PPP): $1,400 (2012 est.) $1,300 (2011 est.) $1,300 (2010 est.) note: data are in 2012 US dollars |
| GDP – composition by sector: |
agriculture: 34.4% industry: 23.4% services: 42.2% (2012 est.) |
| Labor force: |
6.668 million note: a large part of the male labor force migrates annually to neighboring countries for seasonal employment (2007) |
| Labor force – by occupation: |
agriculture: 90% industry and services: 10% (2000 est.) |
| Unemployment rate: |
77% (2004) |
| Population below poverty line: |
46.7% (2009 est.) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%: 2.9% highest 10%: 32.2% (2009 est.) |
| Distribution of family income – Gini index: |
39.5 (2007) 48.2 (1994) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices): |
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.5% (2012 est.) 2.8% (2011 est.) |
| Investment (gross fixed): |
Investment (gross fixed): 20.5% of GDP (2012 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues: $2.256 billion expenditures: $2.693 billion (2012 est.) |
| Agriculture – products: |
cotton, peanuts, shea nuts, sesame, sorghum, millet, corn, rice; livestock |
| Industries: |
cotton lint, beverages, agricultural processing, soap, cigarettes, textiles, gold |
| Industrial production growth rate: |
5.5% (2010 est.) |
| Electricity – production: |
664.4 million kWh (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 157 |
| Electricity – consumption: |
762.5 million kWh (2009 est.) |
| Electricity – exports: |
0 kWh (2010 est.) |
| Electricity – imports: |
144.6 million kWh (2009 est.) |
| Natural gas – production: |
0 cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas – consumption: |
0 cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas – exports: |
0 cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas – imports: |
0 cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas – proved reserves: |
0 cu m (1 January 2012 est.) |
| Current account balance: |
-$481.1 million (2012 est.) -$125.8 million (2011 est.) |
| Exports: |
$2.734 billion (2012 est.) $2.438 billion (2011 est.) |
| Exports – commodities: |
gold, cotton, livestock |
| Exports – partners: |
China 21%, Turkey 16.9%, Singapore 8.4%, Indonesia 6.6%, Thailand 4.9%, Malaysia 4.3% (2011) |
| Imports: |
$2.868 billion (2012 est.) $2.347 billion (2011 est.) |
| Imports – commodities: |
capital goods, foodstuffs, petroleum |
| Imports – partners: |
Cote dIvoire 16.7%, France 15.2%, Ghana 5%, Togo 4.7%, Belgium 4.2% (2011) |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: |
$1.433 billion (31 December 2012 est.) $957 million (31 December 2011 est.) |
| Debt – external: |
$2.442 billion (31 December 2012 est.) $2.336 billion (31 December 2011 est.) |
| Market value of publicly traded shares: |
$NA |
| Exchange rates: |
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar – 514.1 (2012 est.) 471.87 (2011 est.) 495.28 (2010 est.) 472.19 (2009) 447.81 (2008) |
| Fiscal year: |
calendar year |
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| Communications |
| Telephones in use: |
141,500 (2011) country comparison to the world: 136 |
| Cellular Phones in use: |
7.682 million (2011) |
| Telephone system: |
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) |
| Radio broadcast stations: |
|
| Television broadcast stations: |
|
| Internet country code: |
.bf |
| Internet hosts: |
1,795 (2012) |
| Internet users: |
178,100 (2009) |
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| Transportation |
| Airports: |
24 (2012) country comparison to the world: 131 |
| Airports (paved runways): |
total: 2 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2012) |
| Airports (unpaved runways): |
total: 22 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 12 under 914 m: 6 (2012) |
| Railways: |
total: 622 km narrow gauge: 622 km 1.000-m gauge note: another 660 km of this railway extends into Cote d’Ivoire (2008) |
| Roadways: |
total: 15,272 km note: does not include urban roads (2010) |
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| Military |
|
| Military branches: |
Army, Air Force of Burkina Faso (Force Aerienne de Burkina Faso, FABF), National Gendarmerie (2011) |
| Military service age and obligation: |
18 years of age for voluntary military service; women may serve in supporting roles (2009) |
| Manpower available for military service: |
males age 16-49: 3,735,735 (2010 est.) |
| Manpower fit for military service: |
males age 16-49: 2,366,168 females age 16-49: 2,367,673 (2010 est.) |
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