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Burkina Faso, also known as Burkina, is a landlocked nation of 105,714 sq mi (273,799 sq km) in West Africa. Surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the south east, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the south west.
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Burkina Faso was formerly called the Republic of Upper Volta. It was renamed on August 4, 1984, by President Thomas Sankara to mean "the land of upright people" in Moré and Dioula, the major native languages of the country. Literally, "Burkina" may be translated, "men of integrity," from the Moré language, and "Faso" means "father's house" in Dioula. The official language is French
The population of Burkina Faso is 14m, its infant mortality rate is 89.8/1000 and average life expectancy is 49.2years.The capital and largest city is Ouagadougou with a population of 962,100
Independence from France came in 1960. Governmental instability during the 1970s and 1980s was followed by multiparty elections in the early 1990s. Several hundred thousand farm workers migrate south every year to Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana in search of paid labour.
The inhabitants of Burkina Faso are known as Burkinabé
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Climate
Burkina Faso has a primarily tropical climate with two very distinct seasons: the rainy season with between 24-35 inches (600 and 900 mm) of rainfall, and the dry season during which the harmattan blows, a hot dry wind from the Sahara. The rainy season lasts approximately 4 months, May/June to September, and is shorter in the north of the country.
Three large climatic zones can be defined:
The Sahel in the north typically receives less than 24 inches (600 mm) rainfall a year and high temperatures 5–47 °C (40–115 °F).
A relatively dry tropical savanna, the Sahel extends beyond the borders of Burkina Faso, from the Horn of Africa to the Atlantic Ocean, and borders the Sahara to its north, and the fertile region of the Sudan to the South. Extreme temperatures recorded are 5.5C and 47.0C.
Situated between 11°3' and 13°5' north latitude, the Sudan-Sahel region is a transitional zone with regards to rainfall and temperature.
Further to the south, the Sudan-Guinea zone receives more than 35 inches (900 mm) rain a year and cooler average temperatures
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Economy
Burkina Faso is one of the poorest countries in the world, ranked as the 27th poorest nation alongside other nations such as the Republic of the Congo and Tajikistan. With an average GDP per capita income of only $1,200, agriculture represents 32% of its gross domestic product and occupies 80% of the working population of 5 million people. Agriculture consists mostly of livestock farming but also, especially in the south and southwest, of growing sorghum, pearl millet, maize (corn), peanuts, rice and cotton.
A large percentage of the male labour force migrates annually to neighbouring countries for seasonal employment.
Burkina Faso ‘s major trading partners are China, Singapore, Ghana, Bangladesh, France, Côte d'Ivoire and Togo.
Lack of work causes a high rate of emigration: for example, three million people from Burkina Faso live in Cote d’Ivoire.
According to the Central Bank of Western African States (Banque Centrale des États de l'Afrique de l'Ouest), these migrants send tens of billions of Euros back to Burkina Faso each year. Since the 1967 expulsions from Ghana, this migration has provoked tensions in the destination countries. The most recent crisis occurred followng events in 2003 in Côte d'Ivoire, which led to the return of 300,000 migrants. A large part of the economic activity of the country is funded by international aid. The currency of Burkina Faso is the CFA franc.
There is mineral exploitation of copper, iron, manganese and, above all, gold.
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History
The Bobo, Lobi, and Gurunsi peoples, with the Mossi and Gurma peoples immigrating to the region in the 14th century, originally inhabited Faso. 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, Burkina Faso 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, 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.
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 labour 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 the 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.
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.
50% of the population are Muslim, 40% have local beliefs while 10% are Christian (mainly Roman Catholic).
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