Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta) achieved independence from France in 1960. Repeated military coups during the 1970s and 1980s were followed by multiparty elections in the early 1990s. Current President Blaise COMPAORE came to power in a 1987 military coup and has won every election since then. Burkina Faso's high population density and limited natural resources result in poor economic prospects for the majority of its citizens.

Western Africa, north of Ghana

slightly larger than Colorado

tropical; warm, dry winters; hot, wet summers

mostly flat to dissected, undulating plains; hills in west and southeast

manganese, limestone, marble; small deposits of gold, phosphates, pumice, salt

recent droughts and desertification severely affecting agricultural activities, population distribution, and the economy; overgrazing; soil degradation; deforestation

landlocked savanna cut by the three principal rivers of the Black, Red, and White Voltas

Mossi over 40%, other approximately 60% (includes Gurunsi, Senufo, Lobi, Bobo, Mande, and Fulani)

French (official), native African languages belonging to Sudanic family spoken by 90% of the population

Muslim 60.5%, Catholic 19%, animist 15.3%, Protestant 4.2%, other 0.6%, none 0.4%

17,275,115 (July 2012 est.)

43.2 births/1,000 population (2012 est.)

12.47 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.)

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.)

OUAGADOUGOU (capital) 1.777 million (2009)

300 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)

6.07 children born/woman (2012 est.)

0.064 physicians/1,000 population (2008)

0.9 beds/1,000 population (2006)

urban: 33% of population

rural: 6% of population

total: 11% of population

urban: 67% of population

rural: 94% of population

total: 89% of population

parliamentary republic

13 regions; Boucle du Mouhoun, Cascades, Centre, Centre-Est, Centre-Nord, Centre-Ouest, Centre-Sud, Est, Hauts-Bassins, Nord, Plateau-Central, Sahel, Sud-Ouest

5 August 1960 (from France)

Republic Day, 11 December (1958); note - commemorates the day that Upper Volta became an autonomous republic in the French Community

approved by referendum 2 June 1991; formally adopted 11 June 1991; last amended January 2002

civil law based on the French model and customary law

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

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)

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

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]

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]

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

two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a yellow five-pointed star in the center; red recalls the country's struggle for independence, green is for hope and abundance, and yellow represents the country's mineral wealth

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.

$24.03 billion (2012 est.)

$22.46 billion (2011 est.)

$21.56 billion (2010 est.)

$10.27 billion (2012 est.)

20.5% of GDP (2012 est.)

22% of GDP (2012 est.)

-4.3% of GDP (2012 est.)

4.25% (31 December 2010 est.)

4.25% (31 December 2009 est.)

$1.9 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$1.56 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$3.91 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$2.805 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$2.414 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$1.705 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

cotton, peanuts, shea nuts, sesame, sorghum, millet, corn, rice; livestock

-$481.1 million (2012 est.)

-$125.8 million (2011 est.)

$2.734 billion (2012 est.)

$2.438 billion (2011 est.)

gold, cotton, livestock

China 21%, Turkey 16.9%, Singapore 8.4%, Indonesia 6.6%, Thailand 4.9%, Malaysia 4.3% (2011)

$2.868 billion (2012 est.)

$2.347 billion (2011 est.)

capital goods, foodstuffs, petroleum

Cote dIvoire 16.7%, France 15.2%, Ghana 5%, Togo 4.7%, Belgium 4.2% (2011)

$1.433 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$957 million (31 December 2011 est.)

$2.442 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$2.336 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar -

664.4 million kWh (2009 est.)

762.5 million kWh (2009 est.)

144.6 million kWh (2009 est.)

252,000 kW (2009 est.)

87.3% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

12.7% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

0 bbl/day (2011 est.)

0 bbl/day (2009 est.)

0 bbl (1 January 2012 est.)

0 bbl/day (2008 est.)

9,960 bbl/day (2011 est.)

0 bbl/day (2008 est.)

12,540 bbl/day (2008 est.)

0 cu m (1 January 2012 est.)

1.441 million Mt (2010 est.)

7.682 million (2011)

2 TV stations - 1 state-owned and 1 privately-owned; state-owned radio runs a national and regional network; substantial number of privately-owned radio stations; transmissions of several international broadcasters available in Ouagadougou (2007)

Army, Air Force of Burkina Faso (Force Aerienne de Burkina Faso, FABF), National Gendarmerie (2011)

18 years of age for voluntary military service; women may serve in supporting roles (2009)

adding to illicit cross-border activities, Burkina Faso has issues concerning unresolved boundary alignments with its neighbors; demarcation is currently underway with Mali, the dispute with Niger was referred to the ICJ in 2010, and a dispute over several villages with Benin persists; Benin retains a border dispute with Burkina Faso around the town of Koualou