Burkina Faso

Official Name	Burkina Faso
Capital	Ouagadougou
Population	11.9 million
Area	274,200 sq km or 105,869 sq mi
Currency	Franc ($1= 724.11)
Religion	Islam and tribal beliefs
Literacy	19%
Languages	French and Sudanic tribal languages
Major Cities	Ouagadougou, Koudougou, Banfora
Climate	Mainly hot, wet summers and dry, cool winters

Formerly a province of French West Africa, Burkina Faso gained independence in 1960. Though agriculture is the main source of income, the country is heavily dependent on foreign aid for its development.

Physical Map of Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso is located on a plateau sloping generally to the south.

The plateau is drained to the south by the Black Volta (Mouhoun), Red Volta (Nazinon), and White Volta (Nakanbe) rivers and to the east by small rivers connecting with the Niger. None of these rivers are navigable.

Location of Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso is bound by Mali on the north and west, by Niger on the east and by Benin, Togo, Ghana, and Còte d'Ivoire on the south.
Climate of Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso experiences a dry, cool season from November through March. The months of April and May witness dry, hot summers while June through October sees hot summers accompanied with rainfall. The annual rainfall decreases from more than 1,000 mm in the southwest, the most agriculturally productive part of the country, to less than 250 mm in the north. Rainfall is heaviest during summers.

Flag of Burkina Faso
The Burkina Faso Flag has two equal horizontal bands - red at the top and green at the bottom. There is yellow five-pointed star in the center.

Flora And Fauna of Burkina Faso
Most of the country is covered with grass and small trees. Animals include the elephants, hippopotamuses, buffalo, antelope, and crocodiles.

People of Burkina Faso
The people of Burkina Faso can be divided into two major West African cultural groups - the Voltaic and the Mande. The Voltaic are the majority and include the Mossi, who constitute nearly half the population. Other ethnic groups include the Fulani, Lobi, Bobo, Senufo, Gourounsi, Bissa, and Gourmantche.

Most of the population resides in rural areas. While French is the official language, languages pertaining to the Sudanic family are also spoken by about 90 percent of the population. About 49 percent of the population consists of Muslims and only about 34 percent follow traditional religions. The remaining 16 constitute the Christians, who are mostly Roman Catholic.

Economy of Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso is a landlocked country with a very poor economy.The population is very high and 90% of them are engaged in agriculture. But the country lacks the required natural resources and has fragile soil that is deeply affected by the variations in climatic conditions. Industry remains dominated by government-controlled corporations and has not been generating profits.

Following the African franc currency devaluation in January 1994, the government has updated its development program in collaboration with international agencies, and since then exports and economic growth have increased, but it still has a long way to go.