Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso
  • Burkĩna Faso (Mossi)
  • 𞤄𞤵𞤪𞤳𞤭𞤲𞤢 𞤊𞤢𞤧𞤮𞥅 (Fula)
  • Burkina Faso
  • ߓߙߎߞߌߣߊ߫ ߝߊ߬ߛߏ߫ (Dyula)
  • Burukina Faso
Motto: "La Patrie ou la Mort, Nous Vaincrons" (French)
"Homeland or Death, we will Conquer"
Anthem: Ditanyè
Capital
and largest city
Ouagadougou
12°22′N 1°32′W / 12.367°N 1.533°W / 12.367; -1.533
Official languages
Working languages
Ethnic groups
(2010 est.)[1]
Demonym(s)
  • Burkinabé
  • Burkinese
GovernmentUnitary republic under a military junta[3][4][5]
Ibrahim Traoré
Apollinaire Joachim Kyélem de Tambèla
LegislatureTransitional Legislative Assembly
History
• Republic of Upper Volta proclaimed
11 December 1958
• Independence from France
5 August 1960
3 January 1966
28 October – 3 November 2014
23–24 January 2022
30 September 2022
Area
• Total
274,223[6] km2 (105,878 sq mi) (74th)
• Water (%)
0.146%
Population
• 2023 estimate
22,489,126[6] (58th)
• Density
64/km2 (165.8/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)2023 estimate
• Total
Increase $62.788 billion[7] (114th)
• Per capita
Increase $2,682[7] (171st)
GDP (nominal)2023 estimate
• Total
Increase $20.785 billion[7] (124th)
• Per capita
Increase $888[7] (180th)
Gini (2021)Steady 37.4[8]
medium inequality
HDI (2022)Decrease 0.438[9]
low (185th)
CurrencyWest African CFA franc[10] (XOF)
Time zoneUTC+00:00
Date formatdd/mm/yyyy
Drives onright
Calling code+226
ISO 3166 codeBF
Internet TLD.bf

Burkina Faso[a] is a landlocked country in West Africa,[6] bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Ivory Coast to the southwest. It covers an area of 274,223 km2 (105,878 sq mi). In 2021, the country had an estimated population of approximately 23,674,480.[14] Previously called the Republic of Upper Volta (1958–1984), it was renamed Burkina Faso by former president Thomas Sankara. Its citizens are known as Burkinabè,[b] and its capital and largest city is Ouagadougou.

The largest ethnic group in Burkina Faso is the Mossi people, who settled the area in the 11th and 13th centuries. They established powerful kingdoms such as the Ouagadougou, Tenkodogo, and Yatenga. In 1896, it was colonized by the French as part of French West Africa; in 1958, Upper Volta became a self-governing colony within the French Community. In 1960, it gained full independence with Maurice Yaméogo as president. Since it gained its independence, the country has been subject to instability, droughts, famines and corruption. There have also been various coups, in 1966, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1987, and twice in 2022 (January and September). There were also unsuccessful coup attempts in 1989, 2015, and 2023.

Thomas Sankara came to power following a successful coup in 1983. As president, Sankara embarked on a series of ambitious socioeconomic reforms which included a nationwide literacy campaign, land redistribution to peasants, vaccinations for over 2 million children, railway and road construction, equalized access to education, and the outlawing of female genital mutilation, forced marriages, and polygamy. He served as the country's president until 1987 when he was deposed and assassinated in a coup led by Blaise Compaoré, who became president and ruled the country until his removal on 31 October 2014.

Since the mid-2010s, Burkina Faso has been severely affected by the rise of insurgencies in the Sahel. Several militias, partly allied with the Islamic State (IS) or al-Qaeda, operate in Burkina Faso and across the border in Mali and Niger. More than one million of the country's 21 million inhabitants are internally displaced persons. Burkina Faso's military seized power in a coup d'état on 23 and 24 January 2022, overthrowing President Roch Marc Kaboré. On 31 January, the military junta restored the constitution and appointed Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba as interim president, but he was himself overthrown in a second coup on 30 September and replaced by military captain Ibrahim Traoré.[15]

Burkina Faso remains one of the least developed countries in the world, with a GDP of $16.226 billion in 2022. Approximately 63.8% of its population practices Islam, while 26.3% practices Christianity.[2] The country's official language of government and business was French, until January 2024, by ratification of a constitutional amendment, the status of French was demoted to that of a "working language" of the country, alongside English.[16][17] While the Burkinabè government officially recognizes 60 indigenous languages, the Mooré language is spoken by over half the population.[18][19]

The country's territory is geographically biodiverse, and includes plentiful reserves of gold, manganese, copper and limestone. Due to its multicultural make-up, Burkinabè art has a rich and long history, and is globally renowned for its orthodox style.[20] The country is governed as a semi-presidential republic, with executive, legislative and judicial powers. It is a member of the United Nations, La Francophonie and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. On 18 January 2024, Burkina Faso announced its exit from ECOWAS and the African Union.

  1. ^ "Burkina Faso". The World Factbook (2024 ed.). Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2019. (Archived 2019 edition.)
  2. ^ a b Aib, Az (1 July 2022). "Burkina: 48,1% de la population du Sud-ouest pratique l'Animisme (officiel)". AIB – Agence d'Information du Burkina (in French). Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  3. ^ Ndiaga, Thiam; Mimault, Anne (30 September 2022). "Burkina Faso soldiers announce overthrow of military government". Ouagadougou. Retrieved 1 October 2022. Traore appeared on television surrounded by soldiers and announced the government was dissolved, the constitution suspended and the borders closed.
  4. ^ "Appolinaire Jean Kyelem de Tembela : "j'ai toujours voulu faire un livre sur la révolution"". thomassankara.net (in French). 4 April 2014. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  5. ^ Sylvestre-Treiner, Anna; Wendpouiré Nana, Michel (25 October 2022). "Burkina Faso: Apollinaire Kyélem de Tambèla, Captain Traoré's surprise prime minister". The Africa Report. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  6. ^ a b c "Burkina Faso". The World Factbook (2024 ed.). Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d "World Economic Outlook Database, October 2023 Edition. (BF)". IMF.org. International Monetary Fund. 10 October 2023. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  8. ^ "World Bank Open Data".
  9. ^ "Human Development Report 2023/2024" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 13 March 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  10. ^ CFA Franc BCEAO. Codes: XOF / 952 ISO 4217 currency names and code elements Archived 7 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine. ISO.
  11. ^ "burkina-faso noun – Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com". www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  12. ^ "ff_Adlm.xml". Unicode, Inc.
  13. ^ "Notes on cataloging in the N'ko script". Yale University Library.
  14. ^ "Burkina Faso Population 2024 (Demographics, Maps, Graphs)". worldpopulationreview.com.
  15. ^ "Burkina Faso restores constitution, names coup leader president". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  16. ^ Toe, Olivier (26 January 2024). "Burkina Faso: Captain Ibrahim Traoré formalises constitutional amendment in line with national realities". AfrikTimes. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  17. ^ "Decret Promulguant La Loi Constitutionnelle N° 045-2023/ALT" [Decree Promulgating Constitutional Law No. 045-2023/ALT] (PDF) (in French). 22 January 2024.
  18. ^ Brion, Corinne (November 2014). "Global voices Burkina Faso: Two languages are better than one". Phi Delta Kappan. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  19. ^ "Burkina Faso § People and Society". The World Factbook (2024 ed.). Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 11 March 2020. (Archived 2020 edition.)
  20. ^ Roy, Christopher D. "Countries of Africa: Burkina Faso," Art and Life in Africa, "Countries Resources". Archived from the original on 15 January 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2014.


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