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Burkina Faso Country Guide
Explore Burkina Faso in Africa
Burkina Faso with the capital city Ouagadougou is located in Africa (Western Africa, north of Ghana). It covers some 274,200 square kilometres (slightly larger than Colorado) with 14,761,000 citizens.
The topography includes mostly flat to dissected, undulating plains with hills in west and southeast. The average density of population is approximately 54 per km². The notable climate conditions in Burkina Faso can be described as tropical with warm, dry winters and hot, wet summers. Possible natural disasters include recurring droughts.
To reach someone in Burkina Faso dial +226 prior to a number. There are 167,000 installed telephones. And there are 3,299,000 registered mobile phones. The cellular networks commonly support frequencies of 900 MHz. Websites registered in this country end with the top level domain ".bf". If you want to bring electric equipment on your trip (e.g. laptop power supply), note the local power outlet of 220V - 50Hz.
About the flag and history of Burkina Faso
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 note: uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia.
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.
Geography Quick-Facts
| Summary | Continent: Africa Neighbours: Niger, Benin, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Togo, Mali Capital: Ouagadougou |
| Size | 274,200 square kilometers (km² or sqkm) or 105,869 square miles (mi² or sqmi) slightly larger than Colorado |
| Population | 14,761,000 |
| Currency | Name Franc, Currency Code:XOF |
| Country Top Level Domain (cTLD) | .bf |
| Telephone Country Prefix | +226 |
| Mobile Phone Connections | 3,299,000 |
| Landline Phone Connections | 167,000 |
Country Position in World Rankings
Information about single country attributes and how these compare against the rest of the world. The information below is compiled with data from 2013. As such, it may differ a bit to the Information above in the text (which is from 2010).
Geography
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 274,200 (sq km) | 75 |
People and Society
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 17,812,961 | 60 |
| Population growth rate | 3.06 (%) | 7 |
| Birth rate | 42.81 (births/1,000 population) | 4 |
| Death rate | 12.21 (deaths/1,000 population) | 27 |
| Maternal mortality rate | 300.00 (deaths/100,000 live births) | 38 |
| Infant mortality rate | 78.30 (deaths/1,000 live births) | 9 |
| Life expectancy at birth | 54.43 (years) | 206 |
| Total fertility rate | 6.00 (children born/woman) | 5 |
| Health expenditures | 6.70 (% of GDP) | 91 |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate | 1.20 (%) | 42 |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | 110,000 | 40 |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths | 7,100 | 29 |
| Obesity - adult prevalence rate | 2.30 (%) | 181 |
| Children under the age of 5 years underweight | 26.00 (%) | 24 |
| Education expenditures | 4.00 (% of GDP) | 111 |
| Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 | 3.80 (%) | 136 |
Economy
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (purchasing power parity) | 24,690,000,000 | 123 |
| GDP - real growth rate | 8.00 (%) | 19 |
| GDP - per capita (PPP) | 1,400 | 205 |
| Labor force | 6,668,000 | 65 |
| Unemployment rate | 77.00 (%) | 199 |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index | 39.50 | 63 |
| Investment (gross fixed) | 20.50 (% of GDP) | 89 |
| Taxes and other revenues | 21.60 (% of GDP) | 151 |
| Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) | -4.20 (% of GDP) | 143 |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 4.50 (%) | 125 |
| Central bank discount rate | 4.25 (%) | 83 |
| Stock of narrow money | 1,900,000,000 | 128 |
| Stock of broad money | 3,910,000,000 | 134 |
| Stock of domestic credit | 2,414,000,000 | 134 |
| Industrial production growth rate | 5.50 (%) | 56 |
| Current account balance | -481,100,000 | 94 |
| Exports | 2,734,000,000 | 135 |
| Imports | 2,868,000,000 | 151 |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | 1,433,000,000 | 127 |
| Debt - external | 2,442,000,000 | 140 |
Energy
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity - production | 664,400,000 (kWh) | 157 |
| Electricity - consumption | 762,500,000 (kWh) | 157 |
| Electricity - imports | 144,600,000 (kWh) | 90 |
| Electricity - installed generating capacity | 252,000 (kW) | 153 |
| Electricity - from fossil fuels | 87.30 (% of total installed capacity) | 82 |
| Electricity - from hydroelectric plants | 12.70 (% of total installed capacity) | 109 |
| Refined petroleum products - consumption | 9,960 (bbl/day) | 155 |
| Refined petroleum products - imports | 12,540 (bbl/day) | 128 |
| Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy | 1,441,000 (Mt) | 157 |
Communications
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Telephones - main lines in use | 141,500 | 136 |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 7,682,000 | 92 |
| Internet hosts | 1,795 | 164 |
| Internet users | 178,100 | 144 |
Transportation
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Airports | 24 | 131 |
| Railways | 622 (km) | 106 |
| Roadways | 15,272 (km) | 121 |
Military
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Military expenditures | 1.10 (% of GDP) | 120 |
Data based on CIA facts book 2010 & 2013, wikipedia, national statistical offices and their census releases
List of current world heritage sites
| Name | Since |
|---|---|
| Ruins of Loropéni The 11,130m2 property, the first to be inscribed in the country, with its imposing stone walls is the best preserved of ten fortresses in the Lobi area and is part of a larger group of 100 stone enclosures that bear testimony to the power of the tran ... | 2009 |