1982 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1982 (Wikisource)
Geography
Area
274,540 km2; 50% pastureland, 21% fallow, 10% cultivated, 9% forest and scrub, 10% waste and other uses
Land boundaries
3,307 km
People and Society
Ethnic divisions
more than 50 tribes; principal tribe is Mossi (about 2.5 million); other important groups are Gurunsi, Senufo, Lobi, Bobo, Mande, and Fulani
Labor force
about 95% of the economically active population engaged in animal husbandry, subsistence farming, and related agricultural pursuits; about 30,000 are wage earners; about 20% of male labor force migrates annually to neighboring countries for seasonal employment
Language
French official; tribal languages belong to Sudanic family, spoken by 50% of the population
Literacy
5%-10%
Nationality
noun—Upper Voltan(s); adjective—Upper-Voltan
Organized labor
4 principal trade union groups, represent less than 1% of population
Population
6,208,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 2.4%
Religion
majority of population animist, about 20% Muslim, 5% Christian (mainly Catholic)
Government
Branches
President is an army officer; 17-man military and civilian Cabinet was appointed 7 December 1980; Supreme Court
Capital
Ouagadougou
Communists
no Communist party; some sympathizers
Elections
political process suspended pending gradual return to civilian rule Political parties and leaders: all political parties banned following November 1980 coup
Government leaders
Col. Sayé ZERBO, President, Military Committee of Reform for National Progress (CMRPN); Lt. Col. Félix TIENTARABOUM, Foreign Minister
Legal system
based on French civil law system and customary law
Member of
AFDB, CEAO, EAMA, ECA, EIB (associate), Entente, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IPU, ISCON, ITU, NAM, Niger River Commission, OAU, OCAM, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
National holiday
Proclamation of the Republic, 11 December
Official name
Republic of Upper Volta
Other political or pressure groups
labor organizations are badly splintered, students and teachers occasionally strike; recent strike helped precipitate military coup
Political subdivisions
10 departments, composed of 44 cercles, headed by civilian administrators
Suffrage
universal for adults
Type
military; on 25 November 1980 a bloodless military coup ended three years of civilian rule and suspended political activity
Economy
Agriculture
cash crops—peanuts, shea nuts, sesame, cotton; food crops–sorghum, millet, corn, rice; livestock; largely self-sufficient
Aid
economic commitments–Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF (1970-79), $693.0 million; US authorized including Ex-Im (FY70-80) $122.4 million
Budget
(1980) revenue $190.4 million, current expenditures $166.6 million, development expenditures $27.9 million
Electric power
30,000 kW capacity (1980); 90 million kWh produced (1980), 13 kWh per capita
Exports
$118.6 million (f.o.b., 1980 est.); livestock (on the hoof), peanuts, shea nut products, cotton, sesame
Fiscal year
calendar year
Fishing
catch 7,000 metric tons (1979 est.)
GNP
$1,100 million (1980), $177 per capita; real growth, 2.5% (1980)
Imports
$236.0 million (c.i.f., 1980 est.); textiles, food, and other consumer goods, transport equipment, machinery, fuels
Major industries
agricultural processing plants, brewery, bottling, and brick plants; a few other light industries
Major trade partners
Ivory Coast and Ghana; overseas trade mainly with France and other EC countries; preferential tariff to EC and franc zone countries
Monetary conversion rate
about 211.3 Communaute Financiere Africaine francs=US$1 (1980)
Communications
Airfields
55 total, 54 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 3 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
no major transport aircraft
Highways
8,316 km total; 967 km paved, 5,639 km improved, 1,710 km unimproved
Railroads
1,173 km Ouagadougou to Abidjan (Ivory Coast line); 516 km meter gauge (1.00 m), single track in Upper Volta
Telecommunications
all services only fair; radio relay, wire, radiocommunication stations in use; 8,600 telephones (under 0.14 per 100 popl.); 2 AM stations, 1 FM station, and 1 TV station; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT station
Military and Security
Military manpower
males 15-49, 1,373,000; 691,000 fit for military service; no conscription
Supply
mainly dependent on France, FRG, and UK