1990 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1990 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
tropical; warm, dry winters; hot, wet summers
Coastline
none--landlocked
Comparative area
slightly larger than Colorado
Disputes
the disputed international boundary between Burkina and Mali was submitted to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in October 1983 and the ICJ issued its final ruling in December 1986, which both sides agreed to accept; Burkina and Mali are proceeding with boundary demarcation, including the tripoint with Niger
Environment
recent droughts and desertification severely affecting marginal agricultural activities, population distribution, economy; overgrazing; deforestation
Land boundaries
3,192 km total; Benin 306 km, Ghana 548 km, Ivory Coast 584 km, Mali 1,000 km, Niger 628 km, Togo 126 km
Land use
10% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 37% meadows and pastures; 26% forest and woodland; 27% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Maritime claims
none--landlocked
Natural resources
manganese, limestone, marble; small deposits of gold, antimony, copper, nickel, bauxite, lead, phosphates, zinc, silver
Note
landlocked
Terrain
mostly flat to dissected, undulating plains; hills in west and southeast
Total area
274,200 km2; land area: 273,800 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
50 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate
17 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
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
Infant mortality rate
121 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Labor force
3,300,000 residents; 30,000 are wage earners; 82% agriculture, 13% industry, 5% commerce, services, and government; 20% of male labor force migrates annually to neighboring countries for seasonal employment (1984); 44% of population of working age (1985)
Language
French (official); tribal languages belong to Sudanic family, spoken by 90% of the population
Life expectancy at birth
51 years male, 52 years female (1990)
Literacy
13.2%
Nationality
noun--Burkinabe; adjective--Burkinabe
Net migration rate
- 3 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Organized labor
four principal trade union groups represent less than 1% of population
Population
9,077,828 (July 1990), growth rate 3.1% (1990)
Religion
65% indigenous beliefs, about 25% Muslim, 10% Christian (mainly Roman Catholic)
Total fertility rate
7.2 children born/woman (1990)
Government
Administrative divisions
30 provinces; Bam, Bazega, Bougouriba, Boulgou, Boulkiemde, Ganzourgou, Gnagna, Gourma, Houet, Kadiogo, Kenedougou, Komoe, Kossi, Kouritenga, Mouhoun, Namentenga, Naouri, Oubritenga, Oudalan, Passore, Poni, Sanguie, Sanmatenga, Seno, Sissili, Soum, Sourou, Tapoa, Yatenga, Zoundweogo
Capital
Ouagadougou
Communists
small Communist party front group; some sympathizers
Constitution
none; constitution of 27 November 1977 was abolished following coup of 25 November 1980
Diplomatic representation
Ambassador Paul Desire KABORE; Chancery at 2340 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 332-5577 or 6895; US--Ambassador David H. SHINN; Embassy at Avenue Raoul Follerau, Ouagadougou (mailing address is B. P. 35, Ouagadougou); telephone [226] 30-67-23 through 25
Elections
the National Assembly was dissolved 25 November 1980 and no elections are scheduled
Executive branch
chairman of the Popular Front, Council of Ministers
Flag
two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a yellow five-pointed star in the center; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia
Independence
5 August 1960 (from France; formerly Upper Volta)
Judicial branch
Appeals Court
Leaders
Chief of State and Head of Government--Chairman of the Popular Front Captain Blaise COMPAORE (since 15 October 1987)
Legal system
based on French civil law system and customary law
Legislative branch
unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale) was dissolved on 25 November 1980
Long-form name
Burkina Faso
Member of
ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEAO, EAMA, ECA, EIB (associate), Entente, FAO, GATT, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB--Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, IRC, ITU, NAM, Niger River Commission, OAU, OCAM, OIC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
National holiday
Anniversary of the Revolution, 4 August (1983)
Other political or pressure groups
committees for the defense of the revolution, watchdog/political action groups throughout the country in both organizations and communities
Political parties and leaders
all political parties banned following November 1980 coup
Suffrage
none
Type
military; established by coup on 4 August 1983
Economy
Agriculture
cash crops--peanuts, shea nuts, sesame, cotton; food crops--sorghum, millet, corn, rice; livestock; not self-sufficient in food grains
Aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $271 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $2.5 billion; Communist countries (1970-88), $94 million
Budget
revenues $422 million; expenditures $516 million, including capital expenditures of $25 million (1987)
Currency
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (plural--francs); 1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes
Electricity
121,000 kW capacity; 320 million kWh produced, 37 kWh per capita (1989)
Exchange rates
CFA francs (CFAF) per US$1--284.55 (January 1990), 319.01 (1989), 297.85 (1988), 300.54 (1987), 346.30 (1986), 449.26 (1985)
Exports
$249 million (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--oilseeds, cotton, live animals, gold; partners--EC 42% (France 30%, other 12%), Taiwan 17%, Ivory Coast 15% (1985)
External debt
$969 million (December 1988)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
$1.43 billion, per capita $170; real growth rate 7.7% (1988)
Imports
$591 million (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--grain, dairy products, petroleum, machinery; partners--EC 37% (France 23%, other 14%), Africa 31%, US 15%
Industrial production
growth rate 7.1% (1985)
Industries
agricultural processing plants; brewery, cement, and brick plants; a few other small consumer goods enterprises
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
4.3% (1988)
Overview
One of the poorest countries in the world, Burkina has a high population density, few natural resources, and relatively infertile soil. Economic development is hindered by a poor communications network within a landlocked country. Agriculture provides about 40% of GDP and is entirely of a subsistence nature. Industry, dominated by unprofitable government-controlled corporations, accounted for 13% of GDP in 1985.
Unemployment rate
NA%
Communications
Airports
50 total, 43 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 7 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
2 major transport aircraft
Highways
16,500 km total; 1,300 km paved, 7,400 km improved, 7,800 km unimproved (1985)
Railroads
620 km total; 520 km Ouagadougou to Ivory Coast border and 100 km Ouagadougou to Kaya; all 1.00-meter gauge and single track
Telecommunications
all services only fair; radio relay, wire, and radio communication stations in use; 13,900 telephones; stations--2 AM, 2 FM, 2 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
Military and Security
Branches
Army, Air Force
Defense expenditures
3.1% of GDP (1987)
Military manpower
males 15-49, 1,775,143; 904,552 fit for military service; no conscription