1998 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1998 (Internet Archive)
Geography
Area
total: 274,200 sq km land: 273,800 sq km water: 400 sq km
Area-comparative
slightly larger than Colorado
Climate
tropical; warm, dry winters; hot, wet summers
Coastline
0 km (landlocked)
Elevation extremes
lowest point: Mouhoun (Black Volta) River 200 m highest point: Tena Kourou 749 m
Environment-current issues
recent droughts and desertification severely affecting agricultural activities, population distribution, and the economy; overgrazing; soil degradation; deforestation
Environment-international agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban
Geographic coordinates
13 00 N, 2 00 W
Geography-note
landlocked
Irrigated land
200 sq km (1993 est.)
Land boundaries
total: 3,192 km border countries: Benin 306 km, Ghana 548 km, Cote d'Ivoire 584 km, Mali 1,000 km, Niger 628 km, Togo 126 km
Land use
arable land: 13% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 22% forests and woodland: 50% other: 15% (1993 est.)
Location
Western Africa, north of Ghana
Map references
Africa
Maritime claims
none (landlocked)
Natural hazards
recurring droughts
Natural resources
manganese, limestone, marble; small deposits of gold, antimony, copper, nickel, bauxite, lead, phosphates, zinc, silver
Terrain
mostly flat to dissected, undulating plains; hills in west and southeast
People and Society
Age structure
0-14 years: 48% (male 2,721,564; female 2,687,770) 15-64 years: 49% (male 2,616,375; female 2,899,923) 65 years and over: 3% (male 146,195; female 194,566) (July 1998 est.)
Birth rate
46.24 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate
17.65 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Ethnic groups
Mossi about 24%, Gurunsi, Senufo, Lobi, Bobo, Mande, Fulani
Infant mortality rate
109.15 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)
Languages
French (official), tribal languages belonging to Sudanic family, spoken by 90% of the population
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 46.1 years male: 45.38 years female: 46.85 years (1998 est.)
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 19.2% male: 29.5% female: 9.2% (1995 est.)
Nationality
noun: Burkinabe (singular and plural) adjective: Burkinabe
Net migration rate
-1.41 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Population
11,266,393 (July 1998 est.)
Population growth rate
2.72% (1998 est.)
Religions
indigenous beliefs 40%, Muslim 50%, Christian (mainly Roman Catholic) 10%
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate
6.64 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Government
Administrative divisions
30 provinces; Bam, Bazega, Bougouriba, Boulgou, Boulkiemde, Ganzourgou, Gnagna, Gourma, Houe, Kadiogo, Kenedougou, Komoe, Kossi, Kouritenga, Mouhoun, Namentenga, Naouri, Oubritenga, Oudalan, Passore, Poni, Sanguie, Sanmatenga, Seno, Sissili, Soum, Sourou, Tapoa, Yatenga, Zoundweogo note: there may be a new administrative structure of 45 provinces (Bale, Bam, Banwa, Bazega, Bougouriba, Boulgou, Boulkiemde, Comoe, Ganzourgou, Gnagna, Gourma, Houet, Ioba, Kadiogo, Kenedougou, Komandjari, Kompienga, Kossi, Koupelogo, Kouritenga, Kourweogo, Leraba, Loroum, Mouhoun, Nahouri, Namentenga, Nayala, Naumbiel, Oubritenga, Oudalan, Passore, Poni, Samentenga, Sanguie, Seno, Sissili, Soum, Sourou, Tapoa, Tuy, Yagha, Yatenga, Ziro, Zondomo, Zoundweogo)
Constitution
2 June 1991
Country name
conventional long form: none conventional short form: Burkina Faso former: Upper Volta
Data code
UV
Executive branch
chief of state: President Captain Blaise COMPAORE (since 15 October 1987) head of government: Prime Minister Kadre Desire OUEDRAOGO (since 6 February 1996) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; the number of terms which a president may serve is not limited; election last held 1 December 1991 (next to be held NA 1998); prime minister appointed by the president with the consent of the legislature election results: Blaise COMPAORE elected president with 90.4% percent of the votes of those who voted (the abstention rate was 74.7%)
FAX
[226] 303890
Flag description
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
Government type
parliamentary
Independence
5 August 1960 (from France)
International organization participation
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB, WAEMU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Bruno Nongoma ZIDOUEMBA chancery: 2340 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-5577, 6895 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Sharon P. WILKINSON (16 July 1996) embassy: Avenue Raoul Follerau, Ouagadougou mailing address: 01 B. P. 35, Ouagadougou telephone: [226] 306723 through 306726
Judicial branch
Supreme Court; Appeals Court Political parties and leaders: African Democratic Assembly or RDA [Gerard Kango OUEDRAOGO]; Alliance for Democracy and Federation or ADF [Herman YAMEOGO]; Burkinabe Bolshevic Party or PBB; Burkinabe Socialist Party or PSB; Burkinabe Socialist Bloc or BSB [Earnest Nongma OUEDRAOGO, president]; Burkinabe Environmentalist Party or UVDB; Congress for Democracy and Progress or CDP [Din Salif SAWADAGO] (the strongest party in the 1997 legislative elections); Front for Social Forces or FFS [Fide'le KIENTEGA]; Group of Democratic Patriots or GDP; Movement for Social Tolerance and Progress or MTP; New Social Democrats or NSD; Open Revolutionary Party or POR; Organization for People's Democracy-Labor Movement or ODP-MT (ruling party at time of 1992 elections but was incorporated, with about a dozen smaller parties, into the powerful CDP in February 1996); Party for Democracy and Progress or PDP [Joseph KI-ZERBO]; Party for Progress and Social Development or PPDS; Party for African Independence or PAI Political pressure groups and leaders: watchdog/political action groups throughout the country in both organizations and communities; Burkinabe General Confederation of Labor or CGTB; National Confederation of Burkinabe Workers or CNTB; National Organization of Free Unions or ONSL
Legal system
based on French civil law system and customary law
Legislative branch
bicameral; consists of a National Assembly or Assemblee des Deputes Populaires (ADP) (111 seats; members are popularly elected to serve five-year terms) and the purely consultative Chamber of Representations or Chambre des Representants (120 seats; members are appointed to serve three-year terms) elections: last held 11 May 1997 (next to be held NA 2002) election results: percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-CDP 101, PDP 6, RDA 2, ADF 2
National capital
Ouagadougou
National holiday
Anniversary of the Revolution, 4 August (1983)
Suffrage
universal
Economy
Agriculture-products
peanuts, shea nuts, sesame, cotton, sorghum, millet, corn, rice; livestock
Budget
revenues: $277 million expenditures: $492 million, including capital expenditures of $233 million (1995 est.)
Currency
1 Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes
Debt-external
$715 million (December 1996)
Economic aid
recipient: ODA, $NA
Economy-overview
One of the poorest countries in the world, landlocked Burkina Faso has a high population density, few natural resources, and a fragile soil. Over 80% of the population is engaged in subsistence agriculture which is highly vulnerable to variations in rainfall. Industry remains dominated by unprofitable government-controlled corporations. Following the African franc currency devaluation in January 1994 the government updated its development program in conjunction with international agencies, and exports and economic growth have increased.
Electricity-capacity
78,000 kW (1995)
Electricity-consumption per capita
21 kWh (1995)
Electricity-production
220 million kWh (1995)
Exchange rates
CFA francs (CFAF) per US$1-608.36 (January 1998), 583.67 (1997), 511.55 (1996), 499.15 (1995), 555.20 (1994), 283.16 (1993) note: beginning 12 January 1994 the CFA franc was devalued to CFAF 100 per French franc from CFAF 50 at which it had been fixed since 1948
Exports
total value: $298 million (f.o.b., 1995 est.) commodities: cotton, animal products, gold partners: Cote d'Ivoire, France, Italy, Mali
Fiscal year
calendar year Communications
GDP
purchasing power parity-$10.3 billion (1997 est.)
GDP-composition by sector
agriculture: 32% industry: 26% services: 42% (1995)
GDP-per capita
purchasing power parity-$950 (1997 est.)
GDP-real growth rate
6% (1997 est.)
Imports
total value: $500 million (f.o.b., 1995 est.) commodities: machinery, food products, petroleum partners: Cote d'Ivoire, France, Togo, Nigeria
Industrial production growth rate
4.2% (1995)
Industries
cotton lint, beverages, agricultural processing, soap, cigarettes, textiles, gold
Inflation rate-consumer price index
3% (1996 est.)
Labor force
NA (most adults are employed in subsistence agriculture) by occupation: agriculture 80%, industry 15%, commerce, services, and government 5% note: 20% of male labor force migrates annually to neighboring countries for seasonal employment (1984)
Radio broadcast stations
AM 1, FM 32, shortwave 1
Radios
NA
Telephone system
all services only fair domestic: microwave radio relay, open wire, and radiotelephone communication stations international: satellite earth station-1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones
21,000 (1993 est.)
Television broadcast stations
3 (1997)
Televisions
49,000 (1991 est.)
Unemployment rate
NA%
Transportation
Airports
33 (1997 est.) Airports-with paved runways: total: 2 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (1997 est.) Airports-with unpaved runways: total: 31 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 14 under 914 m: 14 (1997 est.)
Highways
total: 12,506 km paved: 2,001 km unpaved: 10,505 km (1995 est.) Ports and harbors: none
Railways
total: 622 km (517 km from Ouagadougou to the Cote d'Ivoire border and 105 km from Ouagadougou to Kaya) narrow gauge: 622 km 1.000-m gauge (1995 est.)
Military and Security
Military branches
Army, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, National Police, People's Militia
Military expenditures-dollar figure
$104 million (1994)
Military expenditures-percent of GDP
6.4% (1994)
Military manpower-availability
males age 15-49: 2,317,227 (1998 est.) Military manpower-fit for military service: males: 1,187,840 (1998 est.)
Transnational Issues
Disputes-international
none