General
Information
|
Total Land Area: |
273,600 km2 |
|
Land boundaries: |
3,192 km |
|
Coastline: |
0 km
(Landlocked) |
|
Capital: |
Ouagadougou |
|
Other Large
Cities: |
Bobo-Dioulasso,
Koudougou,
Ouahigouya |
|
Official
Language: |
French |
|
National
Currency Unit: |
Communauté
Financière
Africaine Franc
(XOF) |
|
National Day: |
August 4 |
Location and
Geography
Burkina Faso,
formerly Upper
Volta, is a
Landlocked West
African State which
lies between the
Sahara Desert and
the Gulf of Guinea
in the loop of the
river Niger. It has
borders with Niger
in the East and
North; Mali in the
North and West;
Benin in the South
and East and Côte
d’Ivoire, Ghana and
Togo in the South.
The country’s rivers
are not navigable
and flow South
towards the Gulf of
Guinea. Several
small streams in the
East drain into the
river Niger. The
terrain is almost
flat. Primary
sandstone covers the
South-western border
with Mali. There is
minimum annual
rainfall and the
water percolates
deeply within the
rocky expanses.
Meadows and pastures
make up about
one-third of the
land while one
quarter is taken up
by forests and
woods. The climate
is tropical,
generally hot and
dry with generous
sunlight. Early
summer rains break
the extreme heat,
but high winds
bearing clouds of
dust come just
before the
rainfalls.
Demography
|
Population:
|
12.20 million
(2002) |
|
Crude Birth
Rate:
|
43 per thousand
people (2002) |
|
Crude Death
Rate:
|
19 per thousand
people (2002) |
|
Infant Mortality
Rate:
|
107 per thousand
(2002) |
|
Life Expectancy:
|
Male: 42 years,
Female: 44 years
(2002) |
|
Urban
Population:
|
17.0 percent
(2002) |
|
Adult Literacy:
|
24.80 percent
(2001) |
Economy
The agricultural
sector is the main
economic activity in
Burkina Faso,
generating nearly
half of the export
revenues and
creating nearly 90
percent of the total
employment. The main
agricultural
products are nuts,
corn, vegetables,
rice, cotton, niebe,
sorghum, and millet.
Primary food
products (processed
food) include
sorghum, millet,
rice, and beans. The
main natural
resources are
manganese, gold,
antimony, nickel,
diamonds, cobalt,
phosphates and zinc.
The country’s
industry is
embryonic. The main
industrial
activities are
focused on food
processing, such as
flour milling and
sugar refining, as
well as textiles and
footwear
manufacturing.
|
GDP at Current
Market Prices:
|
3271 million US$
(2002) |
|
Per Capita GDP:
|
268 US$ (2002) |
|
Share of Sectors
in GDP:
|
32.0%
Agriculture,
18.0% Industry,
50.0% Services,
(2002) |
|
Total Exports:
|
171 million US$
(2002) |
|
Total Imports:
|
641 million US$
(2002) |
|
Major Exports
Items: |
Gold, cotton,
leather, nuts,
string beans and
livestock
|
|
Major Imports
Items: |
Machinery and
equipment, rice,
petroleum
products and
manufactured
goods |
|
Major Trading
Partners: |
France, Côte
d’Ivoire,
Singapore and
Italy |
|
