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Burkina Faso is a West African country, formerly called
Alto Volta. It is located south of the Sahara desert and
has a total area of 274 200 km2. It is
bordered on the west and north by Mali; to the
northeast, by Niger; to the southeast by Benin and to
the south by Togo, Ghana and the Ivory Coast. The main
cities are Ouagadougou, the capital, with 996 500
inhabitants (2004), Bobo-Dioulasso (320 700 inhab.)
(2004), Koudougou (72 600 inhab.) (2004) and Ouahigouya
(52 000 inhab.) (2004 ). It has a dry tropical
climate. The dry season is longer in the north than in
the south, where the rainy season can last for five
consecutive months.
Economy
West African country, formerly called Alto Volta. It is
located south of the Sahara desert and has a total area
of 274 200 km2. It is bordered on the west
and north by Mali; to the northeast, by Niger; to the
southeast by Benin and to the south by Togo, Ghana and
the Ivory Coast. The main cities are Ouagadougou, the
capital, with 996 500 inhabitants (2004), Bobo-Dioulasso
(320 700 inhab.) (2004), Koudougou (72 600 inhab.)
(2004) and Ouahigouya (52 000 inhab.) (2004 ).
Population
The population is 13 902 972 inhabitants (est. 2006),
which corresponds to a population density of 50.79
inhab./km2. Birth rates and death rates are
respectively in 2006, 45.62% and 15.6%. Average life
expectancy is 48.85 years. The value of the Human
Development Index (HDI) is 0.330 and the value of the
Gender-adjusted Development Index (IDG) is 0.317
(2001). The rural population consists of sixty ethnic
groups that are divided into two major linguistic
groups: one that speaks the Voltaic languages and
another that uses the languages of the Maude
family. The main ethnic groups are the Mossi, who make
up the majority, Mandé, Peul, Werewolves, Bisa, Samo,
Marka, Bwa, Bobo, Dafari, Sénufo, Grusi, Gurmantché and
Tuareg.
Religious manifestations are divided between traditional
(animist) beliefs, which are largely in the majority,
Islam, Catholicism and Protestantism. Although the
official language is French, Moré, the Voltaic language
of the Mossi ethnic group, is spoken by the vast
majority of the population.
History
France began the annexation of the territory at the end
of the 19th century, when the Mossi empires of Yatenga
and Ouagadougou still existed. The country gained
independence in 1960, under the name of Alto Volta. The
current name, Burkina Faso, was adopted in 1984 and
means "land of the incorruptible".
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