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Burkina Faso

Continent: Africa

Geography

People &
Society

Government

Economy

Energy

Communications

Military &
Security

Transportation

Terrorism

Transnational Issues
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Background

Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta) achieved independence from France in 1960. Repeated military coups during the 1970s and 1980s were followed by multiparty elections in the early 1990s. Former President Blaise COMPAORE (1987-2014) resigned in late October 2014 following popular protests against his efforts to amend the constitution's two-term presidential limit. An interim administration organized presidential and legislative elections - held in November 2015 - where Roch Marc Christian KABORE was elected president. The country experienced terrorist attacks in its capital in 2016, 2017, and 2018 and continues to mobilize resources to counter terrorist threats mainly in its northern and eastern regions. It experienced over 100 attacks by violent extremists in the first quarter of 2019. Growing insecurity resulted in nearly 500,000 internally displaced persons and more than 2,000 closed schools. The Government of Burkina Faso has made numerous arrests of terrorist suspects, augmented the size of its special terrorism detachment Groupement des Forces Anti-Terroristes (GFAT) in the country’s north, and joined the newly-created G5 Sahel Joint Force to fight terrorism and criminal trafficking groups with regional neighbors Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger. In 2017, the Sahara Branch of al-Qa’ida in the Islamic Maghreb, al-Murabitoun, Ansar al-Dine, and the Macina Liberation Front came together to form Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM). JNIM and other groups like Ansarul Islam and ISIS in the Greater Sahara operate in Burkina Faso. Burkina Faso's high population growth, recurring drought, pervasive and perennial food insecurity, and limited natural resources result in poor economic prospects for the majority of its citizens. (2019)

Location

Western Africa, north of Ghana

Area Comparative

Slightly larger than Colorado

Maritime Claims

none (landlocked)

Climate

three climate zones including a hot tropical savanna with a short rainy season in the southern half, a tropical hot semi-arid steppe climate typical of the Sahel region in the northern half, and small area of hot desert in the very north of the country bordering the Sahara Desert

Population Distribution

Most of the population is located in the center and south. Nearly 31 percent of the population lives in cities. The capital and largest city is Ouagadougou (Ouaga), with a population of 1.8 million. 

(2019)

Natural Hazards

Recurring droughts

Environment Current Issues

Recent droughts and desertification severely affecting agricultural activities, population distribution, and the economy; overgrazing; soil degradation; deforestation (2019)

Environment International Agreements

Party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands (2019)

Signed but not ratified: None of the selected agreements (2019)

Geography Note

Landlocked savanna cut by the three principal rivers of the Black, Red, and White Voltas
Year

Map Reference

  • Africa

Irrigated Land 2016

  • 550 sq km

Area 2019

  • Total
    274,200 sq km
  • Land
    273,800 sq km
  • Water
    400 sq km

Coastline

  • 0 km

Geographical Coordinates

  • 13 00 N, 2 00 W

Land use 2019

  • Agricultural Land
    44.2%
  • Agricultural Land Arable Land
    22%
  • Agricultural Land Permanent Crops
    37%
  • Agricultural Land Permanent Pasture
    21.93%
  • Forest
    19.3%
  • Other
    36.5%

Terrain

  • <span class="ILfuVd"><span class="e24Kjd">Mostly flat to dissected
  • Undulating plains; hills in the west and southeast.&nbsp; </span></span>Occupies an <span class="ILfuVd"><span class="e24Kjd">extensive plateau with s</span></span><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="e24Kjd">avanna that is grassy in the north and gradually gives way to sparse forests in the south.</span></span> (2019)

Elevation

  • Mean Elevation: 297 m
  • Lowest Point: Mouhoun (Black Volta) River 200 m
  • Highest Point: Tena Kourou 749 m

Land Boundaries

  • Total
    3,611 km
  • Benin
    386 km
  • Cote D'Ivoire
    545 km
  • Ghana
    602 km
  • Mali
    1325 km
  • Niger
    622 km
  • Togo
    131 km

Natural Resources

  • Gold (4th largest gold producer in Africa)
  • Manganese
  • Zinc
  • Limestone
  • Marble
  • Phosphates
  • Pumice
  • Salt (2018)
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