GeoFroggy

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Background

Various ethnic groups settled and established kingdoms in the area of today's Burkina Faso from medieval times onward. In the late 19th century, several European states attempted to move into the region, but it was the French who established a protectorate of Upper Volta in 1896. Independent from France in 1960, the country changed its name to Burkina Faso in 1984. 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, while additional attacks in the country's northern and eastern regions resulted in more than 1,800 deaths and over 500,000 internally displaced persons in 2019. 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. 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 one-third of the population lives in cities. The capital and largest city is Ouagadougou (Ouaga), with a population of 1.8 million as shown in this population distribution map (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

Geography Note

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

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Map Reference

Africa

Irrigated Land

550 sq km

Area 2020

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 2020

Agricultural Land
44.2%
Arable Land
22%
Forest
19.3%
Other
36.5%

Terrain

Mostly flat to dissected
Undulating plains; hills in the west and southeast. Occupies an extensive plateau with savanna that is grassy in the north and gradually gives way to sparse forests in the south. (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
Manganese
Zinc
Limestone

Marble
Phosphates
Pumice
Salt

Burkina Faso