Burkina Faso

Branches

Army, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, National Police, People's Militia

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $104 million, 6.4% of GDP (1994)

Manpower availability

males age 15-49: 2,149,485 males fit for military service: 1,101,184 (1996 est.)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 2, FM 1, shortwave 0

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

2 (1987 est.)

Televisions

49,000 (1991 est.) Defense

Agriculture

peanuts, shea nuts, sesame, cotton, sorghum, millet, corn, rice; livestock

Budget

revenues: $483 million expenditures: $548 million, including capital expenditures of $189 million (1992)

Currency

1 Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes

Economic aid

recipient: ODA, $NA

Economic overview

One of the poorest countries in the world, Burkina Faso has a high population density and a high population growth rate, few natural resources, and a fragile soil. Economic development is hindered by a poor communications network within a landlocked country. Agriculture is mainly subsistence farming. Industry remains dominated by unprofitable government-controlled corporations. Following the Communaute Financiere Africaine currency devaluation on 12 January 1994, exports appear to have risen, but no official figures have been released yet. The upswing apparently continued in 1995, with growth perhaps at 4%. The government has updated its development program in conjunction with international agencies, yet even with the best of plans, the government faces formidable problems on all sides.

Electricity

capacity: 60,000 kW production: 190 million kWh consumption per capita: 17 kWh (1993)

Exchange rates

CFA francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 500.56 (January 1996), 499.15 (1995), 555.20 (1994), 283.16 (1993), 264.69 (1992), 282.11 (1991) 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

$273 million (f.o.b., 1993) commodities: cotton, gold, animal products partners: EC, Cote d'Ivoire, Taiwan, Thailand

External debt

$1 billion (December 1993 est.)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $7.4 billion (1995 est.)

GDP composition by sector

agriculture: 32% industry: 24% services: 44% (1990 est.)

GDP per capita

$700 (1995 est.)

GDP real growth rate

4% (1995 est.)

Imports

$636 million (f.o.b., 1993) commodities: machinery, food products, petroleum partners: EC, Africa, Japan

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Industries

cotton lint, beverages, agricultural processing, soap, cigarettes, textiles, gold

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

5% (1995 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)

Unemployment rate

NA%

Area

total area: 274,200 sq km land area: 273,800 sq km comparative area: slightly larger than Colorado

Climate

tropical; warm, dry winters; hot, wet summers

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Environment

current issues: recent droughts and desertification severely affecting agricultural activities, population distribution, and the economy; overgrazing; soil degradation; deforestation natural hazards: recurring droughts international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Desertification, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban

Geographic coordinates

13 00 N, 2 00 W

Geographic note

landlocked

International disputes

following mutual acceptance of an International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling in December 1986 on their international boundary dispute, Burkina Faso and Mali are proceeding with boundary demarcation, including the tripoint with Niger

Irrigated land

160 sq km (1989 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: 10% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 37% forest and woodland: 26% other: 27%

Location

Western Africa, north of Ghana

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

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 lowest point: Black Volta River 200 m highest point: Tena Kourou 749 m

Administrative divisions

30 provinces; Bam, Bazega, Bougouriba, Boulgou, Boulkiemde, Ganzourgou, Gnagna, Gourma, Houet, Kadiogo, Kenedougou, Komoe, Kossi, Kouritenga, Mouhoun, Namentenga, Naouri, Oubritenga, Oudalan, Passore, Poni, Sanguie, Sanmatenga, Seno, Sissili, Soum, Sourou, Tapoa, Yatenga, Zoundweogo

Capital

Ouagadougou

Constitution

2 June 1991

Data code

UV

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission: Ambassador Gaetan R. OUEDRAOGO chancery: 2340 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-5577, 6895

Executive branch

chief of state: President Captain Blaise COMPAORE (since 15 October 1987) elected for a seven-year term by popular vote; election last held NA December 1991 (next to be held NA 1998) head of government: Prime Minister Roch KABORE (since NA March 1994) appointed by the president cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president

FAX

[226] 303890

Flag

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

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, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Judicial branch

Appeals Court

Legal system

based on French civil law system and customary law

Legislative branch

unicameral Assembly of People's Deputies: elections last held 24 May 1992 (next to be held NA 1997); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (107 total), ODP-MT 78, CNPP-PSD 12, RDA 6, ADF 4, other 7 note: the current law also provides for a second consultative chamber, which has not been formally constituted

Name of country

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Burkina Faso former: Upper Volta

National holiday

Anniversary of the Revolution, 4 August (1983)

Other political or pressure groups

committees for the defense of the revolution; watchdog/political action groups throughout the country in both organizations and communities

Political parties and leaders

Organization for People's Democracy - Labor Movement (ODP-MT), ruling party, Secretary General Simon COMPAORE; National Convention of Progressive Patriots-Social Democratic Party (CNPP-PSD), Moussa BOLY; African Democratic Rally (RDA), Gerard Kango OUEDRAOGO; Alliance for Democracy and Federation (ADF), Amadou Michel NANA

Suffrage

none

Type of government

parliamentary

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission: Ambassador Donald J. MCCONNELL embassy: Avenue Raoul Follerau, Ouagadougou mailing address: 01 B. P. 35, Ouagadougou telephone: [226] 306723 through 306725

Age structure

0-14 years: 48% (male 2,569,806; female 2,537,106) 15-64 years: 49% (male 2,444,601; female 2,738,726) 65 years and over: 3% (male 145,479; female 187,605) (July 1996 est.)

Birth rate

47.02 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate

19.99 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Ethnic divisions

Mossi about 24%, Gurunsi, Senufo, Lobi, Bobo, Mande, Fulani

Infant mortality rate

117.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Languages

French (official), tribal languages belonging to Sudanic family, spoken by 90% of the population

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 43.21 years male: 43.46 years female: 42.95 years (1996 est.)

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1995 est.) total population: 19.2% male: 29.5% female: 9.2%

Nationality

noun: Burkinabe (singular and plural) adjective: Burkinabe

Net migration rate

-1.74 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Population

10,623,323 (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate

2.53% (1996 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: 0.89 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female all ages: 0.94 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Total fertility rate

6.8 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Airports

total: 23 with paved runways over 3 047 m: 1 with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m: 1 with paved runways under 914 m: 8 with unpaved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 3 with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 10 (1995 est.)

Highways

total: 16,400 km paved: 1,280 km unpaved: 15,120 km (1987 est.)

Ports

none

Railways

total: 622 km (1995 est.) narrow gauge: 622 km 1.000-m gauge (517 km Ouagadougou to Cote d'Ivoire border and 105 km opened in 1993 from Ouagadougou to Kaya)