BURKINA
GEOGRAPHY
Total area: 274,200 km2; land area: 273,800 km2

Comparative area: slightly larger than Colorado

Land boundaries: 3,192 km total; Benin 306 km, Ghana 548 km,
Ivory Coast 584 km, Mali 1,000 km, Niger 628 km, Togo 126 km

Coastline: none--landlocked

Maritime claims: none--landlocked

Disputes: the disputed international boundary between Burkina and
Mali was submitted to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in October
1983 and the ICJ issued its final ruling in December 1986, which both
sides agreed to accept; Burkina and Mali are proceeding with boundary
demarcation, including the tripoint with Niger

Climate: tropical; warm, dry winters; hot, wet summers

Terrain: mostly flat to dissected, undulating plains; hills in west
and southeast

Natural resources: manganese, limestone, marble; small deposits
of gold, antimony, copper, nickel, bauxite, lead, phosphates, zinc,
silver

Land use: arable land 10%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and
pastures 37%; forest and woodland 26%; other 27%, includes irrigated
NEGL%

Environment: recent droughts and desertification severely affecting
marginal agricultural activities, population distribution, economy;
overgrazing; deforestation

Note: landlocked

PEOPLE
Population: 9,359,889 (July 1991), growth rate 3.1% (1991)

Birth rate: 50 births/1,000 population (1991)

Death rate: 16 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

Net migration rate: - 3 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

Infant mortality rate: 119 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

Life expectancy at birth: 52 years male, 53 years female (1991)

Total fertility rate: 7.1 children born/woman (1991)

Nationality: noun--Burkinabe; adjective--Burkinabe

Ethnic divisions: more than 50 tribes; principal tribe is Mossi
(about 2.5 million); other important groups are Gurunsi, Senufo, Lobi,
Bobo, Mande, and Fulani

Religion: indigenous beliefs about 65%, Muslim 25%,
Christian (mainly Roman Catholic) 10%

Language: French (official); tribal languages belong to Sudanic
family, spoken by 90% of the population

Literacy: 18% (male 28%, female 9%) age 15 and over can
read and write (1990 est.)

Labor force: 3,300,000 residents; 30,000 are wage earners;
agriculture 82%, industry 13%, commerce, services, and government 5%;
20% of male labor force migrates annually to neighboring countries for
seasonal employment (1984); 44% of population of working age (1985)

Organized labor: four principal trade union groups represent less
than 1% of population

GOVERNMENT
Long-form name: Burkina Faso

Type: military; established by coup on 4 August 1983

Capital: Ouagadougou

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

Independence: 5 August 1960 (from France; formerly Upper Volta)

Constitution: none; constitution of 27 November 1977 was abolished
following coup of 25 November 1980; constitutional referendum scheduled
for June 1991

Legal system: based on French civil law system and customary law

National holiday: Anniversary of the Revolution, 4 August (1983)

Executive branch: chairman of the Popular Front, Council of
Ministers

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee
Nationale) was dissolved on 25 November 1980

Judicial branch: Appeals Court

Leaders:

Chief of State and Head of Government--Chairman of the
Popular Front Captain Blaise COMPAORE (since 15 October 1987)

Political parties and leaders: all political parties banned
following November 1980 coup

Suffrage: none

Elections: the National Assembly was dissolved 25 November 1980;
presidential elections are scheduled for 3 November 1991 and legislative
elections for 8 December 1991

Communists: small Communist party front group; some sympathizers

Other political or pressure groups: committees for the defense of
the revolution, watchdog/political action groups throughout the country
in both organizations and communities

Member of: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEAO, ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO,
FZ, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF,
INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, OIC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Paul Desire KABORE;
Chancery at 2340 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008;
telephone (202) 332-5577 or 6895;

US--Ambassador Edward P. BRYNN; Embassy at Avenue Raoul Follerau,
Ouagadougou (mailing address is 01 B. P. 35, Ouagadougou);
telephone  226  30-67-23 through 25 and  226  33-34-22

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

ECONOMY
Overview: One of the poorest countries in the world, Burkina
has a high population density, few natural resources, and relatively
infertile soil. Economic development is hindered by a poor communications
network within a landlocked country. Agriculture provides about 40% of
GDP and is entirely of a subsistence nature. Industry, dominated by
unprofitable government-controlled corporations, accounts for about
15% of GDP.

GDP: $1.75 billion, per capita $205 (1988); real growth rate 3%
(1989)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): - 0.5% (1989)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget: revenues $275 million; expenditures $287 million, including
capital expenditures of $NA (1989)

Exports: $262 million (f.o.b., 1989);

commodities--oilseeds, cotton, live animals, gold;

partners--EC 42% (France 30%, other 12%), Taiwan 17%,
Ivory Coast 15% (1985)

Imports: $619 million (f.o.b., 1989);

commodities--grain, dairy products, petroleum, machinery;

partners--EC 37% (France 23%, other 14%), Africa 31%, US 15%
(1985)

External debt: $962 million (December 1990 est.)

Industrial production: growth rate 5.7% (1990est.), accounts for
about 15%
of GDP (1988)

Electricity: 121,000 kW capacity; 320 million kWh produced, 37
kWh per capita (1989)

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

Agriculture: accounts for about 40% of GDP; cash crops--peanuts,
shea nuts, sesame, cotton; food crops--sorghum, millet, corn, rice;
livestock; not self-sufficient in food grains

Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $294
million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
(1970-88), $2.7 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $113 million

Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc
(plural--francs); 1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes

Exchange rates: CFA francs (CFAF) per US$1--256.54 (January 1991),
272.26 (1990), 319.01 (1989), 297.85 (1988), 300.54 (1987), 346.30
(1986), 449.26 (1985)

Fiscal year: calendar year

COMMUNICATIONS
Railroads: 620 km total; 520 km Ouagadougou to Ivory Coast border
and 100 km Ouagadougou to Kaya; all 1.00-meter gauge and single track

Highways: 16,500 km total; 1,300 km paved, 7,400 km improved,
7,800 km unimproved (1985)

Civil air: 2 major transport aircraft

Airports: 50 total, 43 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways;
none with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 7 with
runways 1,220-2,439 m

Telecommunications: all services only fair; radio relay, wire, and
radio communication stations in use; 13,900 telephones; stations--2 AM,
2 FM, 2 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station

DEFENSE FORCES
Branches: Army, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, National Police

Manpower availability: males 15-49, 1,838,000; 937,304 fit for
military service; no conscription

Defense expenditures: $55 million, 2.7% of GDP (1988)



You are viewing proxied material from gopher.altexxanet.org. The copyright of proxied material belongs to its original authors. Any comments or complaints in relation to proxied material should be directed to the original authors of the content concerned. Please see the disclaimer for more details.