Burkina Faso
Geography - People - Economy - Government - Communications - Transportation - Military - Transnational IssuesCountry information - Burkina Faso
Country name - conventional long form : none
Country name - conventional short form : Burkina Faso
Country name - local long form : none
Country name - local short form : Burkina Faso
Country name - former : Upper Volta, Republic of Upper Volta
Country code : UV
Government type : parliamentary republic
Capital - name : Ouagadougou
Capital - time difference : UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
National holiday : Republic Day, 11 December (1958)
Population :
Nationality - noun : Burkinabe (singular and plural)
Nationality - adjective : Burkinabe
Languages : French (official), native African languages belonging to Sudanic family spoken by 90% of the population
Currency (code) : Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States
Currency code : XOF
Major infectious diseases - degree of risk : very high
Major infectious diseases - note : highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)
Burkina Faso is located Western Africa, north of Ghana. The climate is tropical; warm, dry winters; hot, wet summers. The terrain is mostly flat to dissected, undulating plains; hills in west and southeast.
Background
This entry usually highlights major historic events and current issues and may include a statement about one or two key future trends.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. Current President Blaise COMPAORE came to power in a 1987 military coup and has won every election since then. Burkina Faso's high population density and limited natural resources result in poor economic prospects for the majority of its citizens. Recent unrest in Cote d'Ivoire and northern Ghana has hindered the ability of several hundred thousand seasonal Burkinabe farm workers to find employment in neighboring countries.
