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Burkina Faso:
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Other pages in this profile of Burkina Faso:
People, Government, Economy, Communications & Transportation, Military & Transnational Issues.
People, Government, Economy, Communications & Transportation, Military & 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. 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. |
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Location |
Western Africa, north of Ghana |
Geographic coordinates |
13 00 N, 2 00 W |
Map references |
Africa |
Area |
total: 274,200 sq km land: 273,800 sq km water: 400 sq km |
Area - comparative |
slightly larger than Colorado |
Land boundaries |
total: 3,193 km border countries: Benin 306 km, Cote d'Ivoire 584 km, Ghana 549 km, Mali 1,000 km, Niger 628 km, Togo 126 km |
Coastline |
0 km (landlocked) |
Maritime claims |
none (landlocked) |
Climate |
tropical; warm, dry winters; hot, wet summers |
Terrain |
mostly flat to dissected, undulating plains; hills in west and southeast |
Elevation extremes |
lowest point: Mouhoun (Black Volta) River 200 m highest point: Tena Kourou 749 m |
Natural resources |
manganese, limestone, marble; small deposits of gold, phosphates, pumice, salt |
Land use |
arable land: 17.66% permanent crops: 0.22% other: 82.12% (2005) |
Irrigated land |
250 sq km (2003) |
Natural hazards |
recurring droughts |
Environment - current issues |
recent droughts and desertification severely affecting agricultural activities, population distribution, and the economy; overgrazing; soil degradation; deforestation |
Environment - international agreements |
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands 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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Copyright 2008 World Sites Atlas (sitesatlas.com) |