Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in west Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest.Its size is with an estimated...

, also known by its short-form name Burkina, is a landlocked sovereign country located in West Africa

West Africa

West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...

. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali

Mali

Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...

 to the north, Niger

Niger

Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...

 to the east, Benin

Benin

Benin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. Its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin is where a majority of the population is located...

 to the south east, Togo

Togo

Togo, officially the Togolese Republic , is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located. Togo covers an area of approximately with a population of approximately...

 and Ghana

Ghana

Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...

 to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire

Côte d'Ivoire

The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...

 to the south west. Formerly called the Republic of Upper Volta

Republic of Upper Volta

The Republic of Upper Volta was established on December 11, 1958, as a self-governing colony within the French Community. Before attaining autonomy it had been French Upper Volta and part of the French Union. On August 5, 1960 it attained full independence from France.Thomas Sankara came to power...

, it was renamed

Geographical renaming

Geographical renaming is the changing of the name of a geographical feature or area. This can range from the uncontroversial change of a street name to a highly disputed change to the name of a country. Some names are changed locally but the new names are not recognised by other countries,...

 on August 4, 1984, by President Thomas Sankara

Thomas Sankara

Thomas Isidore Noël Sankara was a Burkinabé military captain, Marxist revolutionary, Pan-Africanist theorist, and President of Burkina Faso from 1983 to 1987...

 to mean "the land of upright people" in Moré

More language

The Mossi language, Mòoré is one of two official regional languages of Burkina Faso, closely related and mutually intelligible with the Dagbani language spoken in northern Ghana...

 and Dioula

Dioula language

Jula is a Mande language spoken in Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire and Mali. It is one of the Manding languages, and is most closely related to Bambara, being mutually intelligible with Bambara as well as Malinke. It is a trade language in West Africa and is spoken by millions of people, either as a...

, the major native languages of the country. Literally, "Burkina" may be translated, "men of integrity," from the Moré language, and "Faso" means "father's house" in Dioula.

Independence from France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 came in 1960. Governmental instability during the 1970s and 1980s was followed by multiparty elections in the early 1990s. Several hundred thousand farm workers migrate south every year to Côte d'Ivoire

Côte d'Ivoire

The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...

 and Ghana

Ghana

Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...

 in search of paid labour

Unemployment

Unemployment , as defined by the International Labour Organization, occurs when people are without jobs and they have actively sought work within the past four weeks...

. The inhabitants of Burkina Faso are known as Burkinabé (icon ).

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Burkina Faso:

General reference

• Pronunciation
  International Phonetic Alphabet
  The International Phonetic Alphabet "The acronym 'IPA' strictly refers [...] to the 'International Phonetic Association'. But it is now such a common practice to use the acronym also to refer to the alphabet itself that resistance seems pedantic...
  
  :
• Common English country name: Burkina Faso
  Burkina Faso
  Burkina Faso – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in west Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest.Its size is with an estimated...
  
  
• Official English country name: Burkina Faso
  Burkina Faso
  Burkina Faso – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in west Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest.Its size is with an estimated...
  
  
• Common endonym(s): le Burkina, le Faso
• Official endonym(s): le Faso
• Adjectival(s): Burkinabe
  Burkinabe
  Burkinabé may refer to:* Something of, from, or related to Burkina Faso, a nation in West Africa* A person from Burkina Faso, or of Burkinabé descent. For information about the Burkinabé people, see:** Demographics of Burkina Faso** Culture of Burkina Faso...
  
  
• Demonym(s):
• Etymology
  Etymology
  Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
  
  : Name of Burkina Faso
• International rankings of Burkina Faso
  International rankings of Burkina Faso
  - International rankings :...
  
  
• ISO country codes: BF, BFA, 854
• ISO region codes: See ISO 3166-2:BF
  ISO 3166-2:BF
  ISO 3166-2:BF is the entry for Burkina Faso in ISO 3166-2, part of the ISO 3166 standard published by the International Organization for Standardization , which defines codes for the names of the principal subdivisions of all countries coded in ISO 3166-1.Currently for Burkina Faso, ISO 3166-2...
  
  
• Internet
  Internet
  The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
  
   country code top-level domain
  Country code top-level domain
  A country code top-level domain is an Internet top-level domain generally used or reserved for a country, a sovereign state, or a dependent territory....
  
  : .bf
  .bf
  .bf is the Internet country code top-level domain for Burkina Faso. It is administered by DELGI. The registry site, is the ARCE site. A document purporting to be an official registration form can be found at the URL http://www.artel.bf/IMG/File/domaine-bf.pdf.-External links:*...
  
  

Geography of Burkina Faso

• Burkina Faso is: a landlocked country
• Population of Burkina Faso: 13,228,000(2005) - 68th most populous country
• Area of Burkina Faso: 274000 square kilometres (105,792 sq mi) - 74th largest country
• Atlas of Burkina Faso

Location

• Burkina Faso is situated within the following regions:
  • Northern Hemisphere
    Northern Hemisphere
    The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of its equator—the word hemisphere literally means “half sphere”. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator...
    
     and lies on the Prime Meridian
    Prime Meridian
    The Prime Meridian is the meridian at which the longitude is defined to be 0°.The Prime Meridian and its opposite the 180th meridian , which the International Date Line generally follows, form a great circle that divides the Earth into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.An international...
    
    
    • Africa
      Africa
      Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
      
      
      • West Africa
        West Africa
        West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
        
        
• Time zone
  Time zone
  A time zone is a region on Earth that has a uniform standard time for legal, commercial, and social purposes. In order for the same clock time to always correspond to the same portion of the day as the Earth rotates , different places on the Earth need to have different clock times...
  
  : Coordinated Universal Time
  Coordinated Universal Time
  Coordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose...
  
   UTC+00
• Extreme points of Burkina Faso
  • High: Tena Kourou 749 m (2,457 ft)
  • Low: Black Volta
    Black Volta
    Black Volta or Mouhoun is a river of western Africa rising in western Burkina Faso and flowing about 1,352 km to the White Volta in Ghana. The Black Volta forms a small part of the boundary between Ghana and Ivory Coast, and also a section of border between Ghana and Burkina Faso.-See also:*Deux...
    
     200 m (656 ft)
• Land boundaries: 3,193 km

 Mali 1,000 km

 Niger 628 km

 Côte d'Ivoire 584 km

 Ghana 549 km

 Benin 306 km

 Togo 126 km

• Coastline: none

Environment of Burkina Faso

• Climate of Burkina Faso
• Environmental issues in Burkina Faso
• Ecoregions in Burkina Faso
• Renewable energy in Burkina Faso
• Geology of Burkina Faso
• Protected areas of Burkina Faso
  • Biosphere reserves in Burkina Faso
  • National parks of Burkina Faso
• Wildlife of Burkina Faso
  Wildlife of Burkina Faso
  The wildlife of Burkina Faso is composed of its flora and fauna. The area is largely wild bush country with a mixture of grass and small trees in varying proportions. The savanna region is mainly grassland in the rainy season and semi desert during the harmattan period...
  
  
  • Flora of Burkina Faso
  • Fauna of Burkina Faso
    • Birds of Burkina Faso
    • Mammals of Burkina Faso

Natural geographic features of Burkina Faso

• Glaciers in Burkina Faso: none
• Islands of Burkina Faso
• Lakes of Burkina Faso
• Mountains of Burkina Faso
  • Volcanoes in Burkina Faso
• Rivers of Burkina Faso
  • Waterfalls of Burkina Faso
• Valleys of Burkina Faso
• World Heritage Sites in Burkina Faso: none

Ecoregions of Burkina Faso

Main article: Ecoregions in Burkina Faso

Administrative divisions of Burkina Faso

Main article: Administrative divisions of Burkina Faso

• Regions of Burkina Faso
  Regions of Burkina Faso
  ||Burkina Faso is divided into 13 administrative regions:List of Burkinabé regions :* Boucle du Mouhoun * Cascades * Centre * Centre-Est * Centre-Nord...
  
  
  • Provinces of Burkina Faso
    Provinces of Burkina Faso
    The regions of Burkina Faso are divided into 45 administrative provinces.List of Burkinabé provinces :Balé Bam Banwa Bazèga Bougouriba Boulgou...
    
    
    • Departments of Burkina Faso
      Departments of Burkina Faso
      The provinces of Burkina Faso are divided into 301 departments or communes. The departments are listed below, by province:-Balé:* Bagassi Department* Bana Department* Boromo Department* Fara Department* Oury Department* Pâ Department...
      
      

Municipalities of Burkina Faso

• Capital of Burkina Faso: Ouagadougou
• Cities of Burkina Faso

Government and politics of Burkina Faso

Main article: Government of Burkina Faso and Politics of Burkina Faso

Politics of Burkina Faso

The Politics of Burkina Faso takes place in a framework of a presidential republic, whereby the President of Burkina Faso is both head of state and head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government...

• Form of government
  Form of government
  A form of government, or form of state governance, refers to the set of political institutions by which a government of a state is organized. Synonyms include "regime type" and "system of government".-Empirical and conceptual problems:...
  
  : presidential
  Presidential system
  A presidential system is a system of government where an executive branch exists and presides separately from the legislature, to which it is not responsible and which cannot, in normal circumstances, dismiss it....
  
   republic
  Republic
  A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
  
  
• Capital of Burkina Faso: Ouagadougou

• Elections in Burkina Faso
  Elections in Burkina Faso
  Elections in Burkina Faso gives information on election and election results in Burkina Faso.Burkina Faso elects on national level a head of state - the president - and a legislature. The president is elected for a five year term by the people...
  
  
  • (specific elections)
• Political parties in Burkina Faso
• Political scandals of Burkina Faso
• Taxation in Burkina Faso

Executive branch of the government of Burkina Faso

• Head of state
  Head of State
  A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
  
  : President of Burkina Faso,
• Head of government
  Head of government
  Head of government is the chief officer of the executive branch of a government, often presiding over a cabinet. In a parliamentary system, the head of government is often styled prime minister, chief minister, premier, etc...
  
  : Prime Minister of Burkina Faso,
• Cabinet of Burkina Faso

Legislative branch of the government of Burkina Faso

• Parliament of Burkina Faso (bicameral)
  • Upper house
    Upper house
    An upper house, often called a senate, is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house; a legislature composed of only one house is described as unicameral.- Possible specific characteristics :...
    
    : Senate of Burkina Faso
  • Lower house
    Lower house
    A lower house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house.Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide the lower house has come to wield more power...
    
    : House of Commons of Burkina Faso

Judicial branch of the government of Burkina Faso

• Supreme Court of Burkina Faso

Foreign relations of Burkina Faso

• Diplomatic missions in Burkina Faso
• Diplomatic missions of Burkina Faso
  Diplomatic missions of Burkina Faso
  This is a list of diplomatic missions of Burkina Faso, excluding honorary consulates.-Europe:** Vienna ** Brussels ** Copenhagen ** Paris ** Berlin ** Rome ** Genève -America:...
  
  

International organization membership

Burkina Faso is a member of:

• African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group of States (ACP)
• African Development Bank Group (AfDB)
• African Union
  African Union
  The African Union is a union consisting of 54 African states. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established on 9 July 2002, the AU was formed as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity...
  
   (AU)
• African Union/United Nations Hybrid operation in Darfur (UNAMID)
• Conference des Ministres des Finances des Pays de la Zone Franc (FZ)
• Council of the Entente (Entente)
• Economic Community of West African States
  Economic Community of West African States
  The Economic Community of West African States is a regional group of fifteen West African countries. Founded on 28 May 1975, with the signing of the Treaty of Lagos, its mission is to promote economic integration across the region....
  
   (ECOWAS)
• Food and Agriculture Organization
  Food and Agriculture Organization
  The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and...
  
   (FAO)
• Group of 77
  Group of 77
  The Group of 77 at the United Nations is a loose coalition of developing nations, designed to promote its members' collective economic interests and create an enhanced joint negotiating capacity in the United Nations. There were 77 founding members of the organization, but the organization has...
  
   (G77)
• International Atomic Energy Agency
  International Atomic Energy Agency
  The International Atomic Energy Agency is an international organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. The IAEA was established as an autonomous organization on 29 July 1957...
  
   (IAEA)
• International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
  International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
  The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development is one of five institutions that compose the World Bank Group. The IBRD is an international organization whose original mission was to finance the reconstruction of nations devastated by World War II. Now, its mission has expanded to fight...
  
   (IBRD)
• International Chamber of Commerce
  International Chamber of Commerce
  The International Chamber of Commerce is the largest, most representative business organization in the world. Its hundreds of thousands of member companies in over 130 countries have interests spanning every sector of private enterprise....
  
   (ICC)
• International Civil Aviation Organization
  International Civil Aviation Organization
  The International Civil Aviation Organization , pronounced , , is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It codifies the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth...
  
   (ICAO)
• International Criminal Court
  International Criminal Court
  The International Criminal Court is a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression .It came into being on 1 July 2002—the date its founding treaty, the Rome Statute of the...
  
   (ICCt)
• International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol)
• International Development Association
  International Development Association
  The International Development Association , is the part of the World Bank that helps the world’s poorest countries. It complements the World Bank's other lending arm — the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development — which serves middle-income countries with capital investment and...
  
   (IDA)
• International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
  International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
  The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is a humanitarian institution that is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement along with the ICRC and 186 distinct National Societies...
  
   (IFRCS)
• International Finance Corporation
  International Finance Corporation
  The International Finance Corporation promotes sustainable private sector investment in developing countries.IFC is a member of the World Bank Group and is headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States....
  
   (IFC)
• International Fund for Agricultural Development
  International Fund for Agricultural Development
  The International Fund for Agricultural Development , a specialized agency of the United Nations, was established as an international financial institution in 1977 as one of the major outcomes of the 1974 World Food Conference. IFAD is dedicated to eradicating rural poverty in developing countries...
  
   (IFAD)
• International Labour Organization
  International Labour Organization
  The International Labour Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that deals with labour issues pertaining to international labour standards. Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland. Its secretariat — the people who are employed by it throughout the world — is known as the...
  
   (ILO)
• International Monetary Fund
  International Monetary Fund
  The International Monetary Fund is an organization of 187 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world...
  
   (IMF)
• International Olympic Committee
  International Olympic Committee
  The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
  
   (IOC)
• International Organization for Migration
  International Organization for Migration
  The International Organization for Migration is an intergovernmental organization. It was initially established in 1951 as the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration to help resettle people displaced by World War II....
  
   (IOM)
• International Organization for Standardization
  International Organization for Standardization
  The International Organization for Standardization , widely known as ISO, is an international standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organizations. Founded on February 23, 1947, the organization promulgates worldwide proprietary, industrial and commercial...
  
   (ISO) (correspondent)
• International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
  International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
  The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is an international humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide which was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, and to prevent and alleviate human...
  
   (ICRM)
• International Telecommunication Union
  International Telecommunication Union
  The International Telecommunication Union is the specialized agency of the United Nations which is responsible for information and communication technologies...
  
   (ITU)
• International Telecommunications Satellite Organization
  International Telecommunications Satellite Organization
  The International Telecommunications Satellite Organization is an intergovernmental organisation charged with overseeing the public service obligations of Intelsat.-External links:*...
  
   (ITSO)
• International Trade Union Confederation
  International Trade Union Confederation
  The International Trade Union Confederation is the world's largest trade union federation. It was formed on November 1, 2006 out of the merger of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions and the World Confederation of Labour...
  
   (ITUC)

• Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)
• Islamic Development Bank
  Islamic Development Bank
  The Islamic Development Bank is a multilateral development financing institution located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It was founded by the first conference of Finance Ministers of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference , convened 23 Dhu'l Qa'dah 1393 AH.The bank officially began its activities on...
  
   (IDB)
• Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency
  Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency
  The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency is a member organization of the World Bank Group that offers political risk insurance. It was established to promote foreign direct investment into developing countries. MIGA was founded in 1988 with a capital base of $1 billion and is headquartered in...
  
   (MIGA)
• Nonaligned Movement (NAM)
• Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF)
• Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)
• Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)
• Permanent Court of Arbitration
  Permanent Court of Arbitration
  The Permanent Court of Arbitration , is an international organization based in The Hague in the Netherlands.-History:The court was established in 1899 as one of the acts of the first Hague Peace Conference, which makes it the oldest institution for international dispute resolution.The creation of...
  
   (PCA)
• United Nations
  United Nations
  The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
  
   (UN)
• United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
  United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
  The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development was established in 1964 as a permanent intergovernmental body. It is the principal organ of the United Nations General Assembly dealing with trade, investment, and development issues....
  
   (UNCTAD)
• United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
• United Nations Industrial Development Organization
  United Nations Industrial Development Organization
  The United Nations Industrial Development Organization , French/Spanish acronym ONUDI, is a specialized agency in the United Nations system, headquartered in Vienna, Austria...
  
   (UNIDO)
• United Nations Institute for Training and Research
  United Nations Institute for Training and Research
  The United Nations Institute for Training and Research was established in 1965 following a "for the training of personnel, particularly from developing Member States, for administrative and operational assignments with the United Nations and the specialized agencies, both at Headquarters and in...
  
   (UNITAR)
• United Nations Mission in the Sudan (UNMIS)
• United Nations Operation in Cote d'Ivoire
  United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire
  The United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire is a peacekeeping mission whose objective is "to facilitate the implementation by the Ivorian parties of the peace agreement signed by them in January 2003"...
  
   (UNOCI)
• United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC)
• Universal Postal Union
  Universal Postal Union
  The Universal Postal Union is an international organization that coordinates postal policies among member nations, in addition to the worldwide postal system. The UPU contains four bodies consisting of the Congress, the Council of Administration , the Postal Operations Council and the...
  
   (UPU)
• West African Development Bank
  West African Development Bank
  The West African Development Bank - WADB is an international Multilateral Development Bank established in 1973 to serve the nations of Francophone and Lusophone West Africa...
  
   (WADB) (regional)
• West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU)
• World Confederation of Labour
  World Confederation of Labour
  The World Confederation of Labour was an international labour organization founded in 1920 and based in Europe. Totalitarian governments of the 1930s repressed the federation and imprisoned many of its leaders, limiting operations until the end of World War II...
  
   (WCL)
• World Customs Organization
  World Customs Organization
  The World Customs Organization is an intergovernmental organization headquartered in Brussels, Belgium. With its worldwide membership, the WCO is recognized as the voice of the global customs community...
  
   (WCO)
• World Federation of Trade Unions
  World Federation of Trade Unions
  The World Federation of Trade Unions was established in 1945 to replace the International Federation of Trade Unions. Its mission was to bring together trade unions across the world in a single international organization, much like the United Nations...
  
   (WFTU)
• World Health Organization
  World Health Organization
  The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
  
   (WHO)
• World Intellectual Property Organization
  World Intellectual Property Organization
  The World Intellectual Property Organization is one of the 17 specialized agencies of the United Nations. WIPO was created in 1967 "to encourage creative activity, to promote the protection of intellectual property throughout the world"....
  
   (WIPO)
• World Meteorological Organization
  World Meteorological Organization
  The World Meteorological Organization is an intergovernmental organization with a membership of 189 Member States and Territories. It originated from the International Meteorological Organization , which was founded in 1873...
  
   (WMO)
• World Tourism Organization
  World Tourism Organization
  The World Tourism Organization , based in Madrid, Spain, is a United Nations agency dealing with questions relating to tourism. It compiles the World Tourism rankings. The World Tourism Organization is a significant global body, concerned with the collection and collation of statistical information...
  
   (UNWTO)
• World Trade Organization
  World Trade Organization
  The World Trade Organization is an organization that intends to supervise and liberalize international trade. The organization officially commenced on January 1, 1995 under the Marrakech Agreement, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade , which commenced in 1948...
  
   (WTO)

Law and order in Burkina Faso

Main article: Law of Burkina Faso

• Capital punishment in Burkina Faso
• Constitution of Burkina Faso
  Constitution of Burkina Faso
  The Constitution of Burkina Faso was approved by referendum on 2 June 1991, formally adopted 11 June 1991 and last amended in January 2002.-External links:**...
  
  
• Crime in Burkina Faso
• Human rights in Burkina Faso
  Human rights in Burkina Faso
  Human rights in Burkina Faso are addressed in the constitution. The 2009 Human Rights Report by the United States Department of State noted concerns regarding restrictions on the press and the operation of the judiciary system...
  
  
  • LGBT rights in Burkina Faso
  • Freedom of religion in Burkina Faso
    Freedom of religion in Burkina Faso
    The Constitution of Burkina Faso provides for freedom of religion, and the Government generally respects this right in practice. Government policy contributes to the generally free practice of religion...
    
    
• Law enforcement in Burkina Faso
  Law enforcement in Burkina Faso
  The Gendarmerie Nationale is the national police force of Burkina Faso.-Sources:# World Police Encyclopedia, ed. by Dilip K. Das & Michael Palmiotto published by Taylor & Francis. 2004, p. 137-141 ....
  
  

Military of Burkina Faso

Main article: Military of Burkina Faso

Military of Burkina Faso

The branches of Burkina Faso's military include its Army, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, National Police, and People's Militia. Being a landlocked country, Burkina Faso has no navy....

• Command
  • Commander-in-chief
    Commander-in-Chief
    A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
    
    :
    • Ministry of Defence of Burkina Faso
• Forces
  • Army of Burkina Faso
  • Navy
    Navy
    A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
    
     of Burkina Faso: None
  • Air Force of Burkina Faso
  • Special forces of Burkina Faso
• Military history of Burkina Faso
• Military ranks of Burkina Faso

History of Burkina Faso

Main article: History of Burkina Faso

History of Burkina Faso

-Ancient and medieval history:Recent archeological discoveries at Bura in southwest Niger and in adjacent southwest Burkina Faso have documented the existence of the iron-age Bura culture from the 3rd century CE to the 13th century CE. The Bura-Asinda system of settlements apparently covered the...

, Timeline of the history of Burkina Faso, and Current events of Burkina Faso

• Economic history of Burkina Faso
• Military history of Burkina Faso

Culture of Burkina Faso

Main article: Culture of Burkina Faso

Culture of Burkina Faso

The culture of Burkina Faso in West Africa is also called the Burkinabé culture.Two key elements of culture in Burkina Faso are its indigenous masks and dancing. The masks used in this region of the western Sahel are made for rites of sacrifice to gods and animal spirits in the villages...

• Architecture of Burkina Faso
• Cuisine of Burkina Faso
  Cuisine of Burkina Faso
  Burkinabé cuisine, the cuisine of Burkina Faso, is similar to the cuisines in many parts of West Africa, and is based around staple foods of sorghum, millet, rice, maize, peanuts, potatoes, beans, yams and okra...
  
  
• Ethnic minorities in Burkina Faso
• Festivals in Burkina Faso
• Humor in Burkina Faso
• Languages of Burkina Faso
  Languages of Burkina Faso
  The official language of Burkina Faso is French. In addition, there are about 60 native African languages of which Mossi , Fula and Dioula are the three main ones....
  
  
• Media in Burkina Faso
  Media in Burkina Faso
  The media in Burkina Faso consists of print media and state-supported radio, news, and television stations, along with several private broadcasters with programs consisting of sports, music, cultural, or religious themes.-Government media influence and control:...
  
  
• National symbols of Burkina Faso
  • Coat of arms of Burkina Faso
    Coat of arms of Burkina Faso
    The coat of arms of Burkina Faso contains a shield based on the national flag. Above the shield the name of the country is shown, while below it is the national motto, Unité, Progrès, Justice . The supporters are two white stallions...
    
    
  • Flag of Burkina Faso
    Flag of Burkina Faso
    The flag of Burkina Faso is formed by two equal horizontal bands of red and green, with a yellow five-pointed star resting in the center. The flag was adopted on 4 August 1984. The flag is coloured in the popular Pan-African colours of the Ethiopian flag, reflecting both a break with the...
    
    
  • National anthem of Burkina Faso
• People of Burkina Faso
• Prostitution in Burkina Faso
  Prostitution in Burkina Faso
  Prostitution in Burkina Faso is not specifically prohibited by the law, however soliciting and pimping are illegal. In recent years the demand for prostitutes in Burkina Faso has increased. Burkina Faso has been referred to as "a theatre of child labour". As a large number of children are...
  
  
• Public holidays in Burkina Faso
  Public holidays in Burkina Faso
  -Movable holidays:The following holidays are public holidays but the date on which each occurs varies, according to its corresponding calendar, and thus has no set date. In order in which they occur:...
  
  
• Records of Burkina Faso
• Religion in Burkina Faso
  Religion in Burkina Faso
  Exact statistics on religion in Burkina Faso are approximate because Islam and Christianity are consistently practiced in tandem with indigenous religious beliefs, the Government of Burkina Faso stated in its most recent census that 60.5% of the population practice Islam, and that the majority of...
  
  
  • Buddhism in Burkina Faso
  • Christianity in Burkina Faso
  • Hinduism in Burkina Faso
  • Islam in Burkina Faso
    Islam in Burkina Faso
    Islam in Burkina Faso has a long and varied history. According to the 2006 census, the population of the country is 60.53 percent Muslim....
    
    
  • Judaism in Burkina Faso
  • Sikhism in Burkina Faso
• World Heritage Sites in Burkina Faso: none

Art in Burkina Faso

• Art in Burkina Faso
• Cinema of Burkina Faso
  Cinema of Burkina Faso
  The cinema of Burkina Faso is one of the more significant in Africa, with a history that spans several decades and includes the production of many award-winning films.-History:...
  
  
• Literature of Burkina Faso
  Literature of Burkina Faso
  Burkinabé literature was originally based around oral tradition. This remains important. In 1934, during French occupation, Dim-Dolobsom Ouedraogo published his Maximes, pensées et devinettes mossi , a record of the oral history of the Mossi people...
  
  
• Music of Burkina Faso
  Music of Burkina Faso
  Burkina Faso is home to some 60 different ethnic groups, each with their own variety of folk music. The country has produced very little popular music compared to its neighbors, which includes African musical giants like Nigeria and the Ivory Coast...
  
  
• Television in Burkina Faso
• Theatre in Burkina Faso

Sports in Burkina Faso

Main article: Sports in Burkina Faso

• Football in Burkina Faso
  Football in Burkina Faso
  Football is by far the most popular sport in Burkina Faso. And the national association can look back on recent developments with a great deal of pride...
  
  
• Burkina Faso at the Olympics
  Burkina Faso at the Olympics
  Burkina Faso has sent athletes to every Summer Olympic Games held since 1988. Under its previous name of Upper Volta, the country also competed in 1972. Despite appearing in seven different Olympics, Burkina Faso has never won an Olympic medal. No athletes from Burkina Faso have competed in any...
  
  

Economy and infrastructure of Burkina Faso

Main article: Economy of Burkina Faso

Economy of Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso is one of the poorest countries in the world with an average income per capita of €250 . More than 80 percent of the population relies on subsistence agriculture, with only a small fraction directly involved in industry and services...

• Economic rank, by nominal GDP (2007): 129th (one hundred and twenty ninth)

• Agriculture in Burkina Faso
  Agriculture in Burkina Faso
  Although Burkina Faso is not self-sufficient in food, agriculture in Burkina Faso has tremendous potential. It employs the vast majority of the work force and accounted for an estimated 31 percent of Gross Domestic Product in 2004. However, only an estimated 13 percent of the total land area is...
  
  
• Banking in Burkina Faso
  • National Bank of Burkina Faso
• Communications in Burkina Faso
  Communications in Burkina Faso
  Communications in Burkina Faso are limited due to the low penetration of electricity, even in major cities. Use of telecommunications is extremely low. According to the International Telecommunication Union, in 2004 there were only 479,000 telephone subscribers in the country of nearly 11 million...
  
  
  • Internet in Burkina Faso
• Companies of Burkina Faso

• Currency of Burkina Faso
  Currency
  In economics, currency refers to a generally accepted medium of exchange. These are usually the coins and banknotes of a particular government, which comprise the physical aspects of a nation's money supply...
  
  : Franc
  West African CFA franc
  The West African CFA franc is the currency of eight independent states in West Africa: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Sénégal and Togo. The acronym CFA stands for Communauté financière d'Afrique...
  
  
  • ISO 4217
    ISO 4217
    ISO 4217 is a standard published by the International Standards Organization, which delineates currency designators, country codes , and references to minor units in three tables:* Table A.1 – Current currency & funds code list...
    
    : XOF

• Economic history of Burkina Faso
• Energy in Burkina Faso
  Energy in Burkina Faso
  Energy in Burkina Faso is a growing industry with tremendous potential.-Oil and gas:All petroleum products are imported since the country has no known crude oil reserves or refining capacity . Imports and consumption of petroleum in 2002 amounted to 8,870 barrels per day...
  
  
  • Energy policy of Burkina Faso
  • Oil industry in Burkina Faso
• Health care in Burkina Faso
• Mining in Burkina Faso
  Mining in Burkina Faso
  Gold Mining often plays a significant role in Burkina Faso’s economy. Production of mineral commodities is limited to cement, dolomite, gold, granite, marble, phosphate rock, pumice, other volcanic materials, and salt. UNICEF voert op dit moment campagne tegen kinderarbeid in Burkina Faso...
  
  
• Burkina Faso Stock Exchange
• Tourism in Burkina Faso
• Transport in Burkina Faso
  Transport in Burkina Faso
  This article concerns the systems of transport in Burkina Faso, which primarily include road and rail infrastructure.- Railways :There are 622 kilometres of railway in Burkina Faso, of which 517 km run from Ouagadougou to Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire; and 105 km from Ouagadougou to Kaya. All...
  
  
  • Airports in Burkina Faso
  • Rail transport in Burkina Faso
    Rail transport in Burkina Faso
    There are 622 kilometres of gauge railway in Burkina Faso, of which 517 km run from Ouagadougou to Abidjan in Côte d'Ivoire; and 105 km from Ouagadougou to Kaya.Burkina Faso is landlocked; the railway to Abidjan provides access to the sea....
    
    
  • Roads in Burkina Faso
• Water supply and sanitation in Burkina Faso
  Water supply and sanitation in Burkina Faso
  Water supply and sanitation in Burkina Faso are characterized by high access to water supply in urban areas, while access to improved water sources in rural areas - where three quarters of the population live - remains relatively low. An estimated one third of water facilities in rural areas are...
  
  

See also

• Index of Burkina Faso-related articles
• List of Burkina Faso-related topics
• List of international rankings
• Member state of the United Nations
• Outline of Africa
  Outline of Africa
  The following outline provides an overview of and topical guide to the continent Africa:Africa – world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia.-Geography of Africa:* Atlas of Africa* List of cities in Africa...
  
  
• Outline of geography
  Outline of geography
  The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to geography:Geography – science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth.- Geography is :...
  
  

External links

• Premier Ministère official government portal (in French)
• allAfrica - Burkina Faso news headline links
• Stanford University - Africa South of the Sahara: Burkina Faso directory category
• University of Pennsylvania - African Country Studies: Burkina Faso
• Paper for All - Non-profit that focuses on education in Burkina Faso
• Burkina Faso : Selected web sites