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 Burkina Faso| Facts & Figures |
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| President: Blaise Compaoré
(1987) Prime Minister: Tertius Zongo
(2007)
Land area: 105,714 sq mi (273,799 sq km);
total area: 105,869 sq mi (274,200 sq km) Population (2009 est.): 15,746,232
(growth rate: 3.1%); birth rate: 44.3/1000; infant mortality rate:
84.5/1000; life expectancy: 52.9; density per sq km: 53
Capital and largest city (2003 est.):
Ouagadougou, 962,100 Monetary unit: CFA Franc More Facts & Figures |
GeographySlightly larger than Colorado, Burkina Faso,
formerly known as Upper Volta, is a landlocked country in West Africa. Its
neighbors are Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, Niger, Benin, Togo, and Ghana.
The country consists of extensive plains, low hills, high savannas, and a
desert area in the north.
GovernmentParliamentary.
HistoryBurkina Faso was originally inhabited by the
Bobo, Lobi, and Gurunsi peoples, with the Mossi and Gurma peoples
immigrating to the region in the 14th century. The lands of the Mossi
empire became a French protectorate in 1897, and by 1903 France had
subjugated the other ethnic groups. Called Upper Volta by the French, it
became a separate colony in 1919, was partitioned among Niger, the Sudan,
and Côte d'Ivoire in 1932, and was reconstituted in 1947. An
autonomous republic within the French Community, Upper Volta became
independent on Aug. 5, 1960.
President Maurice Yameogo was deposed on Jan. 3,
1966, by a military coup led by Col. Sangoulé Lamizana, who
dissolved the national assembly and suspended the constitution.
Constitutional rule returned in 1978 with the election of an assembly and
a presidential vote in June in which Gen. Lamizana won by a narrow margin
over three other candidates.
On Nov. 25, 1980, Col. Sayé Zerbo led a
bloodless coup that toppled Lamizana. In turn, Maj. Jean-Baptist Ouedraogo
ousted Zerbo on Nov. 7, 1982. But the real revolutionary change occurred
the following year when a 33-year-old flight commander, Thomas Sankara,
took control. A Marxist-Leninist, he challenged the traditional Mossi
chiefs, advocated women's liberation, and allied the country with North
Korea, Libya, and Cuba. To sever ties to the colonial past, Sankara
changed the name of the country in 1984 to Burkina Faso, which combines
two of the nation's languages and means “the land of upright
men.”
While Sankara's investments in schools, food
production, and clinics brought some improvement in living standards,
foreign investment declined, many businesses left the country, and unhappy
labor unions began strikes. On Oct. 15, 1987, formerly loyal soldiers
assassinated Sankara. His best friend and ally Blaise Compaoré
became president. Compaoré immediately set about
“rectifying” Sankara's revolution. In 1991, he agreed to
economic reforms proposed by the World Bank. A new constitution paved the
way for elections in 1991, which Compaoré won easily, although
opposition parties boycotted. In 1998, he was reelected by a landslide. A
coup against the president was foiled in 2003, and he was reelected a
third time in 2005.
Prime Minister Yonli resigned in June 2007 and
was replaced by Tertius Zongo, who has served as the ambassador to the
United States and as the country's finance minister.
See also
Encyclopedia:
Burkina Faso
.
U.S. State Dept. Country Notes:
Burkina Faso
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