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Burkina Faso

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Ethnicity/race: Mossi (over 40%), Gurunsi, Senufo, Lobi, Bobo, Mande, Fulani

National Holiday: Republic Day, December 11

Religions: Islam 50%, indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian (mainly Roman Catholic) 10%

Literacy rate: 21.8% (2011 est.)

Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2011 est.): $21.83 billion; per capita $1,500. Real growth rate: 4.9%. Inflation: 3.6%. Unemployment: 77% Arable land: 14%. Agriculture: cotton, peanuts, shea nuts, sesame, sorghum, millet, corn, rice; livestock. Labor force: 6.668 million; note: a large part of the male labor force migrates annually to neighboring countries for seasonal employment (2003); agriculture 90%, industry and services 10% (2000 est.). Industries: cotton lint, beverages, agricultural processing, soap, cigarettes, textiles, gold. Natural resources: manganese, limestone, marble; small deposits of gold, phosphates, pumice, salt. Exports: $1.591 billion f.o.b. (2011 est.): cotton, livestock, gold. Imports: $2.25 billion f.o.b. (2011 est.): capital goods, food products, petroleum. Major trading partners: China, Singapore, Ghana, Bangladesh, France, Côte d'Ivoire, Togo (2004).

Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 144,000 (2011); mobile cellular: 5,708,000 (2011). Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 17, shortwave 3 (2002). Television broadcast stations: 1 (2002). Internet hosts: 1,833 (2011). Internet users: 178,100 (2011).

Transportation: Railways: total: 622 km (2011). Highways: total: 92,495 km; p (2011). Ports and harbors: none. Airports: 24 (2011 est.).

International disputes: two villages are in dispute along the border with Benin; Benin accuses Burkina Faso of moving boundary pillars; Burkina Faso border regions remain a staging area for Liberia and Cote d'Ivoire rebels and an asylum for refugees caught in local fighting; the Ivoirian Government accuses Burkina Faso of sheltering Ivoirian rebels.

Major sources and definitions