Official Name: Burkina Faso

Currency:  Franc

 

Current Exchange Rate:

 

Hemisphere: Northern

Continent: Africa

Location: In W Africa, S of the Sahara. Neighbors: Mali on NW, Niger on NE, Benin, Togo, Ghana, Cote d`lvoire on S

Area: 103,456 sq mi, 267,950 sq km

Form of Government: Multiparty republic with one legislative house (National Assembly 111)

Population: (2007) 141,378,000

Population Density: (2007) persons per sq mi 178.4, persons per sq km 68.9

Principal Language(s): French (official), native African Sudanic-family languages

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

Capital: Ouagadougou

Capital Population: 1,488,176

Capital Average Temperature: Maximum: 28.3 degrees Celsius, 82.9 degrees Fahrenheit
                                                 
Major Cities: Bobo-Dioulasso 452,349, Koudougou 142,360, Tenkodogo 130,084, Solenzo 123,488

Topography: Landlocked Burkina Faso is in the savanna region of W Africa. The N is arid, hot, and thinly populated.

Economy: G.D.P. $17.5 billion

G.D.P. per Capita: $1,200
 
Vital Statistics: Birth rate per 1,000 population (2006): 45.6 (world avg. 20.3) . Death rate per 1,000 population (2006); 15.6 (world avg. 8.6) Total fertility rate (avg. births per childbearing woman 2006) 6.47. Life expectancy at birth (2006) male 47.3 years; female 50.4 years

Government Website: www.burkinaembassy-usa.org

Reference Sources: The World Almanac 2009, The New York Times Almanac   2009, Time Almanac 2009, World Climate website.