Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso (pronounced /bərˌkiːnə ˈfɑːsoʊ/ bər-KEE-nə FAH-soh; French: [byʁkina 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 south east, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d’Ivoire to the southwest.
Its size is 274,000 km² with an estimated population of more than 15,757,000. Formerly called the Republic of Upper Volta, it was renamed on August 4, 1984, by President Thomas Sankara to mean “the land of upright people” in Moré and Dioula, 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. The inhabitants of Burkina Faso are known as Burkinabè (pronounced /bərˈkiːnəbeɪ/ bər-KEE-nə-bay).
Burkina Faso’s capital is Ouagadougou. After gaining independence from France in 1960, the country underwent many governmental changes until arriving at its current form, a semi-presidential republic. The president is Blaise Compaoré. The country occupies the sixth to last place on the Human Development Index.
[Ouagadougou]
Burkina Faso
country name:
Burkina Faso
capital:
Ouagadougou
area:
274,200.0 km²
population:
14,761,000
currency:
Franc (XOF)
languages:
French
neighbours:
Niger, Benin, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Togo, Mali
