NAVIGATION
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NAVIGATION
Burkina Faso
former: Upper Volta
INTRODUCTION
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Background:
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Independence from France came to Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta) 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 Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana. |
GEOGRAPHY
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Location:
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Western Africa, north of Ghana |
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Geographic coordinates:
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13 00 N, 2 00 W |
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Map references:
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Africa |
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Area:
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total: 274,200 sq km
water: 400 sq km land: 273,800 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly larger than Colorado |
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Land boundaries:
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total: 3,193 km
border countries: Benin 306 km, Cote d'Ivoire 584 km, Ghana 549 km, Mali 1,000 km, Niger 628 km, Togo 126 km |
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Coastline:
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0 km (landlocked) |
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Maritime claims:
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none (landlocked) |
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Climate:
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tropical; warm, dry winters; hot, wet summers |
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Terrain:
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mostly flat to dissected, undulating plains; hills in west and southeast |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Mouhoun (Black Volta) River 200 m
highest point: Tena Kourou 749 m |
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Natural resources:
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manganese, limestone, marble; small deposits of gold, antimony, copper, nickel, bauxite, lead, phosphates, zinc, silver |
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Land use:
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arable land: 12.43%
permanent crops: 0.18% other: 87.39% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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250 sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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recurring droughts |
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Environment - current issues:
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recent droughts and desertification severely affecting agricultural activities, population distribution, and the economy; overgrazing; soil degradation; deforestation |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban |
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Geography - note:
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landlocked savanna cut by the three principal rivers of the Black, Red, and White Voltas |
PEOPLE
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Population:
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12,603,185
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2002 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 47.3% (male 3,007,675; female 2,960,697)
15-64 years: 49.8% (male 3,000,411; female 3,271,594) 65 years and over: 2.9% (male 151,976; female 210,832) (2002 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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2.64% (2002 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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44.34 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Death rate:
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17.07 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-0.84 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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105.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 46.11 years
female: 46.78 years (2002 est.) male: 45.45 years |
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Total fertility rate:
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6.26 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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6.44% (1999 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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350,000 (1999 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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43,000 (1999 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun: Burkinabe (singular and plural)
adjective: Burkinabe |
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Ethnic groups:
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Mossi over 40%, Gurunsi, Senufo, Lobi, Bobo, Mande, Fulani |
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Religions:
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indigenous beliefs 40%, Muslim 50%, Christian (mainly Roman Catholic) 10% |
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Languages:
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French (official), native African languages belonging to Sudanic family spoken by 90% of the population |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 36% (2001) male: NA% female: NA% |