BURKINA                                                                         
GEOGRAPHY                                                                       
Total area: 274,200 km2; land area: 273,800 km2                                 
                                                                                
Comparative area: slightly larger than Colorado                                 
                                                                                
Land boundaries: 3,192 km total; Benin 306 km, Ghana 548 km,                    
Ivory Coast 584 km, Mali 1,000 km, Niger 628 km, Togo 126 km                    
                                                                                
Coastline: none--landlocked                                                     
                                                                                
Maritime claims: none--landlocked                                               
                                                                                
Disputes: the disputed international boundary between Burkina and               
Mali was submitted to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in October       
1983 and the ICJ issued its final ruling in December 1986, which both           
sides agreed to accept; Burkina and Mali are proceeding with boundary           
demarcation, including the tripoint with Niger                                  
                                                                                
Climate: tropical; warm, dry winters; hot, wet summers                          
                                                                                
Terrain: mostly flat to dissected, undulating plains; hills in west             
and southeast                                                                   
                                                                                
Natural resources: manganese, limestone, marble; small deposits                 
of gold, antimony, copper, nickel, bauxite, lead, phosphates, zinc,             
silver                                                                          
                                                                                
Land use: arable land 10%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and                   
pastures 37%; forest and woodland 26%; other 27%, includes irrigated            
NEGL%                                                                           
                                                                                
Environment: recent droughts and desertification severely affecting             
marginal agricultural activities, population distribution, economy;             
overgrazing; deforestation                                                      
                                                                                
Note: landlocked                                                                
                                                                                
PEOPLE                                                                          
Population: 9,359,889 (July 1991), growth rate 3.1% (1991)                      
                                                                                
Birth rate: 50 births/1,000 population (1991)                                   
                                                                                
Death rate: 16 deaths/1,000 population (1991)                                   
                                                                                
Net migration rate: - 3 migrants/1,000 population (1991)                        
                                                                                
Infant mortality rate: 119 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)                      
                                                                                
Life expectancy at birth: 52 years male, 53 years female (1991)                 
                                                                                
Total fertility rate: 7.1 children born/woman (1991)                            
                                                                                
Nationality: noun--Burkinabe; adjective--Burkinabe                              
                                                                                
Ethnic divisions: more than 50 tribes; principal tribe is Mossi                 
(about 2.5 million); other important groups are Gurunsi, Senufo, Lobi,          
Bobo, Mande, and Fulani                                                         
                                                                                
Religion: indigenous beliefs about 65%, Muslim 25%,                             
Christian (mainly Roman Catholic) 10%                                           
                                                                                
Language: French (official); tribal languages belong to Sudanic                 
family, spoken by 90% of the population                                         
                                                                                
Literacy: 18% (male 28%, female 9%) age 15 and over can                         
read and write (1990 est.)                                                      
                                                                                
Labor force: 3,300,000 residents; 30,000 are wage earners;                      
agriculture 82%, industry 13%, commerce, services, and government 5%;           
20% of male labor force migrates annually to neighboring countries for          
seasonal employment (1984); 44% of population of working age (1985)             
                                                                                
Organized labor: four principal trade union groups represent less               
than 1% of population                                                           
                                                                                
GOVERNMENT                                                                      
Long-form name: Burkina Faso                                                    
                                                                                
Type: military; established by coup on 4 August 1983                            
                                                                                
Capital: Ouagadougou                                                            
                                                                                
Administrative divisions: 30 provinces; Bam, Bazega, Bougouriba,                
Boulgou, Boulkiemde, Ganzourgou, Gnagna, Gourma, Houet, Kadiogo,                
Kenedougou, Komoe, Kossi, Kouritenga, Mouhoun, Namentenga, Naouri,              
Oubritenga, Oudalan, Passore, Poni, Sanguie, Sanmatenga, Seno,                  
Sissili, Soum, Sourou, Tapoa, Yatenga, Zoundweogo                               
                                                                                
Independence: 5 August 1960 (from France; formerly Upper Volta)                 
                                                                                
Constitution: none; constitution of 27 November 1977 was abolished              
following coup of 25 November 1980; constitutional referendum scheduled         
for June 1991                                                                   
                                                                                
Legal system: based on French civil law system and customary law                
                                                                                
National holiday: Anniversary of the Revolution, 4 August (1983)                
                                                                                
Executive branch: chairman of the Popular Front, Council of                     
Ministers                                                                       
                                                                                
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee                     
Nationale) was dissolved on 25 November 1980                                    
                                                                                
Judicial branch: Appeals Court                                                  
                                                                                
Leaders:                                                                        
                                                                                
Chief of State and Head of Government--Chairman of the                          
Popular Front Captain Blaise COMPAORE (since 15 October 1987)                   
                                                                                
Political parties and leaders: all political parties banned                     
following November 1980 coup                                                    
                                                                                
Suffrage: none                                                                  
                                                                                
Elections: the National Assembly was dissolved 25 November 1980;                
presidential elections are scheduled for 3 November 1991 and legislative        
elections for 8 December 1991                                                   
                                                                                
Communists: small Communist party front group; some sympathizers                
                                                                                
Other political or pressure groups: committees for the defense of               
the revolution, watchdog/political action groups throughout the country         
in both organizations and communities                                           
                                                                                
Member of: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEAO, ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO,               
FZ, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF,          
INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, OIC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD,            
UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO                        
                                                                                
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Paul Desire KABORE;                       
Chancery at 2340 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008;                  
telephone (202) 332-5577 or 6895;                                               
                                                                                
US--Ambassador Edward P. BRYNN; Embassy at Avenue Raoul Follerau,               
Ouagadougou (mailing address is 01 B. P. 35, Ouagadougou);                      
telephone  226  30-67-23 through 25 and  226  33-34-22                          
                                                                                
Flag: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a                  
yellow five-pointed star in the center; uses the popular pan-African            
colors of Ethiopia                                                              
                                                                                
ECONOMY                                                                         
Overview: One of the poorest countries in the world, Burkina                    
has a high population density, few natural resources, and relatively            
infertile soil. Economic development is hindered by a poor communications       
network within a landlocked country. Agriculture provides about 40% of          
GDP and is entirely of a subsistence nature. Industry, dominated by             
unprofitable government-controlled corporations, accounts for about             
15% of GDP.                                                                     
                                                                                
GDP: $1.75 billion, per capita $205 (1988); real growth rate 3%                 
(1989)                                                                          
                                                                                
Inflation rate (consumer prices): - 0.5% (1989)                                 
                                                                                
Unemployment rate: NA%                                                          
                                                                                
Budget: revenues $275 million; expenditures $287 million, including             
capital expenditures of $NA (1989)                                              
                                                                                
Exports: $262 million (f.o.b., 1989);                                           
                                                                                
commodities--oilseeds, cotton, live animals, gold;                              
                                                                                
partners--EC 42% (France 30%, other 12%), Taiwan 17%,                           
Ivory Coast 15% (1985)                                                          
                                                                                
Imports: $619 million (f.o.b., 1989);                                           
                                                                                
commodities--grain, dairy products, petroleum, machinery;                       
                                                                                
partners--EC 37% (France 23%, other 14%), Africa 31%, US 15%                    
(1985)                                                                          
                                                                                
External debt: $962 million (December 1990 est.)                                
                                                                                
Industrial production: growth rate 5.7% (1990est.), accounts for                
about 15%                                                                       
of GDP (1988)                                                                   
                                                                                
Electricity: 121,000 kW capacity; 320 million kWh produced, 37                  
kWh per capita (1989)                                                           
                                                                                
Industries: cotton lint, beverages, agricultural processing,                    
soap, cigarettes, textiles, gold                                                
                                                                                
Agriculture: accounts for about 40% of GDP; cash crops--peanuts,                
shea nuts, sesame, cotton; food crops--sorghum, millet, corn, rice;             
livestock; not self-sufficient in food grains                                   
                                                                                
Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $294                   
million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments          
(1970-88), $2.7 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $113 million            
                                                                                
Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc                                 
(plural--francs); 1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes                             
                                                                                
Exchange rates: CFA francs (CFAF) per US$1--256.54 (January 1991),              
272.26 (1990), 319.01 (1989), 297.85 (1988), 300.54 (1987), 346.30              
(1986), 449.26 (1985)                                                           
                                                                                
Fiscal year: calendar year                                                      
                                                                                
COMMUNICATIONS                                                                  
Railroads: 620 km total; 520 km Ouagadougou to Ivory Coast border               
and 100 km Ouagadougou to Kaya; all 1.00-meter gauge and single track           
                                                                                
Highways: 16,500 km total; 1,300 km paved, 7,400 km improved,                   
7,800 km unimproved (1985)                                                      
                                                                                
Civil air: 2 major transport aircraft                                           
                                                                                
Airports: 50 total, 43 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways;                
none with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 7 with            
runways 1,220-2,439 m                                                           
                                                                                
Telecommunications: all services only fair; radio relay, wire, and              
radio communication stations in use; 13,900 telephones; stations--2 AM,         
2 FM, 2 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station                             
                                                                                
DEFENSE FORCES                                                                  
Branches: Army, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, National Police                
                                                                                
Manpower availability: males 15-49, 1,838,000; 937,304 fit for                  
military service; no conscription                                               
                                                                                
Defense expenditures: $55 million, 2.7% of GDP (1988)                           
                                                                                
