Quick Data on Burkina Faso
Short Name | Burkina Faso |
Capital | Ouagadougou |
Long Name | n/a |
Country Code | UV |
Continent | Africa |
Total Area | 274,200 sq km |
Population | 20,835,401 |
Language | French |
Nationality | Burkinabe (singular and plural) |
Geography of Burkina Faso
As a country in Africa, with coordinates at 13 00 N, 2 00 W, Burkina Faso neighbors Benin 386 km, Cote d’Ivoire 545 km, Ghana 602 km, Mali 1325 km, Niger 622 km, Togo 131 km. The terrain in Burkina Faso is described as Mostly flat to dissected, undulating plains; hills in the west and southeast. Occupies an extensive plateau with savanna that is grassy in the north and gradually gives way to sparse forests in the south. (2019), with an average elevation point of 297 m. The climate of Burkina Faso: three climate zones including a hot tropical savanna with a short rainy season in the southern half, a tropical hot semi-arid steppe climate typical of the Sahel region in the northern half, and small area of hot desert in the very north of the country bordering the Sahara Desert.
Surface Total | 274,200 sq km |
Land Surface | 273,800 sq km |
Water Surface | 400 sq km |
Land Boundaries | 3,611 km |
Neighbor Countries | Benin 386 km, Cote d’Ivoire 545 km, Ghana 602 km, Mali 1325 km, Niger 622 km, Togo 131 km |
Coastline | 0 km |
Lowest Elevation Point | Mouhoun (Black Volta) River 200 m |
Highest Elevation Point | Tena Kourou 749 m |
Resources of Burkina Faso
The country enjoys many types of natural resources, with the main ones being gold, manganese, zinc, limestone, marble, phosphates, pumice, salt. The agricultural land occupies 44.20% of Burkina Faso, while the land covered with forests is estimated at 19.30%.
Percent of Total Land | Surface Sq km | Data | |
Agricultural Land | 44.20% | 121,020 sq km | 2016 est. |
Irrigated Land | 550 sq km | 2016 | |
Forest Land | 19.30% | 52,843 sq km | 2016 est. |
Other Land | 36.50% | 99,937 sq km | 2016 est. |
Population of Burkina Faso
The population of the country is estimated at 20,835,401 people, with the biggest urban area having 2.780 million OUAGADOUGOU (capital), 972,000 Bobo-Dioulasso (2020). Known as Burkinabe (singular and plural), the people from Burkina Faso come from diversified ethnic groups such as Mossi 52%, Fulani 8.4%, Gurma 7%, Bobo 4.9%, Gurunsi 4.6%, Senufo 4.5%, Bissa 3.7%, Lobi 2.4%, Dagara 2.4%, Tuareg/Bella 1.9%, Dioula 0.8%, unspecified/no answer 0.3%, other 7.2% (2010 est.). The official language is French. Religions: Muslim 61.5%, Roman Catholic 23.3%, traditional/animist 7.8%, Protestant 6.5%, other/no answer 0.2%, none 0.7% (2010 est.).
Population | 20,835,401 |
Nationality | Burkinabe (singular and plural) |
Official Language | French |
Other Languages | French (official), native African languages belonging to Sudanic family spoken by 90% of the population |
Birth Rate | 35.1 births / 1000 population (2020 est.) |
Death Rate | 8.2 deaths / 1000 population (2020 est.) |
Urban Population | 30.60% of total population (2020) |
Physicians Density | 0.08 physicians/1,000 population (2017) |
Hospital Beds Density | 0.4 beds/1,000 population (2010) |
Governing Type of Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso is a presidential republic. The legal system makes use of civil law based on the French model and customary law; in mid-2019, the National Assembly amended the penal code.
Governing Type | presidential republic |
Citizenship by Birth | no |
Citizenship by Descent | at least one parent must be a citizen of Burkina Faso |
Dual Citizenship | yes |
Residency Requirement for Naturalization | 10 years |
Suffrage Vote | 18 years of age; universal |
Economy of Burkina Faso
From a population total of 20,835,401, the labor force is 8.501 million (2016 est.). The main products in agriculture are: cotton, peanuts, shea nuts, sesame, sorghum, millet, corn, rice; livestock. Among the main industries considerable for the economy are: cotton lint, beverages, agricultural processing, soap, cigarettes, textiles, gold. Its exports cover gold, cotton, livestock. The main import products are: capital goods, foodstuffs, petroleum.
Exports | $3.14 billion (2017 est.) |
Imports | $3.305 billion (2017 est.) |
Export Partners | Switzerland 44.9%, India 15.6%, South Africa 11.3%, Cote d’Ivoire 4.9% (2017) |
Import Partners | China 13.2%, Cote d’Ivoire 9.5%, US 8.2%, Thailand 8.1%, France 6.5%, Ghana 4.4%, Togo 4.4%, India 4.3% (2017) |
GDP / Capita | $1,900 (2017 est.) |
Electricity Production | 990 million kWh (2016 est.) |
Electrification Rate | electrification – total population: 19.2% (2016) |
Internet Users | 2,723,950 |
Internet Penetration Rate | 14.00% (July 2016 est.) |
For latest imports and exports data we recommend checking the website for the National Bank of Burkina Faso, statistics sectio