President: Blaise Compaoré (1987)

Prime Minister: Paramanga Ernest Yonli (2000)

Land area: 105,714 sq mi (273,799 sq km); total area: 105,869 sq mi (274,200 sq km)

Population (2006 est.): 13,902,972 (growth rate: 3.0%); birth rate: 45.6/1000; infant mortality rate: 91.3/1000; life expectancy: 48.9; density per sq mi: 132

Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Ouagadougou, 962,100

Monetary unit: CFA Franc

Languages: French (official); native African (Sudanic) languages 90%

Ethnicity/race: Mossi (over 40%), Gurunsi, Senufo, Lobi, Bobo, Mande, Fulani

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

Literacy rate: 27% (2003 est.)

Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2005 est.): $16.83 billion; per capita $1,200. Real growth rate: 4.5%. Inflation: 3%. Unemployment: n.a. Arable land: 14%. Agriculture: cotton, peanuts, shea nuts, sesame, sorghum, millet, corn, rice; livestock. Labor force: 5 million; note: a large part of the male labor force migrates annually to neighboring countries for seasonal employment (2003); agriculture 90%, industry and services 10% (2000 est.). Industries: cotton lint, beverages, agricultural processing, soap, cigarettes, textiles, gold. Natural resources: manganese, limestone, marble; small deposits of gold, phosphates, pumice, salt. Exports: $395 million f.o.b. (2005 est.): cotton, livestock, gold. Imports: $992 million f.o.b. (2005 est.): capital goods, food products, petroleum. Major trading partners: China, Singapore, Ghana, Bangladesh, France, Côte d'Ivoire, Togo (2004).

Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 65,400 (2003); mobile cellular: 227,000 (2003). Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 17, shortwave 3 (2002). Television broadcast stations: 1 (2002). Internet hosts: 442 (2003). Internet users: 48,000 (2003).

Transportation: Railways: total: 622 km (2004). Highways: total: 12,506 km; paved: 2,001 km; unpaved: 10,505 km (1999). Ports and harbors: none. Airports: 33 (2004 est.).

International disputes: two villages are in dispute along the border with Benin; Benin accuses Burkina Faso of moving boundary pillars; Burkina Faso border regions remain a staging area for Liberia and Cote d'Ivoire rebels and an asylum for refugees caught in local fighting; the Ivoirian Government accuses Burkina Faso of sheltering Ivoirian rebels.


 

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