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This is a landlocked country, slightly larger than Colorado, in tropical western Africa, just north of Ghana and west of Nigeria.
In 1960, Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta) acquired complete independence from France. During the 1970s and 80's were military coups. In the early 90's multiparty electionsw were held.
Burkino Faso is a parliamentary democracy.
Figures unless otherwise stated are from the CIA Factbook.
Factbook: "One of the poorest countries in the world, landlocked Burkina Faso has few natural resources and a weak industrial base. About 90% of the population is engaged in subsistence agriculture, which is vulnerable to periodic drought. Cotton is the main cash crop and the government has joined with three other cotton producing countries in the region - Mali, Niger, and Chad - to lobby in the World Trade Organization for fewer subsidies to producers in other competing countries."
Estimated per capita GDP
2008 $1,200
2007 $1,200
2006 $1,100
Fragile soil, cotton the main crop, 90 percent of work force in agriculture, most of it subsistence.
For 2008: deaths: 13.59, down from 18.86 in 2005; births: 44.68, up from 44.17 in 2005
For 2008: 15.265 million, up from 13.9 million in 2005. Growth rate estimated for 2008: 3.109 percent per year. Density estimated for 2005: 50 persons per square kilometer.
Infant mortality for 2008: 86.02, down from 89.79 in 2007, up from 81.74 in 2005 (deaths before the age of one year, per 1,000 live births)
Average life expectancy at birth estimated for 2008: 52.55, up from 43.9 in 2005.
Living with HIV/AIDS, ages 15 to 49: 4.2 percent (2003 estimate).
SOURCES:
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/
Copyright © 2008 by Frank E. Smitha. All rights reserved.