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)