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Sub Saharan Africa

Burkina Faso
Last reviewed: 17 October 2011

Country information

Area: 274,190 sq km
Population: 16,286,706 (2010, World Bank)
Capital City: Ouagadougou
People: Mossi (50%), and about 60 other ethnic groups
Languages: French is the official language, a large number of local languages are spoken.
Religion: Animist, Islam and Christian
Major political parties: the ruling party is Congres pour las democratie et le Progres (CDP); others are – Parti pour las democratie et le progres Parti socialiste (PDP-PS), Union nationale pour la democratie et le developpement (UNDD), Alliance pour la democratie et la federation-Rassemblement democratique africain (ADF-RDA), Coalition des forces democratiques(CFD), Parti africain de l'independence (PAI), Parti pour las renaissance – Mouvement sankariste (UNIR-MS), Parti pour la democratie et la socialisme (PDS), Convention national des democrates progressistes(CNPD) plus Alternance 2005 (an opposition coalition)
Head of State: President Blaise Compaore
Prime Minister: Tertius Zongo
Membership of main organisations: UN, African Union (AU), Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the overlapping Economic and Monetary Union of West Africa (UEMOA), Organisation de la Francophonie (OIF), Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC), Community of Sahel and Saharan States (COMESSA, or CENSAD).

HEALTH

Health Needs

Country information

Travel Advice

Travel Advice: Burkina Faso

See also

Useful links

• BBC News Country Profile: Burkina Faso
 
• International Monetary Fund (IMF)
• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
• International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD)
• Health Needs

Contacts