Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso (pronounced /bərˌkiːnə ˈfɑːsoʊ/ burr-KEE-nə FAH-soh; French: [byʁkina faso]), also known by its short-form name Burkina, is a landlocked nation in West Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the south east, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the south west. Its size is 274,000 km² with an estimated population of more than 13,200,000. Formerly called the Republic of Upper Volta, it was renamed on August 4, 1984, by President Thomas Sankara to mean "the land of upright people" in Moré and Dioula, the major native languages of the country. Literally, "Burkina" may be translated, "men of integrity," from the Moré language, and "Faso" means "father's house" in Dioula. The inhabitants of Burkina Faso are known as Burkinabè (pronounced /bərˈkiːnəbeɪ/ burr-KEE-nə-bay).
Burkina Faso's capital is Ouagadougou. After gaining independence from France in 1960, the country underwent many governmental changes until arriving at its current form, a semi-presidential republic. The president is Blaise Compaoré. The country occupies the second to last place on the Human Development Index.

Capital(and largest city)
Ouagadougou12°20′N 1°40′W / 12.333°N 1.667°W / 12.333; -1.667
Official languages
French
Recognised regional languages
Mòoré, Dioula
Demonym
Burkinabé
Government
Semi-presidential republic
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President
Blaise Compaoré
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Prime Minister
Tertius Zongo
Independence
from France
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Date
August 5, 1960
Area
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Total
274,000 km2 (74th)105,792 sq mi
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Water (%)
0.1%
Population
-
2005 estimate
13,228,000 (66th)
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1996 census
10,312,669
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Density
48/km2 (145th)124/sq mi
GDP (PPP)
2008 estimate
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Total
$17.773 billion[1]
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Per capita
$1,265[1]
GDP (nominal)
2008 estimate
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Total
$8.103 billion[1]
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Per capita
$577[1]
Gini (2003)
39.5 (medium)
HDI (2007)
▲ 0.372 (low) (173rd)
Currency
West African CFA franc[2] (XOF)
Time zone
UTC
Drives on the
right
Internet TLD
.bf
Calling code
226