@Burkina Faso
Introduction Burkina Faso
Background:
Independence from France came to Burkina Faso (formerly Upper
Volta) in 1960. Repeated military coups during the 1970s and 1980s
were followed by multiparty elections in the early 1990s. Burkina
Faso's high population density and limited natural resources result
in poor economic prospects for the majority of its citizens. Every
year, several hundred thousand seasonal farm workers seek employment
in Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana and are adversely affected by instability
in those regions.
Geography Burkina Faso
Location:
Western Africa, north of Ghana
Geographic coordinates:
13 00 N, 2 00 W
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 274,200 sq km
water: 400 sq km
land: 273,800 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Colorado
Land boundaries:
total: 3,193 km
border countries: Benin 306 km, Cote d'Ivoire 584 km, Ghana 549 km,
Mali 1,000 km, Niger 628 km, Togo 126 km