|
Burkina Faso, once known as Upper Volta, and
as the longtime kingdom of the Mossi people, was colonized by France
in the late 1800s.
Its name was changed to Burkina Faso when it gained independence
from France in 1960, and subsequently (after that independence)
suffered from numerous military coups that thankfully ended with
countrywide elections in 1992. The results of those elections helped
form a stable coalition government.
With a high population density and very limited natural resources,
most of the citizens remain economically suppressed. Local health
conditions are improving, but still generally poor in the rural
areas. The country is reported to have the second-highest illiteracy
rate on the planet.
---------------------------«««««----------------
FACTS
(Excerpt from the information package
from CCFCanada)
Burkina Faso, Land of the Upright
People
Horse-mounted invaders riding north
from Ghana in the 15th century first established the kingdom that
would later become Burkina Faso. The military and political
abilities of the Mossi people are demonstrated by their
centuries-long and successful resistance of Muslim forces from the
north. Today, Burkina Faso is one of the few Western African nations
that are not predominantly Muslim.
In the late 1800s, French colonial
interest took over the area. "Upper Volta" remained a French colony
until independence in 1960. One f the country's early
visionary leaders, Thomas Sankara, renamed it Burkina Faso
-"land of the upright people" - 1984. Since 1990, the political
scene has been relatively stable, but continuing unrest in
neighboring Côte d'Ivoire may pose a
threat.
This
land-locked country sits on an arid plateau crossed by three major
rivers that merge in Ghana to become the Volta. The average
temperature during the day is 30ºC. Steady encroachment of the
desert from the north is a serious environmental problem. Them main
economic activity in the country is agriculture. Cotton is the
country's most profitable export, followed by gold. Several other
minerals are also mined.
More than half
of Burkinabés still follow the old tribal religions. Islam is strong
in the north, while about 5 per cent of the population, mostly in
the south, is Christian. Burkina Faso has a vibrant cultural
life; its masks are world famous. More recently, the country has
also become home to Africa's largest film festival.
Area: 274, 000 sq.km
Population: 11, 856,000
Official Language: French
Monetary Unit: West African Franc
Main Industries: cotton, mining, beverages, agricultural
processing
Terrain: Mainly arid grasslands, desert to the north
Climate: Tropical - warm, dry winters, how wet summers
BURKINA FASO: STATISTIC
as compared to Canadian Statistics (
in parenthesis)
Health:
Under
five mortality rate:
2001 - 197 (7)
Life expectancy at birth: 2001- 47 (79)
Percentage of population using improved drinking water sources: 2000
Total: 29% (100 %)
Urban: 39% (100%)
Rural: 27% (99%)
Percentage of children under five who are
moderately to severely underweight:
34%
(†)
|
Burkina Faso Flag
Impact of
HIV/AIDS
Percentage of
population living with HIV/AIDS, 15 to 49 years
2001 - 6.5% (0.31%)
Children under 14
orphaned by HIV/AIDS in 2001 - 270,000 (†)
Percentage of
one-year-olds immunized against measles in 2001 - 46% (96%)
Economics and Society
GNI per capita
in US$ in 2001 - $210 ($21,340)
Child population 2001
Percentage under
18: 56% (23%)
Percentage under 5:
19% (6%)
Population growth rate
(1998 -2001): 2.5% (1%)
Percentage of
population urbanized (2001): 17% (79%)
Net primary school enrollment/attendance
(1995 - 2001): 35% (99%)
Number of
radios/television per 1,000 population (1997)
Radios: 34 (1,067)
Television: 9 (710)
Under five mortality rate - the probability of dying between
birth and exactly five years of age expressed per 1,000 live births
GNI (gross national
income) per capita - derived from a formula developed to measure
the average income of individuals
Net primary
school enrollment/attendance - the percentage of eligible
children actually enrolled and attending primary school
† - Data not available
|
