Burkina Faso: Map & History
Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa.
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Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Ivory Coast to the southwest. It covers an area of 274,223 km2 (105,878 sq mi). In 2024, the country had an estimated population of approximately 23,286,000. Its citizens are known as Burkinabes, and its capital and largest city is Ouagadougou.
Modern Countries Once Part of Burkina Faso
At its mapped extent, Burkina Faso covered territory in 1 present-day country. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside Burkina Faso's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
Burkina Faso in Depth
History
The northwestern part of present-day Burkina Faso was populated by hunter-gatherers from 14,000 BC to 5,000 BC. Their tools, including scrapers, chisels and arrowheads, were discovered in 1973 through archaeological excavations. Agricultural settlements were established between 3600 and 2600 BC. The Bura culture was an Iron-Age civilization centred in the southwest portion of modern-day Niger and in the southeast part of contemporary Burkina Faso. Iron industry, in smelting and forging for tools and weapons, had developed in Sub-Saharan Africa by 1200 BC.
To date, the oldest evidence of iron smelting found in Burkina Faso dates from 800 to 700 BC and forms part of the Ancient Ferrous Metallurgy World Heritage Site.
Government and politics
The June 1991 constitution established a semi-presidential government: its parliament could be dissolved by the President of the Republic, who was to be elected for a term of seven years. In 2000, the constitution was amended to reduce the presidential term to five years and set term limits to two, preventing successive re-election. The amendment took effect during the 2005 elections.
The parliament consisted of one chamber known as the National Assembly, which had 111 seats with members elected to serve five-year terms. There was a constitutional chamber, with ten members, and an economic and social council whose roles were purely consultative. The 1991 constitution created a bicameral parliament, but the upper house (Chamber of Representatives) was abolished in 2002.
Economy
Burkina Faso remains one of the least developed countries in the world, with an economy based primarily on subsistence farming and livestock raising. The country has an average income purchasing-power-parity per capita of $2,980 and nominal per capita of $1,110 in 2025. More than 80% of the population relies on subsistence agriculture, with only a small fraction directly involved in industry and services. A large part of the economic activity of the country is funded by international aid, despite having gold ores in abundance.
Burkina Faso's economy showed signs of recovery in recent years. According to the World Bank, the economy grew by 4.9% in 2024 compared to 3.0% in 2023. Real per capita GDP growth also increased from 0.7% to 2.5% over the same period.
Culture
Literature in Burkina Faso is based on the oral tradition, which remains important. In 1934, during French occupation, Dim-Dolobsom Ouedraogo published his Maximes, pensées et devinettes mossi (Maxims, Thoughts and Riddles of the Mossi), a record of the oral history of the Mossi people.
The oral tradition continued to have an influence on Burkinabè writers in the post-independence Burkina Faso of the 1960s, such as Nazi Boni and Roger Nikiema. The 1960s saw a growth in the number of playwrights being published.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Burkina Faso (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Burkina Faso: Key Facts
| Capital | Ouagadougou |
|---|---|
| Official languages | Mooré, Bissa, Dioula |
| Form of government | military junta |
| Currency | West African CFA franc |
| Founded | 1960 |
Preceded by
- Republic of Upper Volta
- French West Africa
- Emirate of Liptako
Facts from Wikidata Q965 (CC0).
Burkina Faso: Frequently Asked Questions
When did Burkina Faso exist?
Burkina Faso is dated to 1961 CE – 2024 CE, in the Industrial era.
What was the capital of Burkina Faso?
The capital of Burkina Faso was Ouagadougou.
How large was Burkina Faso at its peak?
At its peak in 2024 Burkina Faso covered about 274,142 km².
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