(Formerly: UPPER VOLTA)
(WIPO code: BF) (latest review April 2023)
Burkina Faso
General Information
Area
274,200 sq. km.
Population
22,489,126 (2023).
Capital
Ouagadougou.
Official language
French.
Currency
C.F.A. franc.
Main agricultural and natural products
Cereals, sugar cane, groundnuts, cotton, forestry and farming.
Main Mineral Products
Phosphate, gold and manganese.
Main exports
Cotton, livestock, shea butter and gold.
GNI
(per capita): U.S.$ 830 (estimated 2021).
General Remarks
A former French colony, part of French West Africa, Upper Volta obtained its internal administrative autonomy and became a member of the French Community in 1958 and later achieved its full independence on August 5, 1960.
The economy is mainly based on agriculture (80%). Small deposits of gold, chromium, copper, iron and manganese are known to exist, and their extraction has begun only recently.