BURKINA FASO

byname Burkina, formerly Republic of Upper Volta, French Rpublique de Haute-Volta, landlocked state in western Africa with an area of 105,869 square miles (274,200 square kilometres). The country is bounded to the north and west by Mali, to the south by Cte d'Ivoire, Ghana, and Togo, and to the east by Benin and Niger. The capital, Ouagadougou, is about 500 miles (800 kilometres) by road from the sea. A former French colony, it gained independence as Upper Volta in 1960; the name Burkina Faso was adopted in 1984. byname Burkina, formerly Republic of Upper Volta, French Rpublique de Haute-Volta landlocked country of western Africa. Lying south of the Sahara (desert), Burkina Faso is bounded on the north and west by Mali, on the south by Cte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Ghana, and Togo, and on the east by Benin and Niger. The capital is Ouagadougou. Area 105,946 square miles (274,400 square km). Pop. (1994 est.) 10,044,000. Additional reading General works include Yves Pron and Victoire Zalacain (eds.), Atlas de la Haute-Volta (1975); Ginette Pallier, Gographie gnrale de la Haute-Volta (1978); Norbert Nikima, La Situation linguistique en Haute-Volta (1980); and Claudette Savonnet-Guyot, Etat et socits au Burkina (1986). No general history exists, but Daniel Miles McFarland, Historical Dictionary of Upper Volta (Haute Volta) (1978), provides useful information. Precolonial and conquest history and ethnography are treated in Jean Capron, Communauts villageoises bwa: Mali, Haute-Volta (1973); Michel Izard, Introduction l'histoire des royaumes mossi, 2 vol. (1970); Paul Irwin, Liptako Speaks (1981); and Anne-Marie Duperray, Les Gourounsi de Haute-Volta: conqute et colonisation, 18961933 (1984). The colonial and independence periods are covered by Jean Audouin and Raymond Deniel, L'Islam en Haute-Volta l'poque coloniale (1978); Salfo Albert Balima, Gense de la Haute-Volta (1970); Sidiki Coulibaly, Joel Gregory, and Victor Pich, Les Migrations voltaques, vol. 1 (1980); and Elliot P. Skinner, The Mossi of the Upper Volta (1964). Franois D. Bassolet, volution de la Haute-Volta, de 1898 au 3 janvier 1966 (1968), is a subjective account of the postindependence era. Myron Echenberg Administration and social conditions Government A constitution, adopted by referendum in 1977, allowed for multiparty elections and a parliamentary democracy with a president as head of state. The military, which has had great influence in political life, staged a coup in 1980 and suspended the constitution and all political activity. Additional military coups were carried out in 1982, 1983, and 1987. Burkina Faso is divided into 30 provinces, which, in turn, are divided into 250 dpartements. In addition, there are communes administered by mayors and elected municipal councillors. Education School enrollment is one of the lowest in Africa, even though the government devotes a large portion of the national budget to education. French is the language of instruction in primary and secondary schools. Higher education is sought at Ouagadougou University (established 1974). Other institutes in Ouagadougou sponsored by neighbouring francophone states offer degrees in rural engineering and hydrology. Some students seek higher education in France; in Dakar, Senegal; or in Abidjan, Cte d'Ivoire. Cultural life Folklore is rich, reflecting the country's ethnic diversity. On national occasions each region is represented in the capital by its own folkloric group. Ouagadougou draws large numbers of visitors to the biennial Pan-African Film Festival (FESPACO). The International Crafts Fair, which is held in alternate years, celebrates the rich and diverse craft production of the nation's artisans. Several daily newspapers are published, including the government-sponsored Sidwaya, as well as a number of weeklies. There are three national parksthose of Po, Arly, and in the east, straddling the border with Benin and Niger, the great W National Park. Pierre H. Guiguemde Myron Echenberg