Burkina Faso Is a Landlocked Country in West Africa

Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa.

Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali, Niger, Benin, Togo, Ghana, and Côte d’Ivoire. The northernmost part of the country is part of the Sahel, or the dry area that borders the Sahara Desert, which covers the north part of Africa. Below the Sahel, the savannah covers much of the middle of the country. Savannah is flat grassland with few trees. The southern part of the country is green and forested.

Burkina Faso was once known as Upper Volta because of the three main rivers that run through it, which are called the Black Volta, the White Volta, and the Red Volta. The country has 147 different mammals, including elephants, lions, and giraffes. The West African Wild Dog, one of the most endangered animals in Africa with only 70 left in the wild, is native to the country.

Burkina Faso has a population of more than 20 million. The capital and largest city, Ouagadougou—wah-guh-DOO-goo—has about 2 million people. The official language is French, because the country was once a French colony. The leader of the country, President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, has been in charge since 2015.

Burkina Faso is a very poor country, and many people experience food insecurity, which means they do not have enough healthy food to eat. Most people make their living through subsistence agriculture. Many farmers sell crops like peanuts, sorghum, and millet. Burkina Faso’s two biggest exported products are gold and cotton.

The Mossi people make up about half of the population of Burkina Faso, but there are about 60 other ethnic groups in the country. The Mossi are especially known for their wooden masks. These masks are used at funerals and other important events. These wooden masks depict animals, painted in red, black, and white.

In the late 1800s, France defeated the Mossi, and in 1919, established the colony of French Upper Volta. The country gained its independence in 1960. But after it became independent, the unrest continued. In 1983, the government was overthrown and Thomas Sankara became the president. Sankara renamed the country Burkina Faso, which means “Land of Incorruptible People.” He improved healthcare, education, and women’s rights. He also planted 10 million trees to help the environment. Sankara was very popular, especially with the poor. But he made some enemies, and in 1987, he was assassinated in a coup led by his former friend, Blaise Campaoré. Campaoré ruled the country for the next 27 years.

The country’s official language is French, but there are more than 60 other languages spoken in Burkina Faso. About 60 percent of the people follow Islam, and 23 percent are Christian. The Grand Mosque, or Old Mosque, in Boho Dioulasso, Burkina Faso’s second-largest city, was built around 1893. It is a good example of Sudano-Sahelian architecture, using rounded shapes and local materials. The wooden sticks on the outside of the building are a feature of this style of architecture. They also serve a purpose: workers use them to climb the building when it needs to be repaired.