Best Countries

At a glance

Capital: Ouagadougou

Official language: French

Currency: CFA franc

Continent: West Africa

Travel to Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso has developed into the cultural capital of West Africa over the past few decades. This has to do not least with the FESPACO held there, the well-known pan-African film festival, which now attracts internationally known filmmakers and directors from all over Africa to the capital Ouagadougou every two years.

General

According to Countryaah, Burkina Faso is located in West Africa and was under French colonial rule until the second half of the 20th century. Today it is one of the poorest countries in the world despite international support.

Society and culture

What characterizes Burkina Faso is the peaceful coexistence of different ethnic groups (approx. 60). This also brings a wealth of cultural traditions (dance, music) with it. A very special tradition of the Sudanese savannah peoples is wearing masks at various festivities. Even the craft has a high priority in Burkina Faso. In addition to traditional sculpture and pottery, special sculptures are made from cast bronze.

Also of interest is the Senoufo culture west of the town of Banfora and the archaeological finds in the Markoye and Aribinda areas. The second important city next to the capital Ouagadougou, Bobo-Dioulasso, also has an old town that is well worth seeing.

Festivals

The FESPACO (Festival panafricain du cinéma et de la télévision de Ouagadougou) has been held since 1969 and made Burkina Faso a center of African filmmaking. Accordingly, the Sanyon cinema in Bobo-Dioulasso is a building worth seeing. As an alternative to FESPACO, the “Semaine Nationale de la Culture” (SNC) to promote the national cultural scene and the “Salon International de l’Artisanat de Ouagadougou” (SIAO) are also taking place.

Fauna

But the 274,000 km ² landlocked country in West Africa not only has a lot to offer culturally. The country is also home to numerous national parks. The larger ones, such as the Arly National Park, are also well developed for tourism and are ideal for observing large savanna game (elephants, lions and cheetahs).

Where else can you enjoy natural spectacles? For example in the south-west, where the waterfalls “Cascades de Karfiguéla” are located (near the town of Banfora). Here the Comoé stream falls over picturesque sandstone cliffs into the plain. This area is a popular tourist destination. The mountain peaks are not far away from Sindou and the Téngréla lake, the region of Téngréla is known as the preferred habitat of the hippos.

In the north of the country you should plan a trip to the sand dunes of Oursi.

Infrastructure

There are two international airports in Burkina Faso, served by Air France and Point-Afrique Voyages. With EU support, most of the country’s roads have already been paved. In the interior of the country there are mainly buses. Minibuses, called “bush taxes”, also travel to more remote areas.

Accommodation and meals

There is a wide range of apartments and rentable houses for foreign visitors. If you travel in the rainy season, however, you have to be prepared for interruptions to the power supply. The food supply is particularly good in the big cities. In addition to the traditional markets, there are also supermarket chains with European standards. Most of the food sold there, however, is imported and therefore expensive.

Eat and drink

Ouagadougou in particular is famous for the small, local restaurants, the so-called “maquis”. The cuisine is kept very simple. Dégué is a popular dessert. The traditional millet beer has replaced the established bottled beer. Local beer brands are preferred.

It is better to stick to official restaurant tips.

Security situation

Burkina Faso is known as a peaceful country and is politically relatively stable. Since the crisis in the neighboring relationship with Ivory Coast, the internal security situation has deteriorated, which can also be seen in the increased crime rate. In recent years there have even been attacks on coaches, so individual travel is not advisable.

Important facts

Capital: Ouagadougou

Official language: French

Currency

Currency (sub-unit)

CFA franc (100 centimes)

ISO 4217 code

XOF / 952

Geography

Continent: Africa

Region: west

Geo coordinates: N 12 ° 14 ’18 ” W -1 ° -33′ -41.7″

Highest mountain: Tena Kourou (749 m)

Total area: 274,200 km²

Mainland: 273,800 km²

National border: 3,192 km

Politics

Dependency: France until 1960

UN member since: 1960

Other political affiliation: African Union

Form of government: Military dictatorship

Economy

Export goods: Livestock products, nuts

BSP: $ 5.673 million

GDP: $ 5,972,000,000

GDP purchasing power parity: $ 17,660,000,000

Economic growth: 4.8%

Inflation rate: 7.6%

State budget revenue: $ 1373,000,000

State budget expenditure: $ 1576,000,000

Gold and currency reserves: $ 1,043,000,000

Electricity consumption: 384 million KWh

Oil consumption: 9,600 million m³

Cultivation area: 18.2%

Bovine: 5,430,000 pieces

Sheep: 7,900,000 pieces

Fishing: 8,770 t

Demographic data

Residents: 13,903,000

Residents in cities: 2,349,000

Average age: 16.5 years

0-14 years: 46.8%

15-64 years: 50.7%

> 65 years: 2.5%

Population growth: 3%

Birth rate: 44.17 / 1,000 residents

Death rate: 15.6 / 1,000 residents

Ratio men / women: 0.99

Fertility: 6.47 children / woman

Infant mortality: 91.65 ‰

Life expectancy men: 47.33 years

Life expectancy women: 50.42 years

Country codes and abbreviations

ISO 3166 Alpha 2: BF

ISO 3166 Alpha 3: BFA

ISO 3166 numeric: 854

Top Level Domain: bf

IOC country code: BUR

UN / LOCODE: BF

Source: Abbreviationfinder

Communication

Telephone connections: 82,000

Cell Phones: 358,000

Radios: 620,000

TV: 241,000

Computer: 47,000

Internet users: 88,000

Transportation

Railway lines: 622 km

Paved roads: 3,728 km

Cars: 45,000

Health

Number of doctors: 630

Daily food intake: 2,560 kcal / resident

HIV- infected people: 360,000

Education

Illiteracy: 71%

History

Foundation: 1080

Last sovereign since: 1960

Religion

Main religious group: Muslims

Crime

Prison inmates: 3,000

Military

Armed forces (troop strength): 11,000

Defense Spending: $ 81.6 million