World Context: Burkina Faso

Source and mapping status

This page maps the site registry entry “Burkina Faso” to the supplied dataset entity “Burkina Faso.” Mapping status: exact-name. The source is a frozen 2025 snapshot; dates embedded in individual fields remain controlling.

• Source entity count: 1.
• Selected public fields present: 18.
• Independent corroboration in this page: none.

Place and environment

Location: Western Africa, north of Ghana Area: total : 274,200 sq km; land: 273,800 sq km; water: 400 sq km Climate: three climate zones including a hot tropical savanna with a short rainy season in the southern half, a tropical hot semi-arid steppe climate typical of the Sahel region in the northern half, and small area of hot desert in the very north of the country bordering the Sahara Desert Terrain: mostly flat to dissected, undulating plains; hills in the west and southeast; o ccupies an extensive plateau with s avanna that is grassy in the north and gradually gives way to sparse forests in the south Natural hazards: recurring droughts Environmental issues: droughts; desertification; overgrazing; soil degradation; deforestation (2019)

Population, settlement, and language context

Population: total: 23,490,300 (2025 est.); male: 11,529,979; female: 11,960,321 Population distribution: most of the population is located in the center and south; nearly one third lives in cities, including the capital city of Ouagadougou (Ouaga), as shown in this population distribution map (2019) Urbanization: urban population: 32.5% of total population (2023); rate of urbanization: 4.75% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.) Languages: Mossi 52.9%, Fula 7.8%, Gourmantche 6.8%, Dyula 5.7%, Bissa 3.3%, Gurunsi 3.2%, French (official) 2.2%, Bwamu 2%, Dagara 2%, San 1.7%, Marka 1.6%, Bobo 1.5%, Senufo 1.5%, Lobi 1.2%, other 6.6% (2019 est.)

Public and legal context

Capital: name: Ouagadougou; geographic coordinates: 12 22 N, 1 31 W; time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time); etymology: Ouagadougou is a Francophone spelling of the native name "Wogodogo," which may come from the personal name "Waga" or "Woga" and the Dyula word "dugu," meaning "village" Government type: presidential republic Legal system: civil law based on the French model and customary law

Economy and connectivity context

Economic overview: highly agrarian, low-income economy; limited natural resources; widespread poverty; terrorism disrupting potential economic activity; improving trade balance via increases in gold exports; economy inflating after prior deflation; growing public debt but still manageable Industries: cotton lint, beverages, agricultural processing, soap, cigarettes, textiles, gold Electricity access: electrification - total population: 19.5% (2022 est.); electrification - urban areas: 60.5%; electrification - rural areas: 3.4% Internet users: percent of population: 17% (2023 est.) Airports: 49 (2025)

Interpretation and freshness boundary

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