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Location: Western Africa 
Capital: Ouagadougou
Population (2011):16,751,455
Surface area: 274,200 sq km
Currency:
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc
GDP per capita (2009): US $ 517
Historical background:
Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta) achieved independence from France in 1960. Repeated military coups during the 1970s and 1980s were followed by multiparty elections in the early 1990s. Current President Blaise COMPAORE came to power in a 1987 military coup and has won every election since then. Burkina Faso's high population density and limited natural resources result in poor economic prospects for the majority of its citizens. Recent unrest in Cote d'Ivoire and northern Ghana has hindered the ability of several hundred thousand seasonal Burkinabe farm workers to find employment in neighboring countries.
Economy – overview:
Burkina Faso is a poor, landlocked country that relies heavily on cotton and gold exports for revenue. The country has few natural resources and a weak industrial base. About 90% of the population is engaged in subsistence agriculture, which is vulnerable to periodic drought. Cotton is the main cash crop. Since 1998, Burkina Faso has embarked upon a gradual privatization of state-owned enterprises and in 2004 revised its investment code to attract foreign investment. As a result of this new code and other legislation favoring the mining sector, the country has seen an upswing in gold exploration and production. By 2010, gold had become the main source of export revenue.
Human Development Index ranking (2010): 161 out of 169
Net Official Development Assistance (ODA) (2009): US $ 1,084 million
Top Three Donors of gross ODA (2008-2009 average):
IDA, EU Institutions, France
Total External Debt (2010): US $ 2.032 billion
HIPC Position (2010): Completion Point achieved
United Nations Membership date: 20 September, 1960
New York Mission:
Address: Permanent Mission of Burkina Faso to the United Nations
866 United Nations Plaza, Suite 326, New York, N.Y. 10017
Telephone: (212) 308-4720, -4721
Telefax: (212) 308-4690
e-mail: bfapm@un.int
Correspondence: French
National holiday: 11 December
Sources:
Updated October 2011
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