Burkina Faso, also known by its short-form name
Burkina, is a landlocked nation in West Africa.
It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north,
Niger to the east, Benin to the south east, Togo and
Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the south west.
Its size is 274,000 km² with an estimated population of
more than 13,200,000. Formerly called the Republic of
Upper Volta, it was renamed on August 4, 1984, by
President Thomas Sankara to mean "the land of upright
people" in Moré and Dioula, the major native languages
of the country. Literally, "Burkina" may be translated,
"men of integrity," from the Moré language, and "Faso"
means "father's house" in Dioula. The inhabitants of
Burkina Faso are known as Burkinabè.
|
|
|
|
||||||
