The landlocked country...

Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa with 18 million Burkinabés. There are 63 ethnic groups and about 8000 villages in the beautiful country.

The UN ranked Burkina Faso as the third-poorest country in the world. In fact, nearly half the population lives below the poverty line. The country is roughly 75% rural and has faced severe floods in 2007, 2009, and 2010, as well as droughts in the mid-90's and late 80's that hampered agriculture. While the birthrate is the fourth highest in the world (42.81 births for every 1,000 people) life expectancy is among the lowest (54.43 years).

According to the CIA's World Fact Book, less than 30% of the population is literate, and children spend only seven years in school. While French is the official language, 90% of the population also speaks Mooré or Jula, which are native African languages.  

As for the religious breakdown, 60.5% are Muslim, 15.3% are Animist, 19% are Catholic, 4.2% are Protestant, 0.6% are other, and 0.4% have no religious affiliation.

Facts About Burkina Faso

  •         It’s the third poorest country in the world.

  •         An annual 3-month rainy season is followed by 9 months of drought.

  •         90% of the population is involved in subsistence farming

  •         Average life expectancy is 54 years.

  •         4 out of 5 people are illiterate.

  •         On average, children spend only 6 years in school.

  •         4.2% of the population is Protestant.

  •         The country is about the size of Colorado.

  •         18,000,000 Burkinabés are split into 63 ethnic groups across 8,000 villages.

  •         French is the official language, but 90% speak Moré or Jula (native African languages).

--The UN and The CIA World Fact Book