About Burkina Faso, West Africa
Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa with it’s capital at Ouagadougou. The country is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d’Ivoire to the southwest. Burkina Faso size is 274,000 km² with a population of over 15 million. Formerly called the Republic of Upper Volta, it was renamed Burkina Faso in 1984 – a name that means “the land of upright people” in Mòore and Dioula, the two major native languages of the country.
After gaining independence from France in 1960, the country became a semi-presidential republic whereby the Prime Minister is the head of government and the President is the head of state. The parliament consists of one chamber known as the National Assembly, and has 111 seats with members elected to serve five year terms. There is a constitutional chamber with ten members and an economic and social council whose roles are purely consultative. Burkina Faso is divided into thirteen regions, forty-five provinces, and 301 departments.
Burkina Faso is rapidly becoming modernized. On the communications side, a modern cellular telephone network has been established in the country allowing for clear and reliable communications to Europe and North America from almost anywhere in the country. For transportation, it is serviced by two international airports; one located at Ouagadougou only 220 km from the Parallel Mining property, and the other at Bobo-Dioulasso. And there are numerous secondary airfields throughout the country. The main cities and neighbouring countries are connected by paved highways. There is a narrow-gauge railroad connecting Kaya and Ouagadougou with the port city of Abidjan in Cote d’Ivoire.
Geologically, Burkina Faso is made up of two major types of terrane. The larger part of the country is covered by a peneplain, land worn down by erosion almost to a level plain and nearly flat land surface. This peneplain forms a gently undulating landscape with a few isolated hills. The southwest of the country is a sandstone massif, where the highest peak, Tenakourou, is 749 meters tall. The average altitude of Burkina Faso is 400 meters, and the difference between the highest and lowest terrain is only 600 meters.
Burkina Faso’s natural resources include manganese, limestone, marble, phosphates, pumice, salt and gold, and there are currently operating copper, iron, manganese and gold mines in the country.