Names: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Burkina Faso local long form: none local short form: Burkina Faso former: Upper Volta, Republic of Upper Volta

Capital City: Ouagadougou

Population: 13,902,972 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.)

GDP Per Capita: $1,300 (2006 est.)

Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States

Languages: French (official), native African languages belonging to Sudanic family spoken by 90% of the population

Total Area: total: 274,200 sq km land: 273,800 sq km water: 400 sq km slightly larger than Colorado

Region: Africa

Industries: cotton lint, beverages, agricultural processing, soap, cigarettes, textiles, gold

Agriculture: cotton, peanuts, shea nuts, sesame, sorghum, millet, corn, rice; livestock

Resources: manganese, limestone, marble; small deposits of gold, phosphates, pumice, salt

Labor Force: 5 million note: a large part of the male labor force migrates annually to neighboring countries for seasonal employment (2003)
agriculture: 90% industry and services: 10% (2000 est.)

Exports: $543.5 million f.o.b. (2006 est.)
cotton, livestock, gold

Imports: $1.016 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
capital goods, foodstuffs, petroleum

Overview: One of the poorest countries in the world, landlocked Burkina Faso 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 and the government has joined with three other cotton producing countries in the region - Mali, Niger, and Chad - to lobby for improved access to Western markets. GDP growth has largely been driven by increases in world cotton prices. Industry remains dominated by unprofitable government-controlled corporations. Following the CFA franc currency devaluation in January 1994, the government updated its development program in conjunction with international agencies; exports and economic growth have increased. The government devolved macroeconomic policy and inflation targeting to the West African regional central bank (BCEAO), but maintains control over fiscal and microeconomic policies, including implementing reforms to encourage private investment. The bitter internal crisis in neighboring Cote d'Ivoire continues to hurt trade and industrial prospects and deepens the need for international assistance. Burkina Faso is eligible for a Millenium Challenge Account grant, which would increase investment in the country's human capital.

_{CIA World Book}

In 2007 Missouri had no exports to Burkina Faso.