Burkina Faso is a West African landlocked country with an area of 274,200 sq. km.
Burkina Faso is located on a massive plateau that is cut deeply by the three main rivers of Black Volta, White Volta, and Red Volta. As visible on the physical map above, these rivers enter Ghana to converge and form the Volta River.
To the southwest of Burkina Faso is a sandstone plateau that is bordered by the Banfora Escarpment. As can be seen on the map, this region hosts the country's tallest point, the 747 m high Tena Kouron.
The lowest point of the country is the Mouhoun (Black Volta) River at 656 ft. (200 m)
As marked on the map, to the north there is a small expanse of desert.
Out of all the rivers in Burkina Faso, the Black Volta is one of two that flows year-round, with the second being the Komoe. The Niger River basin drains 27% of the surface of the country. In addition to the rivers, Burkina Faso contains numerous lakes and large ponds; even still, water shortages are a consistent problem, especially in the north as most sources are seasonal.
Burkina Faso is divided into 13 regions which are then divided into 45 provinces and subdivided into 351 communes.
The 13 regions are; Boucle du Mouhoun, Cascades, Centre, Centre-Est, Centre-Nord, Centre-Ouest, Centre-Sud, Est, Hauts-Bassins, Nord, Plateau-Central, Sahel, Sud-Ouest. With an area of 46,694 sq. km, Est is the largest region while Centre is the most populous one. Ouagadougou, the national capital city, is also located in the Centre Region.
Burkina Faso is a West African country located in the Northern Hemisphere region of the Earth. As it straddles the Prime Meridian, it has territories on both the Eastern and Western Hemispheres. It borders six countries. These are Benin and Togo to the southeast, Niger to the east, Mali to the north and west, Ivory Coast to the southwest, and Ghana to the south. Being a landlocked country, Burkina Faso does not have a coastline.
Burkina Faso Bordering Countries: Mali, The Niger, Ghana, Benin, Togo, Cote D'Ivoire.
Regional Maps: Map of Africa
Legal Name | Burkina Faso |
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Flag |
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Capital City | Ouagadougou |
12 22 N, 1 31 W | |
Total Area | 274,200.00 km2 |
Land Area | 273,800.00 km2 |
Water Area | 400.00 km2 |
Population | 20,321,378 |
Major Cities |
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Currency | Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) |
GDP | $15.75 Billion |
GDP Per Capita | $774.84 |
This page was last updated on February 24, 2021