Western Africa · AfricaBurkina Faso
Discover Burkina Faso - home to FESPACO, Africa's largest film festival, ancient ruins of Loropeni, and a proud Sahelian culture of resilient people.
Where Is Burkina Faso?
Burkina Faso is a country in Western Africa. Its capital is Ouagadougou.
- Capital Ouagadougou
- Population 24.1M
- Area 272,967 km²
Burkina Faso means "Land of the Upright People," and the name captures something real about this landlocked Sahelian country. Renamed from Upper Volta in 1984 by the revolutionary president Thomas Sankara - Africa's Che Guevara - the country has a fierce sense of identity despite being one of the poorest nations on Earth. Sankara vaccinated 2.5 million children in a week, planted 10 million trees to fight desertification, and outlawed female genital mutilation - all before being assassinated at age 37.
Ouagadougou, the capital with the name nobody can resist saying out loud, hosts FESPACO, the largest film festival on the African continent, drawing filmmakers and cinephiles from around the world every two years. The country's Mossi kingdoms have centuries of elaborate history, the sacred crocodiles of Bazoulé let visitors sit on their backs, and the ruins of Loropeni are a UNESCO World Heritage Site older than many European castles. Burkina Faso does not make many headlines, but the ones it does make tend to be extraordinary.
At a glance
Largest cities in Burkina Faso
Ouagadougou
Bobo-Dioulasso
Koudougou
Banfora
Famous people from Burkina Faso
Thomas Sankara
PoliticsRevolutionary president called Africa's Che Guevara who transformed Upper Volta into Burkina Faso before his assassination in 1987 at age 37
Idrissa Ouedraogo
FilmInternationally acclaimed filmmaker whose Tilai won the Grand Prix at the 1990 Cannes Film Festival
Aristide Bance
SportLegendary striker who led Burkina Faso to the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations final, the country's best ever football result
Gaston Kabore
FilmPioneering director of Wend Kuuni, one of the most important films in African cinema history
Traditional cuisine of Burkina Faso
- To
- Stiff millet or sorghum porridge served with a variety of sauces, the foundational staple of Burkinabe meals
- Riz Gras
- One-pot rice cooked in a rich tomato sauce with vegetables and meat, Burkina Faso's version of West African jollof
- Poulet Bicyclette
- Free-range grilled chicken named because the scrawny birds look like they rode a bicycle - lean, tough, and packed with flavor
- Babenda
- Hearty dish of mixed leafy greens cooked with millet flour and fermented locust bean, a nutritious everyday meal
- Dolo
- Traditional millet beer brewed by women and served in calabash gourds, the social drink of choice at gatherings
Nature and landmarks in Burkina Faso
- Sindou PeaksLandmark
- Otherworldly sandstone rock formations sculpted by millions of years of erosion into dramatic spires and needles
- Cascades de BanforaLandmark
- Scenic waterfall surrounded by lush vegetation in the southwest, a refreshing oasis in the dry Sahelian landscape
- Ruins of LoropeniLandmark
- UNESCO World Heritage stone ruins dating to the 11th century, the best-preserved of ten similar fortresses in the Lobi region
- Arli National ParkNational Park
- Protected savanna park near the Benin border with elephants, baboons, and some of the last West African lions
Sports in Burkina Faso
- Football
- The Stallions reached the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations final and qualified for multiple World Cup playoffs
- Cycling
- Tour du Faso is one of Africa's most prestigious cycling races, attracting international teams since 1987
- Athletics
- Growing track and field presence with Hugues Fabrice Zango winning World Championship bronze in triple jump
Did you know?
Burkina Faso was renamed from Upper Volta in 1984 by Thomas Sankara, combining words from Moore and Dioula languages
FESPACO in Ouagadougou is the largest and oldest film festival in Africa, held every two years since 1969
At the sacred crocodile pond of Bazoulé, visitors can sit on the backs of wild crocodiles believed to hold ancestral spirits
Thomas Sankara sold off the government's fleet of Mercedes-Benz cars and made the Renault 5 the official car of ministers
The Mossi Kingdoms had a sophisticated political system with a emperor called the Mogho Naba, whose ceremonial court still exists today
Ouagadougou routinely appears on lists of the hardest capital city names to spell and pronounce
Read more about Burkina Faso
Can you find Burkina Faso on a map?
Drop a pin where you think it is and see how close you got. A few rounds and you will place Burkina Faso and its neighbours without a second thought.
