Burkino Faso - the birthplace of honest people

"Homeland of honest people" - this is how the name of a small African state is translated. Until 1984, the country was called Upper Volta. It has a common border with six countries, the largest of which are Niger and Mali. The capital of the country is the city of Ouagadougou.

Mossy's low plateau occupies the main part of the country, and the highest point is Mount Tena Kourou with a height of 749 meters. Burkino Faso has no outlet to the ocean, it belongs to the inland countries. On its territory there are two large rivers - the Black and the White Volta. In the dry period they dry up to such an extent that they cease to be navigable.

Almost the entire territory of Burkino Faso Is occupied by the African savanna. Only the northern region of the country (Sahel) is in the semi-desert zone. There are few forests here, they occupy only 10 percent of the country's area. Almost all Moshi plateaus occupy pastures. In the subequatorial climate of the country there are clearly pronounced dry and wet seasons. In the northern part, the duration of the dry season goes up to 10 months.

A bit of history

In the territory of modern Burkino Faso in the past were several states known since the XIV century. One of them, called Yatenga, existed for almost three centuries. Until the 16th century it managed to conquer the territories of neighboring countries and become the most powerful state in West Africa.

In the XIX century the territory of the country was colonized by the French and renamed the Upper Volta. During the protectorate of France, a civilization came here, the first railway was built in 1934. After the revolution of 1984, not only power was changed in the country, but also the name.

The modern fifteen-million population of Burkino Faso consists of two large ethnic groups. Despite the fact that French is considered a state language, almost all the residents of the country speak the local language. The country is considered Islamic, but, nevertheless, the majority of the population adheres to their ancient religions. The country belongs to the agrarian, the townspeople make up only 20 percent. A lot of people are migrating to neighboring countries in search of work.

The cultural capital of West Africa

The capital of Burkina Faso, the city of Ouagadougou, used to be called Vagadogo and was founded in the 15th century. The modern name was given to him in 1919, when the country was already ruled by the colonial administration. After the recognition of independence in 1960, Ouagadougou became the capital of the country. From a small one-story city in which clay huts dominated, thanks to the reconstruction carried out at the end of the 20th century, it turned into a modern city.

Few could have guessed that in one of the poorest countries in Africa, such as Burkina Faso, the capital could become more known to the world than the state itself. To date, the city of Ouagadougou has become famous as the cultural capital of West Africa. In this city, almost every month there is an international cultural event - film festivals, various folk festivals, noisy fairs. The city has a National Museum with unique exhibits telling about the history of African peoples.