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Burkina Faso

American  
[ber-kee-nuh fah-soh] / bərˈki nə ˈfɑ soʊ /

noun

  1. a republic in western Africa: formerly part of French West Africa. 106,111 sq. mi. (274,827 sq. km). Ouagadougou.


Burkina Faso British  
/ bɜːˈkiːnəˈfæsəʊ /

noun

  1. Former name (until 1984): Upper Volta.  an inland republic in W Africa: dominated by Mossi kingdoms (10th–19th centuries); French protectorate established in 1896; became an independent republic in 1960; consists mainly of a flat savanna plateau. Official language: French; Mossi and other African languages also widely spoken. Religion: mostly animist, with a large Muslim minority. Currency: franc. Capital: Ouagadougou. Pop: 17 812 961 (2013 est). Area: 273 200 sq km (105 900 sq miles)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Burkina Faso Cultural  
  1. Republic in west Africa, formerly called Upper Volta, bordered by Niger to the north and east, Benin on the southeast, Togo, Ghana and Ivory Coast on the south, and Mali on the west and north. Its capital and largest city is Ouagadougou. Burkina Faso gained independence from France in 1960.


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Both are from the African country Burkina Faso.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 16, 2026

Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso are all military-ruled countries that have cut ties with Western partners and strengthened their co-operation with Russia.

From BBC Aug. 30, 2026

The Alliance of Sahel States - composed of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso - said the attempted coup was "a betrayal by a group of soldiers involved in an attempt at destabilisation".

From BBC Aug. 30, 2026

This is after West African Resources banked A$830 million during the year, as a result of the steady ramp up of its Kiaka mine in Burkina Faso.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 4, 2026

“You don’t know America. You say Senegal and American people, they say, Where is that? My friend from Burkina Faso, they ask her, your country in Latin America?”

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

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