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.

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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)

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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.

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Example Sentences

Like its neighbours, Burkina Faso and Mali, Niger is run by a military junta that came to power in part because of the failure to deal with the violence.

From BBC • Jun. 18, 2026

Mali's authorities also said they had partnered with the armed forces in neighbouring Niger and Burkina Faso to carry out air strikes against the jihadists and separatists.

From BBC • May 4, 2026

The Tuaregs, a historically nomadic people present across Mali, Niger, Algeria, Libya and Burkina Faso, have for decades taken up arms to protest at being marginalised, particularly around Kidal.

From Barron's • Apr. 27, 2026

In the nearly two years since, Burkina Faso and Mali have lost ground.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 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