Burkina Faso 
 

20 Feb 1895 - 9 Dec 1959

9 Dec 1959 - 4 Aug 1984

Adopted 4 Aug 1984

Map of Burkina Faso Hear National Anthem    "Le Ditanye" (Anthem of the Victory) Text of National Anthem  Adopted 4 Aug 1984 ------------------------------ Former National Anthem (1960-1984) Constitution (2  Jun 1991; in French) Capital: Ouagadougou  Currency: Communauté Financière Africaine Franc (XAF) National Holiday: 11 Dec (1958) Republic Day Population: 14,326,203 (2007) GDP: $17.87 billion (2006) Exports: $543 million (2006) Imports: $1.06 billion (2006) Ethnic groups: Mossi 47.9%, Fulani 10.3%, Lobi 6.9%, Bobo 6.9%, Mande 6.7%, Senufo 5.3%, Grosi 5%,  Gurma 4.8%, Tuareg 3.1% (1995) Total Armed Forces: 10,800 (2003) Merchant marine: None (2006) Religions: Muslim 48.6%, indigenous beliefs 34.7%, Christian 16.7% (of which Protestant 5.2%, Roman Catholic 9.5%) (2000) International Organizations/Treaties: ACP, AfDB, APM, AU, BTWC, CEMAC, CTBT, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISESCO, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, KP, MIGA, NAM, NPT, OIC, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCLOS, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFCC, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Burkina Faso Index Chronology   20 Feb 1895                French protectorate of Haute-Volta (Upper Volta). 18 Oct 1904                Part of Haut-Sénégal-Niger (see Mali).  1 Mar 1919                French colony of Haute Volta (Upper Volta)                              (part of French West Africa; see Senegal).  1 Jan 1933                Partitioned between French Sudan, Ivory Coast,                              and Niger.  1 Jan 1938 - 29 Jul 1940  Upper Ivory Coast (part of Ivory Coast). 16 Jun 1940 - Nov 1942     Administration loyal to Vichy France (from Nov                              1942, Free French).  4 Jan 1947                French territory of Haute-Volta (Upper Volta). 11 Dec 1958                Autonomy (Republic of Upper Volta [République de                              Haute-Volta]).  5 Aug 1960                Independence from France (Republic of Upper                              Volta).  4 Aug 1984                Burkina Faso (from 4-15 Aug 1984, Bourkina-Fasso). Traditional States

Commandants
20 Feb 1895 - Jun 1898     Georges Destenave
Jun 1898 - 18 Oct 1904     Crane
18 Oct 1904 -  1 Mar 1919  part of Senegal
Lieutenant governors
 9 Nov 1919 -  7 Aug 1927  Frédéric Charles Édouard           (b. 1869 - d. 1934)
                             Alexandre Hesling
 6 Aug 1921 - 26 May 1922  Louis Fousset (1st time)
                             (acting for Hesling)
 9 May 1924 - 10 Dec 1924  Louis Fousset (2nd time)
                             (acting for Hesling)
May 1926 - Nov 1926        Louis Fousset (3rd time)
                             (acting for Hesling)
 7 Aug 1927 - 13 Jan 1928  Robert Arnaud (acting)             (b. 1873 - d. 1950)
13 Jan 1928 - 22 Dec 1932  Albéric Auguste Fournier
10 Jan 1929 -  1 Dec 1929  Louis Fousset 
                             (acting for Fournier)
 1 Dec 1929 - 20 Jan 1930  Henri Chessé 
                             (acting for Fournier)
 1 Aug 1930 - 20 Jan 1931  François Bernard 
                             (acting for Fournier)
22 Dec 1932 - 31 Dec 1932  Gabriel Omer Descemet              (b. 1879 - d. 1961)
31 Dec 1931 -  1 Jan 1933  Henri Chessé (acting) 
 1 Jan 1933 -  5 Sep 1947  divided between French Sudan, 
                           Ivory Coast, and Niger
Resident-Superieur of Upper Ivory Coast
 1 Jan 1938 - 29 Jul 1940  Edmond Louveau
29 Jul 1940 -  6 Sep 1947  direct rule by Ivory Coast
Governors
 6 Sep 1947 - 29 Apr 1948  Gaston Mourgues (acting)           (b. 1895 - d. 1966)
29 Apr 1948 - 23 Feb 1953  Albert Jean Mouragues              (b. 1908 - d. 1976)
22 Mar 1950 - Oct 1950     LLucien Eugène Geay                (b. 1900 - d. 1976)
                             (acting for Mouragues)
25 Apr 1952 - Oct 1952     Roland Joanes Louis Pré            (b. 1907 - d. 1980)
                             (acting for Mouragues)
23 Feb 1953 -  3 Nov 1956  Salvador Jean Étcheber             (b. 1901 - d. 1967)
 3 Nov 1956 - 15 Jul 1958  Yvon Bourges                       (b. 1921)
15 Jul 1958 - 11 Dec 1958  Max Guillaume Berthet (acting)     (b. 1909 - d. 1961)
High Commissioners
11 Dec 1958 - Feb 1959     Max Guillaume Berthet              (s.a.)
Feb 1959 -  5 Aug 1960     Paul Jean Marie Masson             (b. 1920)
Presidents
11 Dec 1959 -  4 Jan 1966  Nawalagmba Maurice Yaméogo         (b. 1921 - d. 1993)  UDV
 4 Jan 1966 - 25 Nov 1980  Aboubakar Sangoulé Lamizana        (b. 1916 - d. 2005)  Mil/MNR
25 Nov 1980 -  7 Nov 1982  Saye Zerbo                         (b. 1932)            Mil
                            (president of Military Committee
                             of Recovery for National Progress)
 8 Nov 1982 -  4 Aug 1983  Jean-Baptiste Ouédraogo            (b. 1942)            Mil
                            (chairman Provisional Committee
                             of Popular Salvation [provisional
                             to 11 Nov 1982] to 26 Nov 1982,
                             then Head of State) 
 4 Aug 1983 - 15 Oct 1987  Thomas Isidore Noël Sankara        (b. 1949 - d. 1987)  Mil
                            (chairman National Revolutionary 
                             Council and Head of State)
15 Oct 1987 -              Blaise Compaoré                    (b. 1951)        Mil/FP;Dec 1991
                             (President of Popular Front [from 31 Oct 1987     ODP-MT;1996 CDP
                             also Head of State] to 24 Dec 1991)

Vice President of the Government Council
18 May 1957 - 26 Jul 1958  Daniel Ouézzin Coulibaly           (b. 1909 - d. 1958)  RDA/PDU
Presidents of the Government Council 
26 Jul 1958 -  7 Sep 1958  Daniel Ouézzin Coulibaly           (s.a.)               PDU
 7 Sep 1958 - 11 Dec 1958  Nawalagmba Maurice Yaméogo         (s.a.)               UDV
                            (acting to 21 Oct 1958)
Prime ministers
11 Dec 1958 - 11 Dec 1959  Nawalagmba Maurice Yaméogo         (s.a.)               UDV
11 Dec 1959 - 13 Feb 1973  Post abolished
13 Feb 1971 -  8 Feb 1974  Gérard Kango Ouédraogo             (b. 1925)            UDV-RDA
 8 Feb 1974 -  7 Jul 1978  Aboubakar Sangoulé Lamizana        (s.a.)               MNR
 7 Jul 1978 - 25 Nov 1980  Issoufou Joseph Conombo            (b. 1917)            UDV-RDA
25 Nov 1980 -  7 Nov 1982  Saye Zerbo                         (s.a.)               Mil
 7 Nov 1982 - 10 Jan 1983  Vacant
10 Jan 1983 - 17 May 1983  Thomas Isidore Noël Sankara        (s.a.)               Mil
16 Jun 1992 - 22 Mar 1994  Youssouf Ouédraogo                 (b. 1952)            ODP-MT
22 Mar 1994 -  6 Feb 1996  Roch Marc Christian Kaboré         (b. 1957)            ODP-MT
 6 Feb 1996 -  7 Nov 2000  Kadré Désiré Ouédraogo             (b. 1953)            CDP
 7 Nov 2000 -  4 Jun 2007  Paramanga Ernest Yonli             (b. 1956)            CDP
 4 Jun 2007 -              Tertius Zongo                      (b. 1957)            Non-party

Territorial Disputes: Two villages are in dispute along the border with Benin; Benin accuses Burkina Faso of moving boundary pillars; Burkina Faso border regions remain a staging area for Liberia and Cote d'Ivoire rebels and an asylum for refugees caught in local fighting; the Ivoirian Government accuses Burkina Faso of sheltering Ivoirian rebels.

Party abbreviations: CDP = Congrès pour la Démocratie et le Progrès (Congress for Democracy and Progress, extreme left, abandons marxism 1 Aug 1997, former ODP-MT); PDP = Parti pour la Démocratie et le Progrès (Party for Democracy and Progress, social-democratic); 
Mil = Military;
- Former parties: FP = Front Popular (Popular Front); MNR = National Movement for Renewal; ODP-MT = Organisation pour la Démocratie Populaire-MT (Organization for People's Democracy-Worker's Movement, renamed CDP CDP); PDU = Parti Démocratique Unifié (Unified Democratic Party); RDA = Rassemblement Démocratique Africain (Rally for a Democratic Africa); UDV = Union Démocratique du Volta (Democratic Union of Volta -only legal party 1960-1966); UDV-RDA = Union Démocratique du Voltaic-Rassemblement Démocratique Africain (Voltaic Democratic Union-Rally for a Democratic Africa)