Where in the World: Burkina Faso

This week I did north Africa, I missed a shit ton of countries out namely Cabo Verdie, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cote D’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Togo, Benin, Cameroon, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia, Mali.

I had a load to choose from, so I did what I have done previously and checked to see who hasn’t visited me, alphabeticly, Burkina Faso, was the first country that I came across that hasn’t visited me. Lets find out what we can about this country

1. Burkina Faso is landlocked and bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and the Ivory Coast to the southwest.
2. It use to be known as  Upper Volta till it changed its name in 1984, Burkina Faso means Land of the Honest Men
3. It was ruled by the Mossi, who arrived between the 11th Century and the 13th, they called the land Mogho meaning country of the Mossi
4. The main language is French, and the capital city Ouagadougou is a French adaptation of the native name “Wogodogo,” meaning “where people get honour and respect”
5. The average age is just 17, this could be down to military coups or the fact it suffers from droughts, one of the worst in 1973 which killed an estimated 100,000 people
6. It is home to  The Sindou Peaks which are sandy cones which have been shaped by the elements over millions of years
7. Thinking of visiting? I would be careful according the UK foreign office it is one of the few countries entirely unsafe for tourists to visit
8. Around 80% of the population are involved in subsistence farming, which basically means the crops and livestock they produce are just enough for the farmer’s family with no surplus
9. On that note, it has the 9th highest fertitlity rates, with an average of 5 children per woman.
10. Here is some traditional music from Burkina Faso

Hopefully I won’t forget this country again.