Description: Mining in Burkina Faso: Two Gold Mines Nationalized, Ending War Between Rival Companies, Exposing The Inhumane Conditions Of Burkina Faso's Gold Mines, Burkina Faso grants permit for new gold mine | Africanews
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Coordinates : 13°N 2°W / 13°N 2°W / 13; -2
Burkina Faso ( i / b ər ˈ k iː n ə ˌ f ɑː s oʊ / bər- KEE -nə FAH -soh ; French: [buʁkina faso] ) is a landlocked country in West Africa around 274,200 square kilometres (105,900 sq mi) in size. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north; Niger to the east; Benin to the southeast; Togo and Ghana to the south; and Ivory Coast to the southwest. Its capital is Ouagadougou . As of 2014, its population was estimated at just over 17.3 million.
Formerly called the Republic of Upper Volta , the country was renamed "Burkina Faso" on 4 August 1984 by then-President Thomas Sankara . Residents of Burkina Faso are known as Burkinabé ( / b ər ˈ k iː n ə b eɪ / bər- KEE -nə-bay ). French is an official language of government and business.