Burkina Faso (2001) | Malawi (2002) | |
Administrative divisions | 30 provinces; Bam, Bazega, Bougouriba, Boulgou, Boulkiemde, Ganzourgou, Gnagna, Gourma, Houe, Kadiogo, Kenedougou, Komoe, Kossi, Kouritenga, Mouhoun, Namentenga, Naouri, Oubritenga, Oudalan, Passore, Poni, Sanguie, Sanmatenga, Seno, Sissili, Soum, Sourou, Tapoa, Yatenga, Zoundweogo
note: a new electoral code was approved by the National Assembly in January 1997; the number of administrative provinces was increased from 30 to 45 (Bale, Bam, Banwa, Bazega, Bougouriba, Boulgou, Boulkiemde, Comoe, Ganzourgou, Gnagna, Gourma, Houet, Ioba, Kadiogo, Kenedougou, Komandjari, Kompienga, Kossi, Koupelogo, Kouritenga, Kourweogo, Leraba, Loroum, Mouhoun, Nahouri, Namentenga, Nayala, Naumbiel, Oubritenga, Oudalan, Passore, Poni, Samentenga, Sanguie, Seno, Sissili, Soum, Sourou, Tapoa, Tuy, Yagha, Yatenga, Ziro, Zondomo, Zoundweogo), however, this change has not yet been confirmed by the US Board on Geographic Names |
27 districts; Balaka, Blantyre, Chikwawa, Chiradzulu, Chitipa, Dedza, Dowa, Karonga, Kasungu, Likoma, Lilongwe, Machinga (Kasupe), Mangochi, Mchinji, Mulanje, Mwanza, Mzimba, Ntcheu, Nkhata Bay, Nkhotakota, Nsanje, Ntchisi, Phalombe, Rumphi, Salima, Thyolo, Zomba |
Age structure | 0-14 years:
47.5% (male 2,937,285; female 2,892,107) 15-64 years: 49.59% (male 2,903,153; female 3,183,121) 65 years and over: 2.91% (male 150,688; female 205,935) (2001 est.) |
0-14 years: 44% (male 2,358,730; female 2,347,017)
15-64 years: 53.2% (male 2,810,478; female 2,884,601) 65 years and over: 2.8% (male 120,761; female 180,237) (2002 est.) |
Agriculture - products | peanuts, shea nuts, sesame, cotton, sorghum, millet, corn, rice; livestock | tobacco, sugarcane, cotton, tea, corn, potatoes, cassava (tapioca), sorghum, pulses; cattle, goats, groundnuts, Macadamia nuts |
Airports | 33 (2000 est.) | 44 (2001) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
2 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
total: 6
over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 4 (2002) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total:
31 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 12 under 914 m: 16 (2000 est.) |
total: 37
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 14 under 914 m: 22 (2002) |
Area | total:
274,200 sq km land: 273,800 sq km water: 400 sq km |
total: 118,480 sq km
land: 94,080 sq km water: 24,400 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly larger than Colorado | slightly smaller than Pennsylvania |
Background | Independence from France came to Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta) in 1960. Governmental instability during the 1970s and 1980s was followed by multiparty elections in the early 1990s. Several hundred thousand farm workers migrate south every year to Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana. | Established in 1891, the British protectorate of Nyasaland became the independent nation of Malawi in 1964. After three decades of one-party rule, the country held multiparty elections in 1994 under a provisional constitution, which took full effect the following year. National multiparty elections were held again in 1999. |
Birth rate | 44.79 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 37.13 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$277 million expenditures: $492 million, including capital expenditures of $233 million (1995 est.) |
revenues: $490 million
expenditures: $523 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY99/00 est.) |
Capital | Ouagadougou | Lilongwe |
Climate | tropical; warm, dry winters; hot, wet summers | sub-tropical; rainy season (November to May); dry season (May to November) |
Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) | 0 km (landlocked) |
Constitution | 2 June 1991 approved by referendum; 11 June 1991 formally adopted | 18 May 1994 |
Country name | conventional long form:
none conventional short form: Burkina Faso former: Upper Volta, Republic of Upper Volta |
conventional long form: Republic of Malawi
conventional short form: Malawi former: British Central African Protectorate, Nyasaland Protectorate, Nyasaland |
Currency | Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States | Malawian kwacha (MWK) |
Death rate | 17.05 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 23.2 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Debt - external | $1.3 billion (1997) | $2.8 billion (2001 est.) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador Jimmy J. KOLKER embassy: 602 Avenue Raoul Follerau, Koulouba, Secteur 4, Ouagadougou mailing address: B. P. 35, Ouagadougou 01 telephone: [226] 306723 FAX: [226] 303890 |
chief of mission: Ambassador Roger A. MEECE
embassy: Area 40, Plot 24, Kenyatta Road mailing address: P. O. Box 30016, Lilongwe 3, Malawi telephone: [265] (1) 773 166 FAX: [265] (1) 770 471 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador Bruno ZIDOUEMBA chancery: 2340 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-5577 FAX: [1] (202) 667-1882 |
chief of mission: Ambassador Paul Tony Steven KANDIERO
chancery: 2408 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 797-1007 FAX: [1] (202) 265-0976 |
Disputes - international | none | Malawi and Tanzania maintain a largely dormant dispute over the boundary in Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) and current location of historical boundary in meandering Songwe River |
Economic aid - recipient | $484.1 million (1995) | $427 million (1999) (1999) |
Economy - overview | One of the poorest countries in the world, landlocked Burkina Faso has a high population density, few natural resources, and a fragile soil. About 90% of the population is engaged in (mainly subsistence) agriculture which is highly vulnerable to variations in rainfall. Industry remains dominated by unprofitable government-controlled corporations. Following the African franc currency devaluation in January 1994 the government updated its development program in conjunction with international agencies, and exports and economic growth have increased. Maintenance of its macroeconomic progress in 2001-02 depends on continued low inflation, reduction in the trade deficit, and reforms designed to encourage private investment. | Landlocked Malawi ranks among the world's least developed countries. The economy is predominately agricultural, with about 90% of the population living in rural areas. Agriculture accounts for 40% of GDP and 88% of export revenues. The economy depends on substantial inflows of economic assistance from the IMF, the World Bank, and individual donor nations. In late 2000, Malawi was approved for relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) program. The government faces strong challenges, e.g., to fully develop a market economy, to improve educational facilities, to face up to environmental problems, and to deal with the rapidly growing problem of HIV/AIDS. The performance of the tobacco sector is key to short-term growth. |
Electricity - consumption | 265.1 million kWh (1999) | 767.25 million kWh (2000) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2000) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2000) |
Electricity - production | 285 million kWh (1999) | 825 million kWh (2000) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
71.93% hydro: 28.07% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
fossil fuel: 3%
hydro: 97% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Mouhoun (Black Volta) River 200 m highest point: Tena Kourou 749 m |
lowest point: junction of the Shire River and international boundary with Mozambique 37 m
highest point: Sapitwa (Mount Mlanje) 3,002 m |
Environment - current issues | recent droughts and desertification severely affecting agricultural activities, population distribution, and the economy; overgrazing; soil degradation; deforestation | deforestation; land degradation; water pollution from agricultural runoff, sewage, industrial wastes; siltation of spawning grounds endangers fish populations |
Environment - international agreements | party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban |
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea |
Ethnic groups | Mossi over 40%, Gurunsi, Senufo, Lobi, Bobo, Mande, Fulani | Chewa, Nyanja, Tumbuka, Yao, Lomwe, Sena, Tonga, Ngoni, Ngonde, Asian, European |
Exchange rates | Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 699.21 (January 2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95 (1998), 583.67 (1997), 511.55 (1996); note - from 1 January 1999, the XOF is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF per euro | Malawian kwachas per US dollar - 67.3111 (December 2001), 72.1973 (2001), 59.5438 (2000), 44.0881 (1999), 31.0727 (1998), 16.4442 (1997) |
Executive branch | chief of state:
President Blaise COMPAORE (since 15 October 1987) head of government: Prime Minister Ernest Paramanga YONLI (since 6 November 2000) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; the president may serve unlimited terms; election last held 15 November 1998 (next to be held NA 2005); prime minister appointed by the president with the consent of the legislature election results: Blaise COMPAORE reelected president with 87.5% percent of the vote, 56% of voter turnout note: President COMPAORE faces an increasingly well-coordinated opposition; recent charges against a former member of his Presidential Guard in the 1998 assassination of a newspaper editor signify an attempt to defuse chronic areas of dissatisfaction |
chief of state: President Bakili MULUZI (since 21 May 1994); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Bakili MULUZI (since 21 May 1994); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: 38-member Cabinet named by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 15 June 1999 (next to be held NA 2004) election results: Bakili MULUZI reelected president; percent of vote - Bakili MULUZI (UDF) 51.4%, Gwandaguluwe CHAKUAMBA (MCP-AFORD) 44.3% |
Exports | $220 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.) | $415.5 million f.o.b. (2001) |
Exports - commodities | cotton, animal products, gold | tobacco, tea, sugar, cotton, coffee, peanuts, wood products, apparel |
Exports - partners | Italy 13%, France 10%, Indonesia 8%, Thailand 7% (1999) | South Africa 18%, Germany 13%, US 13%, UK 10%, Japan 7%, Netherlands 3% (2000) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | 1 July - 30 June |
Flag description | two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a yellow five-pointed star in the center; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia | three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green with a radiant, rising, red sun centered in the black band |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $12 billion (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $7 billion (2001 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
26% industry: 27% services: 47% (1998) |
agriculture: 40%
industry: 19% services: 41% (2000 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $1,000 (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $660 (2001 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 5% (2000 est.) | 1.7% (2001 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 13 00 N, 2 00 W | 13 30 S, 34 00 E |
Geography - note | landlocked | landlocked; Lake Nyasa, some 580 km long, is the country's most prominent physical feature |
Government - note | - | the executive exerts considerable influence over the legislature |
Highways | total:
12,506 km paved: 2,001 km unpaved: 10,505 km (1996) |
total: 14,594 km
paved: 2,773 km unpaved: 11,821 km (2001) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
2.2% highest 10%: 39.5% (1994) |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Imports | $610 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.) | $463.6 million f.o.b. (2001) |
Imports - commodities | machinery, food products, petroleum | food, petroleum products, semimanufactures, consumer goods, transportation equipment |
Imports - partners | Cote d'Ivoire 30%, France 28%, Spain 3%, Benelux 3% (1999) | South Africa 40%, UK 11%, Zimbabwe 7%, Japan 5%, Germany 2%, US 1.8%, Zambia (2000) |
Independence | 5 August 1960 (from France) | 6 July 1964 (from UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | 4.2% (1995) | 2.5% (2001 est.) |
Industries | cotton lint, beverages, agricultural processing, soap, cigarettes, textiles, gold | tobacco, tea, sugar, sawmill products, cement, consumer goods |
Infant mortality rate | 106.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | 119.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 1.5% (2000 est.) | 28.6% (2001 est.) |
International organization participation | ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MONUC, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB, WAEMU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO | ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MONUC, NAM, OAU, OPCW, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIK, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 1 (2000) | 7 (2001) |
Irrigated land | 200 sq km (1993 est.) | 280 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court; Appeals Court | Supreme Court of Appeal; High Court (chief justice appointed by the president, puisne judges appointed on the advice of the Judicial Service Commission); magistrate's courts |
Labor force | 5 million (1999)
note: a large part of the male labor force migrates annually to neighboring countries for seasonal employment |
4.5 million (2001 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 90% (2000 est.) | agriculture 86% (1997 est.) |
Land boundaries | total:
3,192 km border countries: Benin 306 km, Cote d'Ivoire 584 km, Ghana 548 km, Mali 1,000 km, Niger 628 km, Togo 126 km |
total: 2,881 km
border countries: Mozambique 1,569 km, Tanzania 475 km, Zambia 837 km |
Land use | arable land:
13% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 22% forests and woodland: 50% other: 15% (1993 est.) |
arable land: 19.93%
permanent crops: 1.33% other: 78.74% (1998 est.) |
Languages | French (official), native African languages belonging to Sudanic family spoken by 90% of the population | English (official), Chichewa (official), other languages important regionally |
Legal system | based on French civil law system and customary law | based on English common law and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court of Appeal; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
Legislative branch | bicameral; consists of a National Assembly or Assemblee des Deputes Populaires (111 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the purely consultative Chamber of Representations or Chambre des Representants (178 seats; members are appointed to serve three-year terms)
elections: National Assembly election last held 11 May 1997 (next to be held NA 2002) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - CDP 101, PDP 6, RDA 2, ADF 2 |
unicameral National Assembly (193 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 15 June 1999 (next to be held NA 2004) election results: percent of vote by party - UDF 48%, MCP 34%, AFORD 15%, others 3%; seats by party - UDF 96, MCP 61, AFORD 30, others 6 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population:
46.41 years male: 45.86 years female: 46.98 years (2001 est.) |
total population: 36.59 years
male: 36.05 years female: 37.15 years (2002 est.) |
Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 19.2% male: 29.5% female: 9.2% (1995 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 58% male: 72.8% female: 43.4% (1999 est.) |
Location | Western Africa, north of Ghana | Southern Africa, east of Zambia |
Map references | Africa | Africa |
Maritime claims | none (landlocked) | none (landlocked) |
Military branches | Army, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, National Police, People's Militia | Army (including Air Wing and Naval Detachment), Police (including paramilitary Mobile Force Unit) |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $66 million (FY96) | $9.5 million (FY00/01) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 2% (FY96) | 0.76% (FY00/01) |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49:
2,592,974 (2001 est.) |
males age 15-49: 2,535,207 (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49:
1,329,995 (2001 est.) |
males age 15-49: 1,301,625 (2002 est.) |
National holiday | Republic Day, 11 December (1958) | Independence Day (Republic Day), 6 July (1964) |
Nationality | noun:
Burkinabe (singular and plural) adjective: Burkinabe |
noun: Malawian(s)
adjective: Malawian |
Natural hazards | recurring droughts | NA |
Natural resources | manganese, limestone, marble; small deposits of gold, antimony, copper, nickel, bauxite, lead, phosphates, zinc, silver | limestone, arable land, hydropower, unexploited deposits of uranium, coal, and bauxite |
Net migration rate | -0.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | African Democratic Rally-Alliance for Democracy and Federation or RDA-ADF [Herman YAMEOGO]; Congress for Democracy and Progress or CDP [Roch Marc-Christian KABORE]; Movement for Tolerance and Progress or MTP [Noyabtigungu Congo KABORE]; Party for African Independence or PAI [Philippe OUEDRAOGO]; Party for Democracy and Progress or PDP [Joseph KI-ZERBO]; Union of Greens for the Development of Burkina Faso or UVDB [Ram OVEDRAGO] | Alliance for Democracy or AFORD [Chakufwa CHIHANA, president]; Malawi Congress Party or MCP [Gwanda CHAKUAMBA, president, John TEMBO, vice president]; Malawi Democratic Party or MDP [Kampelo KALUA, president]; United Democratic Front or UDF [Bakili MULUZI] - governing party |
Political pressure groups and leaders | Burkinabe General Confederation of Labor or CGTB; Burkinabe Movement for Human Rights or HBDHP; Group of 14 February; National Confederation of Burkinabe Workers or CNTB; National Organization of Free Unions or ONSL; watchdog/political action groups throughout the country in both organizations and communities | National Democratic Alliance [Brown MPINGANJIRA] |
Population | 12,272,289
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2001 est.) |
10,701,824
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2002 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | 54% (FY90/91 est. ) |
Population growth rate | 2.68% (2001 est.) | 1.39% (2002 est.) |
Ports and harbors | none | Chipoka, Monkey Bay, Nkhata Bay, Nkhotakota, Chilumba |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 2, FM 17, shortwave 1 (1998) | AM 9, FM 5 (plus 15 repeater stations), shortwave 2 (plus a third station held in standby status) (2001) |
Radios | 370,000 (1997) | 2.6 million (1997) |
Railways | total:
622 km (517 km from Ouagadougou to the Cote d'Ivoire border and 105 km from Ouagadougou to Kaya) narrow gauge: 622 km 1.000-m gauge (1995 est.) |
total: 797 km
narrow gauge: 797 km 1.067-m gauge (2001) |
Religions | indigenous beliefs 40%, Muslim 50%, Christian (mainly Roman Catholic) 10% | Protestant 55%, Roman Catholic 20%, Muslim 20%, indigenous beliefs 3%, other 2% |
Sex ratio | at birth:
1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
Suffrage | universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment:
all services only fair domestic: microwave radio relay, open wire, and radiotelephone communication stations international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
general assessment: NA
domestic: system employs open-wire lines, microwave radio relay links, and radiotelephone communications stations international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 36,000 (1997) | 38,000 (1999) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 1,503 (1997) | 49,000 (2000) |
Television broadcast stations | 1 (1997) | 1 (2001) |
Terrain | mostly flat to dissected, undulating plains; hills in west and southeast | narrow elongated plateau with rolling plains, rounded hills, some mountains |
Total fertility rate | 6.35 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 5.04 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
Unemployment rate | NA% | NA% |
Waterways | none | 144 km
note: on Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) and Shire Riverall |