French Polynesia (2006) | Burkina Faso (2003) | |
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Administrative divisions | none (overseas lands of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are five archipelagic divisions named Archipel des Marquises, Archipel des Tuamotu, Archipel des Tubuai, Iles du Vent, Iles Sous-le-Vent
note: Clipperton Island is administered by France from French Polynesia |
45 provinces; Bale, Bam, Banwa, Bazega, Bougouriba, Boulgou, Boulkiemde, Comoe, Ganzourgou, Gnagna, Gourma, Houet, Ioba, Kadiogo, Kenedougou, Komondjari, Kompienga, Kossi, Koulpelogo, Kouritenga, Kourweogo, Leraba, Loroum, Mouhoun, Namentenga, Nahouri, Nayala, Noumbiel, Oubritenga, Oudalan, Passore, Poni, Sanguie, Sanmatenga, Seno, Sissili, Soum, Sourou, Tapoa, Tuy, Yagha, Yatenga, Ziro, Zondoma, Zoundweogo |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 26.1% (male 36,541/female 34,999)
15-64 years: 67.9% (male 96,769/female 89,593) 65 years and over: 6.1% (male 8,428/female 8,248) (2006 est.) |
0-14 years: 46.1% (male 3,057,855; female 3,036,705)
15-64 years: 51% (male 3,296,726; female 3,455,817) 65 years and over: 2.9% (male 161,914; female 219,443) (2003 est.) |
Agriculture - products | coconuts, vanilla, vegetables, fruits, coffee; poultry, beef, dairy products | cotton, peanuts, shea nuts, sesame, sorghum, millet, corn, rice; livestock |
Airports | 51 (2006) | 33 (2002) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 39
over 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 25 under 914 m: 7 (2006) |
total: 2
over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2002) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 12
914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 7 (2006) |
total: 31
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 17 (2002) |
Area | total: 4,167 sq km (118 islands and atolls)
land: 3,660 sq km water: 507 sq km |
total: 274,200 sq km
land: 273,800 sq km water: 400 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly less than one-third the size of Connecticut | slightly larger than Colorado |
Background | The French annexed various Polynesian island groups during the 19th century. In September 1995, France stirred up widespread protests by resuming nuclear testing on the Mururoa atoll after a three-year moratorium. The tests were suspended in January 1996. In recent years, French Polynesia's autonomy has been considerably expanded. | Independence from France came to Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta) in 1960. Repeated military coups during the 1970s and 1980s were followed by multiparty elections in the early 1990s. Burkina Faso's high population density and limited natural resources result in poor economic prospects for the majority of its citizens. Every year, several hundred thousand seasonal farm workers seek employment in Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana and are adversely affected by instability in those regions. |
Birth rate | 16.68 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) | 44.78 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $865 million
expenditures: $644.1 million; including capital expenditures of $185 million (1996) |
revenues: $316 million
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001) |
Capital | name: Papeete
geographic coordinates: 17 32 S, 149 34 W time difference: UTC-10 (5 hours behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Ouagadougou |
Climate | tropical, but moderate | tropical; warm, dry winters; hot, wet summers |
Coastline | 2,525 km | 0 km (landlocked) |
Constitution | 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) | 2 June 1991 approved by referendum; 11 June 1991 formally adopted |
Country name | conventional long form: Overseas Lands of French Polynesia
conventional short form: French Polynesia local long form: Pays d'outre-mer de la Polynesie Francaise local short form: Polynesie Francaise former: French Colony of Oceania |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Burkina Faso former: Upper Volta, Republic of Upper Volta |
Currency | - | Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States |
Death rate | 4.69 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) | 18.76 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Debt - external | $NA | $1.3 billion (2000) |
Dependency status | overseas lands of France; overseas territory of France from 1946-2004 | - |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (overseas lands of France) | chief of mission: Ambassador Anthony HOLMES
embassy: 602 Avenue Raoul Follereau, Koulouba, Secteur 4 mailing address: 01 B. P. 35, Ouagadougou 01; pouch mail - U. S. Department of State, 2440 Ouagadougou Place, Washington, DC 20521-2440 telephone: [226] 306723 FAX: [226] 303890 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas lands of France) | chief of mission: Ambassador Tertius ZONGO
chancery: 2340 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-5577 FAX: [1] (202) 667-1882 |
Disputes - international | none | two villages are in dispute along the border with Benin; Burkina Faso border regions have become a staging area for Liberia and Cote d'Ivoire rebels and an asylum for refugees caught in regional fighting; the Ivorian Government accuses Burkina Faso of supporting Ivorian rebels |
Economic aid - recipient | $580 million (2004) | $484.1 million (1995) |
Economy - overview | Since 1962, when France stationed military personnel in the region, French Polynesia has changed from a subsistence agricultural economy to one in which a high proportion of the work force is either employed by the military or supports the tourist industry. With the halt of French nuclear testing in 1996, the military contribution to the economy fell sharply. Tourism accounts for about one-fourth of GDP and is a primary source of hard currency earnings. Other sources of income are pearl farming and deep-sea commercial fishing. The small manufacturing sector primarily processes agricultural products. The territory benefits substantially from development agreements with France aimed principally at creating new businesses and strengthening social services. | One of the poorest countries in the world, landlocked Burkina Faso has few natural resources, a fragile soil, and a highly unequal distribution of income. About 90% of the population is engaged in (mainly subsistence) agriculture, which is 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 macroeconomic progress depends on continued low inflation, reduction in the trade deficit, and reforms designed to encourage private investment. The internal crisis in neighboring Cote d'Ivoire continues to hurt trade and industrial prospects and deepens the need for international assistance. |
Electricity - consumption | 459.2 million kWh (2003) | 259.6 million kWh (2001) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2003) | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2003) | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production | 493.7 million kWh (2003) | 279.2 million kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel: 69.9%
hydro: 30.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Orohena 2,241 m |
lowest point: Mouhoun (Black Volta) River 200 m
highest point: Tena Kourou 749 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | recent droughts and desertification severely affecting agricultural activities, population distribution, and the economy; overgrazing; soil degradation; deforestation |
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 |
Ethnic groups | Polynesian 78%, Chinese 12%, local French 6%, metropolitan French 4% | Mossi over 40%, Gurunsi, Senufo, Lobi, Bobo, Mande, Fulani |
Exchange rates | Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (XPF) per US dollar - 95.89 (2005), 96.04 (2004), 105.66 (2003), 126.71 (2002), 133.26 (2001)
note: pegged at the rate of 119.25 XPF to the euro |
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.7 (1999), 589.95 (1998) |
Executive branch | chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by High Commissioner of the Republic Anne BOQUET (since September 2005)
head of government: President of French Polynesia Oscar TEMARU (since 3 March 2005); President of the Territorial Assembly Antony GEROS (since 9 May 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers; president submits a list of members of the Territorial Assembly for approval by them to serve as ministers elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; high commissioner appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; president of the territorial government and the president of the Territorial Assembly are elected by the members of the assembly for five-year terms (no term limits) |
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 five-year term; election last held 15 November 1998 (next to be held NA 2005); in April 2000, the constitution was amended reducing the presidential term from seven to five years, enforceable as of 2005, and allowing the president to be reelected only once; it is unclear whether this amendment will be applied retroactively or not; 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 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 |
Exports | NA bbl/day | NA (2001) |
Exports - commodities | cultured pearls, coconut products, mother-of-pearl, vanilla, shark meat | cotton, livestock, gold |
Exports - partners | France 46.3%, Japan 20.8%, Niger 12.8%, US 12.5% (2005) | Singapore 14.7%, Italy 11.3%, Colombia 8.6%, France 7.7%, India 6.9%, Ghana 6%, Japan 4.4%, Thailand 4.3% (2002) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
Flag description | two narrow red horizontal bands encase a wide white band; centered on the white band is a disk with blue and white wave pattern on the lower half and gold and white ray pattern on the upper half; a stylized red, blue and white ship rides on the wave pattern; the French flag is used for official occasions | 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 |
GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $14.51 billion (2002 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 3.1%
industry: 19% services: 76.9% (2002) |
agriculture: 35%
industry: 17% services: 48% (2001) |
GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $1,100 (2002 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | NA% (2001 est.) | 4.6% (2002 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 15 00 S, 140 00 W | 13 00 N, 2 00 W |
Geography - note | includes five archipelagoes (4 volcanic, 1 coral); Makatea in French Polynesia is one of the three great phosphate rock islands in the Pacific Ocean - the others are Banaba (Ocean Island) in Kiribati and Nauru | landlocked savanna cut by the three principal rivers of the Black, Red, and White Voltas |
Government - note | under certain acts of France, French Polynesia has acquired autonomy in all areas except those relating to police and justice, monetary policy, tertiary education, immigration, and defense and foreign affairs; the duties of its president are fashioned after those of the French prime minister | - |
Heliports | 1 (2006) | - |
Highways | - | total: 12,506 km
paved: 2,001 km unpaved: 10,505 km (1999) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: 2%
highest 10%: 46.8% (1994) |
Imports | NA bbl/day | NA (2001) |
Imports - commodities | fuels, foodstuffs, machinery and equipment | capital goods, foodstuffs, petroleum |
Imports - partners | France 52.7%, Singapore 14.9%, NZ 6.8%, US 6.6% (2005) | France 27.7%, Cote d'Ivoire 23%, Togo 4.3% (2002) |
Independence | none (overseas lands of France) | 5 August 1960 (from France) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | 14% (2001 est.) |
Industries | tourism, pearls, agricultural processing, handicrafts, phosphates | cotton lint, beverages, agricultural processing, soap, cigarettes, textiles, gold |
Infant mortality rate | total: 8.29 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 9.55 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) |
total: 99.78 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 107.87 deaths/1,000 live births female: 91.46 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 1.1% (2006 est.) | 3.5% (2001 est.) |
International organization participation | FZ, ICFTU, PIF (observer), SPC, UPU, WMO | ACCT, ACP, AfDB, ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, MONUC, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 1 (2002) |
Irrigated land | 10 sq km (2003) | 250 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; Court of the First Instance or Tribunal de Premiere Instance; Court of Administrative Law or Tribunal Administratif | Supreme Court; Appeals Court |
Labor force | 65,870 (December 2005) | 5 million
note: a large part of the male labor force migrates annually to neighboring countries for seasonal employment (2002) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: 13%
industry: 19% services: 68% (2002) |
agriculture 90% (2000 est.) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | total: 3,193 km
border countries: Benin 306 km, Cote d'Ivoire 584 km, Ghana 549 km, Mali 1,000 km, Niger 628 km, Togo 126 km |
Land use | arable land: 0.75%
permanent crops: 5.5% other: 93.75% (2005) |
arable land: 12.43%
permanent crops: 0.18% other: 87.39% (1998 est.) |
Languages | French 61.1% (official), Polynesian 31.4% (official), Asian languages 1.2%, other 0.3%, unspecified 6% (2002 census) | French (official), native African languages belonging to Sudanic family spoken by 90% of the population |
Legal system | based on French system | based on French civil law system and customary law |
Legislative branch | unicameral Territorial Assembly or Assemblee Territoriale (57 seats - changed from 49 seats for May 2004 election; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 23 May 2004 (next to be held May 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - People's Rally for the Republic (Gaullist) 28, Union for Democracy 27, New Star 1, This Country is Yours 1; after by-elections of 13 February 2005 seating was as follows: People's Rally for the Republic 27, Union for Democracy 27, and Alliance for a New Democracy 3 note: one seat was elected to the French Senate on 27 September 1998 (next to be held September 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; two seats were elected to the French National Assembly on 9 June-16 June 2002 (next to be held in 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP/RPR 1, UMP 1 |
unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (111 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: National Assembly election last held 5 May 2002 (next to be held NA May 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - CDP 57, RDA-ADF 17, PDP/PS 10, CFD 5, PAI 5, others 17 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 76.1 years
male: 73.69 years female: 78.63 years (2006 est.) |
total population: 44.46 years
male: 43.02 years female: 45.94 years (2003 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 14 and over can read and write
total population: 98% male: 98% female: 98% (1977 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 26.6% male: 36.9% female: 16.6% (2003 est.) |
Location | Oceania, archipelagoes in the South Pacific Ocean about one-half of the way from South America to Australia | Western Africa, north of Ghana |
Map references | Oceania | Africa |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
none (landlocked) |
Merchant marine | total: 13 ships (1000 GRT or over) 23,684 GRT/17,291 DWT
by type: cargo 4, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 5, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 1 (France 1) registered in other countries: 2 (Wallis and Futuna 2) (2006) |
- |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of France | - |
Military branches | no regular military forces; Gendarmerie and National Police Force | Army, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, National Police, People's Militia |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $45.83 million (FY02) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | 1.4% (FY02) |
Military manpower - availability | - | males age 15-49: 2,957,710 (2003 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49: 1,506,944 (2003 est.) |
National holiday | Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) | Republic Day, 11 December (1958) |
Nationality | noun: French Polynesian(s)
adjective: French Polynesian |
noun: Burkinabe (singular and plural)
adjective: Burkinabe |
Natural hazards | occasional cyclonic storms in January | recurring droughts |
Natural resources | timber, fish, cobalt, hydropower | manganese, limestone, marble; small deposits of gold, antimony, copper, nickel, bauxite, lead, phosphates, zinc, silver |
Net migration rate | 2.85 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | Alliance for a New Democracy or ADN [Nicole BOUTEAU and Philip SCHYLE](includes the parties The New Star and This Country is Yours); Independent Front for the Liberation of Polynesia (Tavini Huiraatira) [Oscar TEMARU]; New Fatherland Party (Ai'a Api) [Emile VERNAUDON]; People's Rally for the Republic of Polynesia or RPR (Tahoeraa Huiraatira) [Gaston FLOSSE]; Union for Democracy or UPD [Oscar TEMARU] | African Democratic Rally-Alliance for Democracy and Federation or RDA-ADF [Herman YAMEOGO]; Confederation for Federation and Democracy or CFD [Amadou Diemdioda DICKO]; Congress for Democracy and Progress or CDP [Roch Marc-Christian KABORE]; Movement for Tolerance and Progress or MTP [Nayabtigungou 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] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | Burkinabe General Confederation of Labor or CGTB; Burkinabe Movement for Human Rights or MBDHP; 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 |
Population | 274,578 (July 2006 est.) | 13,228,460
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 2003 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | 45% (2001 est.) |
Population growth rate | 1.48% (2006 est.) | 2.6% (2003 est.) |
Ports and harbors | - | none |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 2, FM 14, shortwave 2 (1998) | AM 3, FM 17, shortwave 3 (2002) |
Railways | - | total: 622 km
narrow gauge: 622 km 1.000-m gauge note:: another 660 km of this railway extends into Cote D'Ivoire (2002) |
Religions | Protestant 54%, Roman Catholic 30%, other 10%, no religion 6% | indigenous beliefs 40%, Muslim 50%, Christian (mainly Roman Catholic) 10% |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.08 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.02 male(s)/female total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2006 est.) |
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: NA
domestic: NA international: country code - 689; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) |
general assessment: all services only fair
domestic: microwave radio relay, open-wire, and radiotelephone communication stations international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 53,400 (2005) | 53,200 (2000) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 87,000 (2005) | 25,200 (2000) |
Television broadcast stations | 7 (plus 17 low-power repeaters) (1997) | 1 (2002) |
Terrain | mixture of rugged high islands and low islands with reefs | mostly flat to dissected, undulating plains; hills in west and southeast |
Total fertility rate | 2.01 children born/woman (2006 est.) | 6.34 children born/woman (2003 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 11.8% (1994) | NA% |
Waterways | - | none |