Burkina Faso
[ ber-kee-nuh fah-soh ]
/ bərˈki nə ˈfɑ soʊ /
noun
a republic in W Africa: formerly part of French West Africa. 106,111 sq. mi. (274,827 sq. km). Capital: Ouagadougou.
Formerly
Upper Volta.
British Dictionary definitions for burkina faso
Burkina Faso
Burkina
/ (bɜːˈkiːnəˈfæsəʊ) /
noun
an inland republic in W Africa: dominated by Mossi kingdoms (10th–19th centuries); French protectorate established in 1896; became an independent republic in 1960; consists mainly of a flat savanna plateau. Official language: French; Mossi and other African languages also widely spoken. Religion: mostly animist, with a large Muslim minority. Currency: franc. Capital: Ouagadougou. Pop: 17 812 961 (2013 est). Area: 273 200 sq km (105 900 sq miles)
Former name (until 1984): Upper Volta
Cultural definitions for burkina faso
Burkina Faso
[ (buhr-kee-nuh fah-soh) ]
Republic in west Africa, formerly called Upper Volta, bordered by Niger to the north and east, Benin on the southeast, Togo, Ghana and Ivory Coast on the south, and Mali on the west and north. Its capital and largest city is Ouagadougou. Burkina Faso gained independence from France in 1960.