President of the High Transitional Authority: Andry Rajoelina
Population
17,812,961
22,599,098
Life Expectancy
54.430 years
64.850 years
Capital City
Ouagadougou
Largest city
Ouagadougou (population: 1,086,500)
Antananarivo (population: 1,391,430)
Human Development Index
0.372
0.533
GDP per capita
$1,400 US
Literacy Rate
21.8%
68.9%
Corruption Perception Index
3.5
3.4
Percentage of Women in Parliament
15.3%
9.4%
Wealthiest Citizens
Unemployment Rate
77.000%
Death Penalty
Abolished in practice
Abolished in practice
Political System
parliamentary republic
republic
Independence date
5 August 1960 (from France)
Religions
Muslim 50%, indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian (mainly Roman Catholic) 10%
indigenous beliefs 52%, Christian 41%, Muslim 7%
Languages
French (official), native African languages belonging to Sudanic family spoken by 90% of the population
English (official), French (official), Malagasy (official)
Exports
cotton, livestock, gold
External Debt
$2,442,000,000 $
Exchange Rate
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar 438.77 (2008 est.), 493.51 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004) note: since 1 January 1999, the XOF franc has been pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF francs per euro
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
1.100%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
Location
Western Africa, north of Ghana
Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Mozambique
Area
274,200 km sq
587,041 km sq
Coastline
0 km
4,828 km
Climate
tropical; warm, dry winters; hot, wet summers
tropical along coast, temperate inland, arid in south
