Burkina Faso

Capital City - Ouagadougou
Currency - West African CFA Franc
Population - 15,746,232 (2009 estimate)
National Language - French, though Mossi and Fulani are also spoken unofficially
Type of Government - Semi-Presidential Republic
Leaders - Blaise Compaoré (President); Tertius Zongo (Prime Minister)
Country's Motto - "Unité, Progrès, Justice" - Translates to mean "Unity, Progress, Justice."

Location - Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa.  It is surrounded on the north by Mali, on the east by Niger, on the southeast by Benin, on the south by Togo and Ghana and to the southwest by The Ivory Coast.  Warm savannas cover the northern part of the country and woodlands border the southwest.

Climate - As with all tropical locations, Burkina Faso has two very distinct seasons: the dry season and the wet season.
Religion - A popular saying in Burkina Faso says that "50% are Muslim, 50% are Christian, and 100% are animist."  This saying shows how closely people of all faiths are still connected to their more tribal ancestral roots, still practicing their indigenous beliefs.  The real statistical numbers indicate that about 60% of the country practices Islam, with the majority of those individuals belonging to the Sunni branch.  Of the remaining 40% of the population, 19% are said to be Roman Catholics, 16% follow traditional indigenous religions, and 5% are Protestant Christians.  Athiesm is virtually nonexistent in Burkina Faso.

Cuisine - The cuisine of Burkina Faso is typical west African cuisine in that it centers around the traditional staples of sorghum, millet, rice, corn, peanuts, beans, yams and okra.  Chicken eggs and fish are the most commonly used forms of protein. 

Most Famous Landmark - A relatively agrarian nation, Burkina Faso has no man-made structures of significant note.  However, the Sylvo-Pastoral and Partial Faunal Reserve of the Sahel is the largest space of protected land in the country.
If You Learn Only One Thing About Burkina Faso, It Should Be This - Burkina Faso, which was formerly known as the Republic of Upper Volta until 1984, is one of the top 20 poorest nations in the world.  In addition to this, they also have one of the lowest literacy levels in the world - only about 12% of the population can read.  However, they have one of the highest HIV rates in the world - 7%.