WEST AFRICA: BURKINA FASO Capital: Ouagadougou Largest city: Ouagadougou Languages: French Demonym: Burkinabe Currency: West African CFA franc (XOF) Calling code: +226

Burkina Faso also known by its short-form name Burkina, is a landlocked country in West Africa around 274,200 square kilometers (105,900 sq mi) in size. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north; Niger to the east; Benin to the southeast; Togo and Ghana to the south; and Ivory Coast to the southwest. Its capital is Ouagadougou. In 2010, its population was estimated at just fewer than 15.75 million. "Burkino Faso" is meant to be understood as "Land of upright people" or "Land of honest people". Ouagadougou, the capital is the crossroads town in West Africa, combining perfectly tradition and modernity. Four regions of interest to tourists are the Central, Western, Eastern and Northern (The Sahel) parts of the country.

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WEST AFRICA: BURKINA FASO

Burkina Faso is located in West Africa and has approximately

sixty different ethnic groups with populations of more than ten

thousand, and each with its own culture and traditions.

Ouagadougou hosts a great number of international cultural events including FESPACO, SIAO, SITHO and FILO that have gave it the reputation of the cultural capital. “Ouaga” the cultural city has several monuments, cultural centers, museums, crafts shops, sources of pride for Burkinabé.

The center also offer some touristic attractions like thr museum of Manega, the Loango granite sculpture, the Bazoulé and Sabou sacred crocodile pond and Ziniaré animal Park which is a zoological park with a wide range of fauna including zebras, lions, elephants, buffaloes, ostriches, panthers, and monkeys.

At Bobo which the big city in the west, there is the old, grand mosque of Dioulassoba built in “eighteen ninety (1890),” which is located in the center of the town; there, visits are only allowed in the early morning. The grand Mosque represents a very good example of Sahel architecture. Tourists can also visit the museum of the city and the old town. The city of Banfora is especially famous for its natural waterfalls, the lake Tengrela and the Peaks of Sindou which is classified by the United Nation as a world treasure. The east is also home of National Parks like the one of Arly and the W National Park. Tourists can also visit the cliffs of Gobnangou and The reserve and ranch of Nazinga.

Burkina’s north is the nation’s primary tourist draw. It is the Sahel area.

Tourists can experience the desert life but also visit the archeological

museum and the stone carvings of Pobé Mengaod and the feminine

artisanal center of Gorom Gorom.