Ethnicity/race: Mossi (over 40%), Gurunsi, Senufo, Lobi, Bobo, Mande, Fulani

National Holiday: Republic Day, December 11

Religions: Muslim 60.5%, Catholic 19%, animist 15.3%, Protestant 4.2%, other 0.6%, none 0.4% (2006 est.)

Literacy rate: 28.7% (2007 est.)

Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2013 est.): $26.51 billion; per capita $1,500. Real growth rate: 6.5%. Inflation: 2.1%. Unemployment: 77% Arable land: 20.79%. Agriculture: cotton, peanuts, shea nuts, sesame, sorghum, millet, corn, rice; livestock. Labor force: 6.668 million; note: a large part of the male labor force migrates annually to neighboring countries for seasonal employment (2003); agriculture 90%, industry and services 10% (2000 est.). Industries: cotton lint, beverages, agricultural processing, soap, cigarettes, textiles, gold. Natural resources: manganese, limestone, marble; small deposits of gold, phosphates, pumice, salt. Exports: $2.844 billion (2013 est.): cotton, livestock, gold. Imports: $2.941 billion (2013 est.): capital goods, food products, petroleum. Major trading partners: China, Ghana, France, Côte dIvoire, Togo, Turkey, Belgium (2012).

Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 141,000 (2012); mobile cellular: 9.98 million (2012). Broadcast media: 2 TV stations - 1 state-owned and 1 privately owned; state-owned radio runs a national and regional network; substantial number of privately owned radio stations; transmissions of several international broadcasters available in Ouagadougou (2007). Internet hosts: 1,795 (2012). Internet users: 178,100 (2009).

Transportation: Railways: total: 622 km (2008). Roadways: total: 15,272 km (2010). Ports and harbors: none. Airports: 23 (2013 est.).

International disputes: adding to illicit cross-border activities, Burkina Faso has issues concerning unresolved boundary alignments with its neighbors; demarcation is currently underway with Mali, the dispute with Niger was referred to the ICJ in 2010, and a dispute over several villages with Benin persists; Benin retains a border dispute with Burkina

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