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Burkina Faso -
(Africa)
(Print)
Information about Burkina Faso
Capital |
Ouagadougou |
Area |
274200 square kilometres |
Population |
10474000 |
Religions |
indigenous beliefs 50%, Muslim 43%, Christian 12%, other 1% |
Christian (%) |
12.00 |
Protestant (%) |
5.00 |
Reformed (%) |
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Burkina Faso (until 1984 called Upper Volta) is part of the Sahel region. Its climate is dry, and the country is vulnerable to the process of desertification. Only about 25% of the country can be cultivated. In the 13th century the Mossi invaded the country from the east and established five kingdoms. They resisted French col onizationin the 1880s until their defeat at the beginning of this century. The coun-try became part of French West Africa. Since 1947 the region has been separately administered. It gained independence in 1960. In 1965, 1980, and 1987, the army established military regimes.
Until recently it was thought that the country would turn Muslim. But Christianity has experienced rapid growth. The largest among the Protestant communities are the Assemblies of God, which are also rapidly increasing. Due to the fact that they live in different parts of the country and speak different languages, the Protestant communities so far have little contact with one another. In addition to the three communities mentioned below, special note needs to be taken of the Protestant Evangelical Church, which was founded by the World Evangelical Crusade (WEC) and has roots in the western part of Burkina Faso (headquarters in Gaoua). A large number of Protestant communities in Burkina Faso, including the Assemblies of God, are part of the Federation of Churches and Missions in Burkina Faso (FEME).
Churches
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