Burkina Faso
Capital: Ouagadougou (A corruption of the Yonyonse name given to the city in 1441, "Wogodogo," meaning "Where people get honor and respect")
Pop.: 14,326,203 (2007 CIA est.)
Area: 105,714 sq. mi. (slightly larger than Colorado)
Languages: French (official), Dagaare, Dioula (mutually intelligible to the lingua franca of Mali, Bambara, and the most widely used language for trade in West Africa), Fula (notable for having approx. 25 noun classes), Nanerige, Sucite
Points of interest:
An average lifespan of about 50 yrs, and a median age of less than 17
Secondary education is too expensive for most families, costing 33,000 CFA Francs per annum ($69 US)
According to the UN, the most illiterate country in the world
Host of the biennial International Salon for Arts and Crafts (SIAO), which over 30 African nations participate in
Spotlight: ...
Ok, here's the thing. I really couldn't find anything outstanding about this country. They've gone through the same swings from imperialism to Marxism-Leninism to (questionable) democracy as most other countries in the area. They're agricultural, have a large migrant population, and education is sparse. They have some good music, but it's mostly the same Afropop that most countries in the region have, and they don't really have any internationally renowned artists in that (or any other) genre. I'm not saying that it wouldn't be an interesting place to live (and kind of scary - there's a real problem with disease there, and there are some violent conflicts with neighboring countries), I'm just having a hard time finding something really unique about them to write here. Other than the fact that in a continent of poor countries, they are one of the poorest, but that's not something I want to write about. There's no flora or fauna native to Burkina Faso that can't be found in most of the rest of Western Africa, as near as I can tell. The population density swing from north (sparse) to south (dense) is somewhat interesting, but not exactly surprising given the north's much drier climate, since it is a savannah bordering the Sahara.
So, sorry. I really tried. For about an hour and a half.