Six countries surround the landlocked country of Burkina Faso, formerly called Upper Volta. It is located in the heart of West Africa. It is a country that has had an unstable and sometimes violent history with coup after coup leading to numerous changes in government, people's rights and its economic status. Burkina Faso (Upper Volta) was a French colony from 1897 until August 5, 1960. Its official language remains French and its currency is the franc. After 1960, the country's leadership changed several times until 1981, when Thomas Sankara took control. It was at that time that the name of the country was changed to Burkina Faso which translated means “the land of the righteous men”. Sankara was responsible for bringing many improvements to the country and its people. He improved schools, encouraged food production, and established medical clinics. Although conditions in the country were better under his rule, there was still much unrest and in 1987 he was assassinated ("Susan Altman"). by a series of different men, each of whom made some changes, including the creation of a new constitution, free elections and many reforms. Today Burkina Faso is a semi-presidential republic with Blaise Compaore as president. The president is the leader of the executive branch, but day-to-day governance is led by the prime minister. There is also a legislature made up of 111 members elected by the people for a five-year term. The country is divided into 45 provinces ("Susan Altman"). Riehl 2Burkina Faso is an economically poor country. The majority of the population earns their living mainly by farming or raising livestock. Their main crops are sorghum, beans, rice, half paper, Banfora. Another important lake is Lake Bam which is located on the northern reaches of the White Volta (“SusanAltman”) River. With an undeveloped gold resource, the economy they rely on is the export of cotton. The 18.6% of Burkina Faso is made up of 59% Muslims, 93% Mali, 99% Niger and 56% Chad. This is within the Islamic circle of the northwestern part of Africa (“HJ De Blij, Peter O. Muller, Jan Nijman”). The people of Burkina Faso are a proud people who enjoy becoming part of the modern world. They have survived many upheavals and problems, but they have endured and are beginning to see signs of prosperity. The country's motto: Unity, Progress, Justice and their national anthem, One Night Only/Victory Hymn, reflect the optimism and hope of the people as they wait for better days to come.