Administrative division of Burkina Faso

The West African state of Burkina Faso is divided into 13 regions ( French régions ) and 45 provinces (French provinces ), which are divided into departments (French départements ) and municipalities (French communes urbaines, communes rurales ). Regions, provinces and municipalities have the rights of self-government as local authorities, parallel to this there are administrative structures which are led by representatives of the state, but which cover the same territories and in some cases have the same names (regions, provinces).

history

When it gained independence in 1960, what was then Upper Volta consisted of ten districts. In 1963 the country was divided into four departments (Center, Est, Volta-Noire and Hauts-Bassins) and these were divided into 40 districts. After the fall of Maurice Yaméogo , the departments were dissolved and 40 districts formed the administrative division from March 10, 1966.

In 1974 there was a real reform to break with the legacy of the colonial administrative structures. On May 7th of that year ten departments were created, which was later followed by an eleventh. When naming the new administrative units, ethnic references were largely avoided and neutral names with geographical references were chosen. Sub-units were sub-prefectures and arrondissements, of which there were 25 and 101 in 1983, respectively. The names of the eleven departments were Comoé, Hauts-Bassins, Sud-Ouest, Volta-Noire, Center-Ouest, Center, Center-Est, Est, Center-Nord (initially Plateaux du Nord-Mossi), Nord (initially Yatenga) and Sahel.

With the revolution of 1983, the country was divided into 25 provinces and 198 departments on September 15, 1983, five provinces were added on August 15, 1984, and the number of provinces rose to 45 on April 24, 1996 Regions created.

Regions and provinces

The 13 regions of Burkina Faso are both local authorities governed by the President of the Regional Council and administrative units headed by a governor appointed by the state. As a local authority, the regions enjoy financial autonomy and the freedom to act on socio-economic, cultural and environmental issues. The municipalities within a region send representatives to the regional council, which elects the president. The regions have existed as administrative units since 2001 and local elections were held in 2006, as a result of which the regional councils are constituted. As representatives of the state, the governors watch over the implementation of laws and regulations.

Provinces of Burkina Faso

map	No	region	Capital	Provinces (no.)
	1	Boucle du Mouhoun	Dédougou	1 , 3 , 18 , 24 , 27 , 38
	2	Cascades	Banfora	8 , 22
	3	Center	Ouagadougou	14th
	4th	Center-Est	Tenkodogo	6 , 19 , 20
	5	Center north	Kaya	2 , 26 , 34
	6th	Center-Ouest	Koudougou	7 , 33 , 36 , 43
	7th	Center-Sud	Manga	4 , 25 , 45
	8th	Est	Fada N'Gourma	10 , 11 , 39 , 16 , 17
	9	Hauts-Basins	Bobo Dioulasso	12 , 15 , 40
	10	North	Ouahigouya	23 , 31 , 42 , 44
	11	Central Plateau	Ziniaré	9 , 21 , 29
	12	Sahel	Dori	30 , 35 , 37 , 41 ,
	13	Sud-Ouest	Gaoua	5 , 13 , 28 , 32

See also : List of cities in Burkina Faso

Web links

• Map of Burkina Faso

Individual evidence

1. ^ Ministère de l'Administration Territoriale et de la Décentralisation : Les Échos de la Décentralisation . No. 3, 2010