6 ATLASES
History of Burkina Faso in maps
Burkina Faso as it appears in 6 interactive history atlases, from 1910 to 2015: Burkina Faso. Each era below lists who ruled the land and when control changed, linked to the dated map that shows it.
WW2 is free in full, and chapter 1 of every atlas is free. A free account opens 3 more chapters a day. Starter, at $9 a month, opens all 21 with no daily limit — see the plans.
Free printable Feminism and the Tunisian Revolution study guide, sent by email ↓
What was Burkina Faso before it was Burkina Faso? The sections below follow this land through every era covered by the Maps of History atlases: who ruled it, what it was called, and when control changed. Each line links to the dated map. Modern borders serve as an approximation, as each atlas says on the map itself.
Burkina Faso · Industrial Revolution
| Colony or dependency — the opening position | |
| Colony or dependency |
INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION: EVERY CHAPTER AND MAP →
Burkina Faso · WWI
| Entente-aligned & imperial territories — the opening position |
Burkina Faso · Road to WW2
| Colonial empires & possessions — the opening position |
ROAD TO WW2: EVERY CHAPTER AND MAP →
Burkina Faso · Cold War
| NATO & core Western allies — the opening position | |
| Non-aligned & neutral |
COLD WAR: EVERY CHAPTER AND MAP →
Burkina Faso (Upper Volta) · Decolonization of Africa
Upper Volta became independent from France in 1960. The poor, landlocked Sahelian country went through a long cycle of coups, one of which brought the radical young Thomas Sankara to power in 1983. In 1984 it became Burkina Faso, “land of upright people”; Sankara was assassinated in 1987. The small state’s poverty and instability reflected difficulties shared by interior colonies.
| French-ruled — the opening position | |
| Independent Africa |
DECOLONIZATION OF AFRICA: EVERY CHAPTER AND MAP →
Burkina Faso · Feminism and the Tunisian Revolution
| Authoritarian, one-party or colonial rule — the opening position | |
| Right won in law | |
| No reform yet / outside this story |
FEMINISM AND THE TUNISIAN REVOLUTION: EVERY CHAPTER AND MAP →
Related
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