Republic of Upper Volta

Republic of Upper Volta
République de Haute-Volta
← 1958–1984 →
Flag Coat of arms
Motto "Unité – Travail – Justice" (French) "Unity – Work – Justice"
Anthem Hymne Nationale Voltaïque
Capital		Ouagadougou
Languages		French
Government		Republic
President
-	1959–1966	Maurice Yaméogo
-	1983–1984	Thomas Sankara
High Commissioner
-	1958–1959	Max Berthet
-	1959–1960	Paul Masson
Prime Minister
-	1971–1974	Gérard Kango Ouedraogo
-	1983	Thomas Sankara
Historical era		Cold War
-	Self-governing colony	December 11, 1958
-	Independence	August 5, 1960
-	Renamed	August 4, 1984
Currency		CFA franc

Map showing the Volta River in Upper Volta.

Part of a series on the
History of Burkina Faso
Bura / Bura-Asinda Prehistoric / c. 3rd–13th century Mossi Kingdoms 11th? century – 1896 French Upper Volta 1919–1932 1947–1958 Republic 1958–1984
Burkina Faso (1984–present)
Agacher Strip War 1985 Burkinabè protests 2011 Burkinabè revolution 2014
Burkina Faso portal

The Republic of Upper Volta (French: République de Haute-Volta) was a landlocked west-African country established on December 11, 1958, as a self-governing colony within the French Community. Before attaining autonomy it had been French Upper Volta and part of the French Union. On August 5, 1960, it attained full independence from France.

Thomas Sankara came to power through a military coup d'état on August 4, 1983. After the coup, he formed the National Council for the Revolution (CNR), with himself as president. Under the direction of Sankara, the country changed its name on August 4, 1984, from the Upper Volta to Burkina Faso, which means "Land of Incorruptible People".^[1]

The name Upper Volta indicated that the country contains the upper part of the Volta River. The river is divided into three parts—the Black Volta, White Volta, and Red Volta, which form the colors of the national flag corresponding to parts of the river.

See also

• History of Burkina Faso
• List of governors of Upper Volta
• List of heads of state of Burkina Faso
• List of heads of government of Burkina Faso

References

Burkina Faso topics History Mossi Kingdoms French Upper Volta Republic of Upper Volta Agacher Strip War 2011 protests 2014 uprising Geography Cities Climate Departments Extreme points Lakes Mountains Provinces Regions Rivers Wildlife Politics Constitution Elections Foreign relations Government Human rights LGBT Law enforcement Military Political parties President Prime Minister Economy Agriculture Companies Energy Mining Telecommunications Tourism Trade unions Transport West African CFA franc (currency) Culture Architecture Cinema Cuisine Flag Literature Media Music Public holidays Sport Olympics Theatre Demographics Education Ethnic groups Health Languages People Religion Outline Index Category Portal WikiProject

Coordinates: 12°16′N 2°4′W / 12.267°N 2.067°W / 12.267; -2.067