History and Geography
Core concepts
History covers Burkina Faso from pre-colonial kingdoms (Mossi, Gurunsi) through colonisation, the 1960 independence, the 1983 revolution, and the democratic era, plus major world events (both World Wars, decolonisation, the Cold War). Geography covers Burkina Faso's relief (a plateau), climate (Sahelian and Sudanian zones), hydrography (the Mouhoun, Nakambé, and Comoé basins), population, and regional geography of West Africa.
Traps in questions
- Date confusion: 1960 (independence) versus 1958 (autonomous republic) versus 1983 (revolution).
- Name changes: Upper Volta became Burkina Faso in 1984; questions may use either name.
- River names: the Mouhoun was formerly called the Black Volta; the Nakambé the White Volta.
- Physical versus human geography: misreading a question about climate as one about relief.
Rule of thumb
Anchor dates to a short mental timeline and rivers to a map drawn from memory. For each West African country, know the capital, one export, and one geographic feature.
Worked example
A question asks when Upper Volta became Burkina Faso. The answer is 1984, under the revolutionary government; independence from France was in 1960. Separating the two events avoids the trap.