Republic of Upper Volta

The Republic of Upper Volta (French: République de Haute-Volta), or simply Upper Volta, was a landlocked West African country established on 11 December 1958 as a self-governing state within the French Community. Before becoming autonomous, it was part of the French Union as the French Upper Volta. On 5 August 1960, it gained full independence from France. On 4 August 1984, it changed its name to Burkina Faso.