The provinces of Burkina Faso are divided into 351 departments (as of 2014 and since local elections of 2012), whose urbanized areas (cities, towns and villages) are grouped into the same commune (municipality) with the same name as the department. The department also covers rural areas (including national natural parks) that are not governed locally by the elected municipal council of the commune (presided by its mayor, with representants elected for each village or urban sector), but by the state represented at departmental level by a prefect (supervized by the haut-commissaire of its province, themself assisted by a general secretary and acting under the hierarchic authority the governor of its region, all of them being nominated by the national government).

Status of communes

The 351 communes (municipalities) created for each one of these departments have three kinds of status : Departments (or communes) generally have the same name as their capital city or town, with a few exceptions (for historical reasons). For the local elections in 2012, communes were created in each department that still did not have one (village councils were kept but operate at advisory level under the supervision of their commune: each administrative village or urban sector elects at least 2 seats in the municipal council of their commune; for other elections at regional or national level, the smallest electoral circumscription is the whole department).

List of departments or communes by region and by province

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Centre Region

(provincial, regional and national capital)

<div style="position:relative;margin:.6em 0;-webkit-break-inside:avoid;-moz-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid"> # [Location of the 7 departments (or communes) in Kadiogo Province. | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Kadiogo///departments.png]

Plateau-Central Region

(provincial capital) (provincial capital) (provincial and regional capital)

<div style="position:relative;margin:.6em 0;-webkit-break-inside:avoid;-moz-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid"> # [Location of the 8 departments (or communes) in Ganzourgou Province. | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/75/Ganzourgou///departments.png] # [Location of the 5 departments (or communes) in Kourwéogo Province. | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a5/Kourweogo///departments.png] # [Location of the 7 departments (or communes) in Oubritenga Province. | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/Oubritenga///departments.png]

Centre-Nord Region

(provincial capital) (provincial capital) (provincial and regional capital)

<div style="position:relative;margin:.6em 0;-webkit-break-inside:avoid;-moz-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid"> # [Location of the 9 departments (or communes) in Bam Province. | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/83/Bam///departments.png] # [Location of the 8 departments (or communes) in Namentenga Province. | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/Namentenga///departments.png] # [Location of the 11 departments (or communes) in Sanmatenga Province. | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/Sanmatenga///departments.png]

Nord Region

(provincial capital) (provincial capital) (provincial and regional capital) (provincial capital)

<div style="position:relative;margin:.6em 0;-webkit-break-inside:avoid;-moz-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid"> # [Location of the 4 departments (or communes) in Loroum Province. | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/Loroum///departments.png] # [Location of the 9 departments (or communes) in Passoré Province. | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Passore///departments.png] # [Location of the 13 departments (or communes) in Yatenga Province. | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dc/Yatenga///departments.png] # [Location of the 5 departments (or communes) in Zondoma Province. | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/Zondoma///departments.png]

Sahel Region

(provincial capital) (provincial and regional capital) (provincial capital) (provincial capital)

<div style="position:relative;margin:.6em 0;-webkit-break-inside:avoid;-moz-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid"> # [Location of the 5 departments (or communes) in Oudalan Province. | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/Oudalan///departments.png] # [Location of the 6 departments (or communes) in Séno Province. | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Seno///departments.png] # [Location of the 9 departments (or communes) in Soum Province. | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/Soum///departments.png] # [Location of the 6 departments (or communes) in Yagha Province. | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/Yagha///department.png]

Est Region

(provincial capital) (provincial and regional capital) (provincial capital) (provincial capital) (provincial capital)

<div style="position:relative;margin:.6em 0;-webkit-break-inside:avoid;-moz-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid"> # [Location of the 7 departments (or communes) in Gnagna Province. | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/Gnagna///departments.png] # [Location of the 6 departments (or communes) in Gourma Province. | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/Gourma///departments.png] # [Location of the 3 departments (or communes) in Komondjari Province. | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/Komondjari///department.png] # [Location of the 3 departments (or communes) in Kompienga Province. | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/Kompienga///department.png] # [Location of the 8 departments (or communes) in Tapoa Province. | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/Tapoa///departments.png]

Centre-Est Region

(provincial and regional capital) (provincial capital) (provincial capital)

<div style="position:relative;margin:.6em 0;-webkit-break-inside:avoid;-moz-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid"> # [Location of the 13 departments (or communes) in Boulgou Province. | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/Boulgou///departments.png] # [Location of the 8 departments (or communes) in Koulpélogo Province. | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/Koulpelogo///departments.png] # [Location of the 9 departments (or communes) in Kouritenga Province. | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d7/Kouritenga///departments.png]

Centre-Sud Region

(provincial capital) (provincial capital) (provincial and regional capital)

<div style="position:relative;margin:.6em 0;-webkit-break-inside:avoid;-moz-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid"> # [Location of the 7 departments (or communes) in Bazèga Province. | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/Bazega///departments.png] # [Location of the 5 departments (or communes) in Nahouri Province. | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/Nahouri///departments.png] # [Location of the 7 departments (or communes) in Zoundwéogo Province. | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4d/Zoundweogo///departments.png]

Centre-Ouest Region

(provincial and regional capital) (provincial capital) (provincial capital) (provincial capital)

<div style="position:relative;margin:.6em 0;-webkit-break-inside:avoid;-moz-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid"> # [Location of the 15 departments (or communes) in Boulkiemdé Province. | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/Boulkiemde///departments.png] # [Location of the 10 departments (or communes) in Sanguié Province. | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/Sanguie///departments.png] # [Location of the 7 departments (or communes) in Sissili Province. | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/Sissili///departments.png] # [Location of the 6 departments (or communes) in Ziro Province. | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/Ziro///departments.png]

Hauts-Bassins Region

(provincial and regional capital) (provincial capital) (provincial capital)

<div style="position:relative;margin:.6em 0;-webkit-break-inside:avoid;-moz-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid"> # [Location of the 13 departments (or communes) in Houet Province. | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/Houet///departments.png] # [Location of the 13 departments (or communes) in Kénédougou Province. | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c6/Kenedougou///departments.png] # [Location of the 7 departments (or communes) in Tuy Province. | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c0/Tuy///departments.png]

Boucle du Mouhoun Region

(provincial capital) (provincial capital) (provincial capital) (provincial and regional capital) (provincial capital) (provincial capital)

<div style="position:relative;margin:.6em 0;-webkit-break-inside:avoid;-moz-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid"> # [Location of the 10 departments (or communes) in Balé Province. | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/Bale///departments.png] # [Location of the 6 departments (or communes) in Banwa Province. | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/57/Banwa///departments.png] # [Location of the 10 departments (or communes) in Kossi Province. | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1d/Kossi///departments.png] # [Location of the 7 departments (or communes) in Mouhoun Province. | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/Mouhoun///departments.png] # [Location of the 6 departments (or communes) in Nayala Province. | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/Nayala///departments.png] # [Location of the 8 departments (or communes) in Sourou Province. | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/Sourou///departments.png]

Cascades Region

(provincial and regional capital) (provincial capital)

<div style="position:relative;margin:.6em 0;-webkit-break-inside:avoid;-moz-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid"> # [Location of the 9 departments (or communes) in Comoé Province. | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/Comoe///departments.png] # [Location of the 8 departments (or communes) in Léraba Province. | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/Leraba///departments.png]

Sud-Ouest Region

(provincial capital) (provincial capital) (provincial capital) (provincial and regional capital)