French Upper Volta and two years later on 5 August 1960, it attained full independence. On 4 August 1984, the name was changed to Burkina Faso. The name Upper Volta indicates that the country contains the upper part of the Volta River. The river is divided into three parts, called the Black Volta, White Volta and Red Volta. Until the end of the 19th century, the history of Upper Volta was dominated by the empire-building Mossi/Mossi Kingdoms, who are believed to have come up to their present location from present-day Northern Ghana. For centuries, the Mossi peasant was both farmer and soldier, and
2016 Volta a Catalunya the defending champion of the Volta itself. Other riders with a chance of high placings included Joaquim Rodríguez (), who had won the race on two previous occasions, and Dan Martin (), the 2013 Volta winner, as well as many other climbers. On account of the mountainous terrain, there were few pure sprinters starting the race. The strongest sprinter who was present was Nacer Bouhanni (), who had been strong in Paris–Nice and had been close to victory in Milan–San Remo until his chain slipped. 21 March 2016, Calella to Calella, The first stage of the Volta covered a course