Ouagadougou
Capital and largest city of Burkina Faso.
Last updated
Where it is
Coordinates: 12°22′08″N 1°31′41″W (12.3690, -1.5280) · Open in OpenStreetMap
Coordinates and connected clubs: the infobox of Wikipedia: Ouagadougou (CC BY-SA 4.0). Map: drawn by Codexery from OpenStreetMap tiles.
In 2019, the population of Burkina Faso's capital and largest city, Ouagadougou, was recorded at 2,415,266.[1][2] Food processing and textiles are the main industrial activities in Ouagadougou.[3] A common shortened form of the city's name is Ouaga.[2]
Geography and history
The Mossi people conquered Wagadugu in the 14th century, and according to legend the city was taken by Oubri.[4] On 5 September 1896 French forces entered Ouagadougou and burned the city to the ground.[5] The Soninke Wangara diaspora from the Ghana Empire likely established Ouagadougou around 1050.[6] One hundred years later, under the 21st Moro Naba named Zombre, the city was designated the permanent capital.[7]
Ouagadougou was designated the capital of the Upper Volta territory by the colonial government in 1919.[5] The railway connection from Ivory Coast arrived in Ouagadougou in 1954, which triggered a significant increase in the population.[7] The year 1956 saw the first municipal elections take place in Ouagadougou.[8]
What the cited sources add
A France 24 report stated that French-assisted Burkinabe forces led an assault to reclaim the Splendid Hotel in the early hours of 16 January 2016.[9] Robert Sangare, director of Ouagadougou’s university hospital centre, told Reuters they were treating at least 15 people with bullet wounds and injuries from falls.[9] CNN reported that an al Qaeda-linked terrorist group claimed responsibility for the assault at the Splendid Hotel.[10] Ouagadougou prosecutor Maïza Sereme said 22 of the 29 people who died had been identified, according to state broadcaster RTB.[10]
President Roch Marc Christian Kabore told the nation more than 50 people were wounded.[10]
References
- Wikipedia, "Ouagadougou" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Ouagadougou Facts & History", Encyclopædia Britannica; "Bienvenue sur le site Officiel du Premier Ministère du Burkina Faso", gouvernement.gov.bf (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Ouagadougou" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Citypopulation.de Population of the major cities in Burkina Faso (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Ouagadougou" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Burkina Faso: Ayka Textile to build an integrated cotton processing plant in Ouagadougou", Ecofin Agency, 2018-02-05; "IRO-TEXBURKINA textile complex in Sourgou: A factory to rehabilitate the industrial fabric in the Center-West", Faso Observateur, August 2026; "Burkina Textile – Incubateur pour la transformation du coton et textile burkinabè", Burkina Textile; "Ouagadougou City Profile", citiesabc; "Burkina Faso", ISS African Futures; "Ouagadougou Airport (OUA) - Thomas Sankara International Airport", IATA; "Abidjan-Ouagadougou Railway", en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Ouagadougou" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Page Davis 2005, p. 176; Page Davis 2005, p. 176 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Ouagadougou" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Johnson 2010 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Ouagadougou" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Kane, "La première hégémonie peule. Le Fuuta Tooro de Koli Teηella à Almaami Abdul", Karthala, 2004, p. 57-60; Page Davis 2005, p. 176 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Ouagadougou" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: McFarland, "Historical Dictionary of Burkina Faso", Scarecrow Press, 1998, p. 97 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Ouagadougou" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Ouagadougou Facts & History", Encyclopædia Britannica (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "Gunmen attack hotel, take hostages in Burkina Faso capital", 15 January 2015. facts only, no text reused. france24.com
- "Burkina Faso: Security forces raid besieged hotel, free hostages", CNN, 16 January 2016. facts only, no text reused. cnn.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Ouagadougou (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Ouagadougou (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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