Ouahigouya
Encyclopedia
Ouahigouya is the most important town in northern Burkina Faso
. It is the capital of the Yatenga Province and one of its subdivisions the Ouahigouya Department
. It is also the biggest town in the Nord Region. It is the third largest city in the country with a population of 122,677. It is situated 182 kilometres (113.1 mi) north-west of Ouagadougou
.
The city itself has a stadium. A private non profit Paediatric Hospital with 36 beds for giving birth and 24 beds for children suffering of severe malnutrition, a post office, with internet access and at least one Ecobank bank branch.
one of a number of Mossi kingdoms. It was destroyed in 1825 by the French colonial government and it was repeatedly attacked from the 1870s to the 1890s, until the French
began rebuilding it around a fort from 1896. The city still bears testimony to its role as capital of the Yatenga Kingdom in its name, the meaning of which is come and prostrate yourselves.
In the Christmas War of 1985, the city's marketplace was bombed by Mali
an forces, almost 100 people being killed.
and sorghum
though are the basis of the local diet, much like the surrounding regions.
The small craft industry here is mainly focused on leather and tanneries. The little industry in the region is mostly geared towards gold prospecting, and is carried out by a large company. In terms of commerce, the city takes advantage of its relative ease of access to the country's capital, Ouagadougou, to buy manufactured products and resell to the local economy. This is greatly facilitated by the asphalted road linking the two cities.
, the Yatenga Naba's compound and an artificial lake
.
Ouahigouya is also the location of principal photography for MercProductions' film "La Cycliste Existentiale."
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in west Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest.Its size is with an estimated...
. It is the capital of the Yatenga Province and one of its subdivisions the Ouahigouya Department
Ouahigouya Department
Ouahigouya is a department or commune of Yatenga Province in northern Burkina Faso. Its capital lies at the town of Ouahigouya. The department is coloured pink towards the centre of the Yatenga Province map, on the map just to one's right.-Towns and villages:...
. It is also the biggest town in the Nord Region. It is the third largest city in the country with a population of 122,677. It is situated 182 kilometres (113.1 mi) north-west of Ouagadougou
Ouagadougou
Ouagadougou is the capital of Burkina Faso and the administrative, communications, cultural and economic center of the nation. It is also the country's largest city, with a population of 1,475,223 . The city's name is often shortened to Ouaga. The inhabitants are called ouagalais...
.
The city itself has a stadium. A private non profit Paediatric Hospital with 36 beds for giving birth and 24 beds for children suffering of severe malnutrition, a post office, with internet access and at least one Ecobank bank branch.
History
The city was founded in 1757 as the capital of YatengaYatenga
Yatenga is a modern province in the Nord Region of Burkina Faso, located in its Nord Region. In modern Yatenga, the most prominent city is Ouahigouya . This city served as the capital of the old Mossi kingdom, but its influence has decreased in the century or two since colonization...
one of a number of Mossi kingdoms. It was destroyed in 1825 by the French colonial government and it was repeatedly attacked from the 1870s to the 1890s, until the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
began rebuilding it around a fort from 1896. The city still bears testimony to its role as capital of the Yatenga Kingdom in its name, the meaning of which is come and prostrate yourselves.
In the Christmas War of 1985, the city's marketplace was bombed by Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
an forces, almost 100 people being killed.
Economy
Mainly of an agriculturally based economy, Ouahigouya also has some commerce and craft industry. The two dams just north and west of the town permit it to pursue some vegetable planting aided by irrigation, such as tomatoes, carrots, onions and mainly potatoes. But as a whole both the region and the city are heavily dependent on rainfall and it is according to it that the population's well being mostly depends on. MilletMillet
The millets are a group of small-seeded species of cereal crops or grains, widely grown around the world for food and fodder. They do not form a taxonomic group, but rather a functional or agronomic one. Their essential similarities are that they are small-seeded grasses grown in difficult...
and sorghum
Sorghum
Sorghum is a genus of numerous species of grasses, one of which is raised for grain and many of which are used as fodder plants either cultivated or as part of pasture. The plants are cultivated in warmer climates worldwide. Species are native to tropical and subtropical regions of all continents...
though are the basis of the local diet, much like the surrounding regions.
The small craft industry here is mainly focused on leather and tanneries. The little industry in the region is mostly geared towards gold prospecting, and is carried out by a large company. In terms of commerce, the city takes advantage of its relative ease of access to the country's capital, Ouagadougou, to buy manufactured products and resell to the local economy. This is greatly facilitated by the asphalted road linking the two cities.
Places of interest
Features of Ouahigouya include Naaba Kango's tombTomb
A tomb is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes...
, the Yatenga Naba's compound and an artificial lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
.
Ouahigouya is also the location of principal photography for MercProductions' film "La Cycliste Existentiale."