OuagadougouCapital
Burkina Faso · Country profile
Ouagadougou is the sprawling, colourful capital of Burkina Faso, the hot, flat city of the West African Sahel that spreads its wide sand streets, its royal compounds and its enormous markets across the red-soil plain of the Mossi country, in the very heart of the land of the honest people. The historic capital of the great Mossi kings, whose kingdom of the Wagadugu ruled this rolling country for centuries, the city preserves its royal diarchy and its council of the custom beside the modern administration of the republic, and its daily life runs on the extraordinary energy of the tradings, the motorbikes and the street life of the capital. The great markets of the city, the museum of the nation, the monumental palace of the cinema and the great mosque anchor the essential visits, while the lake, the botanical gardens and the craft quarters of the town frame the everyday rhythm of the Sahelian metropolis. Hot, crowded and profoundly dignified, Ouagadougou is the beating capital of the Mossi country and of the whole of the cinema of the continent.
About Ouagadougou
Ouagadougou is the capital of Burkina Faso. The city's documented population is around 2,750,000 people. For visitors from abroad, the local currency is the West African CFA franc (XOF) and French is spoken; the dialling code is +226.
The Great Mosque and the Royal Compounds of the Mossi
Ouagadougou is a wide, lively Sahelian capital where the essential circuit moves between the great markets, the museum and the monuments of the town, with the royal squares and the craft quarters running the vivid daily life. The enormous central market of the city, with its countless numbered lanes of the cloth, the produce and the tailors, and the great craft market of the artisans with their bronzes, their leathers and their Batik designs, carry the commerce of the whole region, and the museum of the nation and the monuments of the African cinema anchor the cultural days. The royal compounds of the Mossi, the lake of the town and the gardens of the city, and the silk-weaving villages and the tribal reserves of the wider region, complete the essential portrait of the dignified Sahelian capital.
The Museum of the Nation and the Monuments of the Cinema
The climate of the capital is the fierce Sahelian, with the long, scorching dry season, the hot, dust-laden harmattan months of the winter, and the short, explosive rainy season of the summer months, when the red land turns green and the air cools. The franc of the region is the currency, with the Moore, the Dioula and the French the languages of the town. The market, the museum and the royal quarter make the core visits, and the villages and the reserves of the region lie within the easy reach of the car. Light cotton clothing, generous water and sun protection and a calm tolerance of the heat complete the essentials of the Sahelian capital.
The Market and the Lake of the Capital
The great mosque of the capital, the enormous white mosque of the sweeping façades and the skyline of the minarets that stands at the eastern gate of the city, is the dominant religious monument of the town, while the royal quarter of the old capital, with the traditional palace of the Mogho Naaba and the enormous sacred banyans of the square, preserves the living Mossi diarchy of the kingship. The national museum of the country, with its prized collection of the bronze statues of the Lobi, the masks and the fertile funerary figures of the heads of the country, is the great cultural treasury of the capital, and the monumental palace of the music and the cinema that the city built carries its celebrated role as the beating heart of the African film festival of the world. The lakes and the gardens of the town, the craft villages of the weavers and the potters beyond the suburbs, and the wood carvers of the great markets, complete the essential, dignified circuit of the capital of the kinema of the continent.
Report an error or suggest an update
- Country
- Burkina Faso
- Population
- 2,750,000
- Capital
- Ouagadougou
- Region
- Africa
- Currency
- West African CFA franc (XOF)
- Languages
- French
- Calling code
- +226
- Country code
- BF
Frequently asked questions
Is Ouagadougou the capital of Burkina Faso?
Yes — Ouagadougou is the capital of Burkina Faso.
What currency do I need in Ouagadougou?
The local currency is the West African CFA franc (XOF). Languages spoken in Burkina Faso include French.
What is the dialling code for Burkina Faso?
The international dialling code for Burkina Faso is +226.
Flying out of Ouagadougou? Check the entry requirements for your destination in our entry requirements tool before you fly.