Gaoua

Gaoua is a market town in southern Burkina Faso. The population was 45,284 in a 2019 census. Located in the red earth, green hills, and fast flowing streams of southwestern Burkina Faso, Gaoua is the capital of Poni Province and forms a sort of capital for the sacred rites and bush lore of the Lobi peoples. According to local myth, Gaoua was founded when the Lobi migrated across from northern Ghana where they found the Gan people occupying the territory. As a result, they named the trek across to Gaoua Gan-houo meaning "route of the Gan people".

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Place details

Locality: Gaoua
Region: Sud-Ouest
Country: Burkina Faso
Population: 45,284
Timezone: Africa/Ouagadougou

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Key facts

Settlement.name: Gaoua
Settlement.image_skyline: Market Scene - Gaoua - Burkina Faso.jpg
Settlement.image_caption: Market Scene in Gaoua
Settlement.pushpin_map: Burkina Faso
Settlement.pushpin_label_position: top
Settlement.pushpin_map_caption: Location within Burkina Faso, West Africa
Settlement.pushpin_mapsize: 300
Settlement.subdivision_type: Country
Settlement.subdivision_type1: Region
Settlement.subdivision_name1: Sud-Ouest Region
Settlement.subdivision_type2: Province
Settlement.subdivision_name2: Poni Province
Settlement.subdivision_type3: Department
Settlement.subdivision_name3: Gaoua Department
Settlement.elevation_m: 339
Settlement.population_as_of: 2019 census
Settlement.population_total: 45284
Settlement.timezone: GMT

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Instance of: city
Country: Burkina Faso
Located in: Poni Province
Population: 45189
Elevation: 339
Capital of: Djôrô
Image: Main street, Gaoua (Burkina Faso) banner.jpg

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twinned administrative body: Fontenay-le-Comte
Commons category: Gaoua
P12749: Düren district

Sources (3)

via Wikidata · CC0

~2 min read

Encyclopedic overview

5 sections

Contents

Lobi Goldfields
Climate
See also
References
External links

Attractions in the town include a sacred grove of trees, the Poni Museum (Musée des Civilisations des Peuples du Sud-Ouest or Musée du Poni) and caves. There is also a mosque on elevated ground near the centre. The Gaoua Catholic parish Church of the Sacred Heart will be the cathedral for the newly erected Catholic Diocese of Gaoua.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Gaoua” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (2)

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