Ouagadougou and its neighborhoods are very attractive places. The Harmattan (a dry wind) and the Monsoon represent the two main factors which determine the climate of Ouagadougou. The maximum temperature during the hot season, which runs from April to May, is 40 ☌. The cold season stretches from December to January, with a minimum temperature of 19 ☌. The rainy season stretches from May to October with an average temperature of 30 ☌. The town is part of the Soudano-Sahelian area with a rainfall of 750 mm per year. The climate of Ouagadougou is rather hot. Moreover, the growing affluence of the villages allow for such investment, and the fact that the population is growing rapidly necessitates it.

This is largely due to the fact that Ouagadougou constitutes a 'cultural centre' by merit of holding the SIAO (International Arts and Crafts fair) and the FESPACO (Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou). The rural population is about 5% and the urban population about 95% of the total, and the density is 6,249 inhabitants per square kilometer, according to 1997 statistics.Ĭoncerning city management, the communes of Ouagadougou have made the decision to invest in huge projects. The population of this metropolitan area is estimated to be 1,200,000 inhabitants, consisting of 48% men and 52% women. Seventeen villages comprise the Ouagadougou metropolitan area, which is about 219.3 km². Districts of Ouagadougou include Gounghin, Kamsaoghin, Koulouba, Moemmin, Niogsin, Paspanga, and Peuloghin and Tiendpalogo. The city is divided into 5 districts, consisting of 30 sectors. Ouagadougou is governed by a mayor, who is elected for a five year term, two senior councilors, and ninety councilors. The first municipal elections were held in 1956. Simultaneously the capital of the Mossi Empire and of Burkina Faso since 1947, Ouagadougou became a veritable communal centre in 1995. Being an administrative center of colonial rule, it became an important urban center in the postcolonial era. Ouagadougou, situated on the central plateau (12.4° N 1.5° W), grew around the imperial palace of the Mogho Naaba. If English orthography were used (as in Ghana or Nigeria), the spelling would be Wagadugu. The spelling of the name Ouagadougou is derived from the French orthography common in former French African colonies. He then renamed the area from “Kumbee-Tenga”, as the Ninsi had called it, to “Wogodogo”, meaning 'where people get honour and respect.' Ouagadougou is a corruption of Wogodogo. This ended in 1441 when Wubri, a Yonyonse hero and an important figure in Burkina Faso’s history, led his tribe to victory. At that time, two different tribes, the Yonyonse and the Ninsi, inhabited the area. The name Ouagadougou goes back to the 15th century. It was renamed Burkina Faso by Thomas Sankara in 1984. Burkina Faso was called the Republic of Upper Volta when it gained independence from France in 1960. Ouagadougou is the capital of Burkina Faso.

Other attractions include the National Museum of Burkina Faso, the Moro-Naba Palace (site of the Moro-Naba Ceremony), the National Museum of Music, and several craft markets. Ouagadougou is the site of Ouagadougou Grand Market, one of the largest markets in West Africa. Being such a focal point, there are many cinemas, nightclubs, and French, American and Zaka cultural centres. Ouagadougou is served by an international airport, rail links to Abidjan in Côte d'Ivoire and to Kaya in the north of Burkina, and a highway to Niamey, Niger. Ouagadougou's primary industries are food processing and textiles.

Upper volta colonial history