Уагадугу: столица и сердце Буркина-Фасо

Capital of Burkina Faso

Ouagadougou or Wagadugu (,/w//ɑː//ɡ//ə/'/d//uː//ɡ//uː/ WAHgəDOOgoo, , waɡaduɡu) is the capital of Burkina Faso, and the administrative, communications, cultural and economic centre of the nation. It is also the country's largest city, with a population of 2,415,266 in 2019. They were in constant conflict until 1441 when Wubri, a Yonyonse hero and an important figure in Burkina Faso's history, led his tribe to victory. He then renamed the area from "Kumbee Tenga", as the Ninsi had called it, to "Wage sabre soba koumbem tenga", meaning "head war chief's village". The name later became "Wagadugu"; Ouagadougou is a Francophone spelling of this name. An alternative theory on the origin of the name is that the town was founded by members of the Soninke diaspora after the fall of the Ghana Empire, also known as Wagadu. The name Wagadugu would therefore mean 'home of the Wagu', the Soninke subgroup that ruled Ghana. The city became the capital of the Mossi Empire in 1441 and became the permanent residence of the Mossi emperors (Moro Naba) in 1681. The Moro Naba Ceremony is still performed every Friday by the Moro Naba and his court. In 1919 the French made Ouagadougou the capital of the Upper Volta territory (basically the same area as contemporary Burkina Faso). In 1954 the railroad line from Ivory Coast reached the city. Ouagadougou's population doubled from 1954 to 1960 and has been doubling about every ten years since. and at least 56 wounded; after a government counterattack, a total of 176 hostages were released the morning after the initial attack. Three of the perpetrators were also killed. The jihadist insurgency continued with major attacks in 2017 and 2018.

Ouagadougou, situated on the central plateau , grew around the imperial palace of the Mogho Naaba. An administrative centre of colonial rule, it became an important urban centre in the post colonial era. First the capital of the Mossi Kingdoms and later of Upper Volta and Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou became a veritable communal centre in 1995.

Ouagadougou's climate is hot semi arid (BSh) under Köppen Geiger classification, and closely borders with tropical wet and dry (Aw). The city is part of the Sudano Sahelian area, with annual rainfall of about The rainy season stretches from May to September, with an average temperature of The cool season runs from October to February, with a minimum average temperature of The maximum temperature during the hot season, which runs from March to April, can reach The harmattan (a dry wind) and the West African Monsoon are the two main factors that determine Ouagadougou's climate. Being further north, Ouagadougou's warmest months are slightly hotter and drier than those of Bobo Dioulasso, the country's second most populous city.

Though literacy in Ouagadougou is not high, there are three universities in the city. The largest is the state University of Ouagadougou, which was founded in 1974. In 2010 it had around 40,000 students (83% of the national population of university students). The city's official language is French and the principal local languages are More, Dyula and Fulfulde. The bilingual program in schools (French plus one of the local languages) was established in 1994.

Many residents travel on motorcycles and mopeds. The large private vendor of motorcycles JC Megamonde sells 50,000 motorbikes and mopeds every year.

Ouagadougou is connected by passenger rail service to Bobo Dioulasso, Koudougou and Ivory Coast. As of June 2014, Sitarail operates a passenger train three times a week along the route from Ouagadougou to Abidjan. There are freight services to Kaya in the north of Burkina Faso and in 2014 plans were announced to revive freight services to the Manganese mine at Tambao starting in 2016.

The Bangr Weoogo urban park (area: ), before colonialism, belonged to the Mosse chiefs. Considering it a sacred forest, many went there for traditional initiations or for refuge. The French colonists, disregarding its local significance and history, established it as a park in the 1930s. In 1985, renovations were done in the park. In January 2001, the park was renamed "Parc Urbain Bangr Weoogo", meaning "the urban park of the forest of knowledge". Another notable park in Ouagadougou is the "L'Unité Pédagogique", which shelters animals in a semi free state. This botanic garden/biosphere system stretches over and also serves as a museum for the country's history. "Jardin de l'amitié Ouaga Loudun" (Garden of Ouaga Loudun Friendship), with a green space that was renovated in 1996, is a symbol of the twin city relationship between Ouagadougou and Loudun in France. It is situated in the centre of the city, near the "Nation Unies' crossroads".

There are a number of cultural and art venues, such as the Maison du Peuple and Salle des Banquets, in addition to performances of many genres of music, including traditional folk music, modern music, and rap.

The most common places of worship are Muslim mosques. There are also numerous Christian churches: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ouagadougou (Catholic Church), Association of Reformed Evangelical Church of Burkina Faso (World Communion of Reformed Churches), Assemblies of God, Deeper Life Bible Church, and the International Evangelism Center.