rekordy: Burkina Faso

Evidence: 100 • authority: 72

Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Ivory Coast to the southwest. It covers an area of 274,223 km2 (105,878 sq mi). In 2024, the country had an estimated population of approximately 23,286,000. Its citizens are known as Burkinabes, and its capital and largest city is Ouagadougou. The largest ethnic group in Burkina Faso is the Mossi people, who settled the area in the 11th and 13th centuries. They established kingdoms such as Ouagadougou, Tenkodogo, and Yatenga. In 1896, it was colonized by the French as part of French West Africa; in 1958, it became a s…

Evidence: 61 • authority: 72

The Mali Empire was an empire in West Africa from c. 1235 to 1610. The empire was founded by Sundiata Keita (c. 1214 – c. 1255) and became renowned for the wealth of its monarchs, especially Mansa Musa (Musa Keita). At its peak, Mali was the largest empire in West Africa, widely influencing the culture of the region through the spread of its language, laws, and customs. The empire began as a small Mandinka kingdom at the upper reaches of the Niger River, centered around the Manding region. It began to develop during the 11th and 12th centuries as the Ghana Empire, or Wagadu, declined and trade epicentres shifted southward. The history of the Mali Empire before the 13th century is unclear, a…

Evidence: 43 • authority: 72

The Songhai people (autonym: Ayneha) are an ethnolinguistic group in West Africa who speak the various Songhai languages. Their history and lingua franca is linked to the Songhai Empire, which dominated the western Sahel in the 15th and 16th centuries. Predominantly adherents of Islam, the Songhai are primarily located in Niger and Mali. Historically, the term "Songhai" did not denote an ethnic or linguistic identity but referred to the ruling caste of the Songhay Empire known as the Songhaiborai. The term used by the natives to refer to this group of people collectively is "Ayneha". Although some speakers in Mali have also adopted the name Songhay as an ethnic designation, other Songhay-sp…

Evidence: 36 • authority: 72

The history of West Africa has been divided into its prehistory, the Iron Age in Africa, the period of major polities flourishing, the colonial period, and finally the post-independence era, in which the current nations were formed. West Africa is west of an imagined north–south axis lying close to 10° east longitude, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean and Sahara Desert. Colonial boundaries are reflected in the modern boundaries between contemporary West African states, cutting across ethnic and cultural lines, often dividing single ethnic groups between two or more states. West African populations were considerably mobile and interacted with one another throughout the population history of Wes…

Evidence: 21 • authority: 78

Burkina Faso (Burkina Faso). capital: Ouagadougou. area: 272967 km2. landlocked: yes. land borders: 6. region: Africa. subregion: Western Africa

Evidence: — • authority: 72

The Lobi belong to an ethnic group who originated in the area of present-day Ghana. Starting around 1770, many Lobi peoples migrated into southern Burkina Faso and later into Côte d'Ivoire. The group consists of a little over a 1,000,000 people. They make up about 2.4 percent of the Burkina Faso population. The exact percentage of Lobis in Ghana and Ivory Coast is hard to quantify since they are often counted as part of larger groups like the Mole-Dagon of Ghana. Estimates however point to around 250,000 Lobis in both of these countries. [The Lobi people speak two main languages, which are the Miiwo and Birifor. Miiwo is widely spoken in Burkina Faso and Cote d'Ivoire while a majority of Lo…

Evidence: — • authority: 72

The Bobo (sometimes called Bobo Fing) are a Mande ethnic group living primarily in Burkina Faso, with some living north in Mali. Bobo is also a shortened name of the second-largest city in Burkina Faso, Bobo-Dioulasso.

Evidence: — • authority: 72

Burkina Faso is a religiously diverse society, with Islam being the dominant religion. According to the latest 2019 census, 63.8% of the population adheres to Islam. Around 26.3% of the population practises Christianity, 9.0% follow Animism/Folk Religion (African traditional religion), and that 0.9% are unaffiliated or follow other faiths. The vast majority of Muslims in Burkina Faso are Sunni Muslims who follow Maliki school of law, deeply influenced by Sufism. The Shi'a and Ahmadiyya branches of Islam also have a presence in the country. A significant number of Sunni Muslims identify with the Tijaniyah Sufi order.Since independence from France in 1960, Burkina Faso, formerly known as Uppe…

Evidence: — • authority: 72

The Wangara (also known as Wakara, Wangarawa) are a diaspora community of ethnic Soninke origin who served as specialized long-distance merchants throughout West Africa, particularly in trans-Saharan trade. Originating from the Ghana Empire, over time the Wangara became integrated into numerous other communities and ethnic groups, particularly in Timbuktu, Agadez, Kano, Gao, Salaga, Kong, Bissa, Kankan, Fouta Jallon, Djenné as well as Bambouk, Bure, Lobi, and (to a lesser degree) Bono goldfields and Borgu. They were practicing Muslims who helped spread the religion widely and served as clerics, political advisors, healers and marabouts, often following the Suwarian Tradition. The term 'Wang…

Evidence: — • authority: 72

The Dagomba or Dagbamba are an ethnic group of Ghana and Togo. Their population is over 3.1 million. The term Dagbamba originally referred to other related peoples who were unified by Naa Gbewaa, including the Mamprusi and Nanumba. The Dagomba country is called Dagbon and they speak the Dagbani language. Dagbani is a widely spoken language in northern Ghana. Dagbani belongs to the Mabia (Mole-Dagbani) subgroup of the Gur languages, a large group of related languages in West Africa. The Dagomba practice both patrilineal and matrilineal systems of inheritance. In the late 17th century, King Zanjina became the first ruler to practice Islam. During the reign of Zanjina, the region experienced e…

Evidence: — • authority: 72

West Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo, as well as Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha (a United Kingdom Overseas Territory). As of 2021, the population of West Africa is estimated at 419 million, and approximately 382 million in 2017, of which 189.7 million were female and 192.3 million male. The region is one of the fastest growing in Africa, both demographically and economically. West Africa is a culturally and demographically diverse region, ho…

Evidence: — • authority: 72

Islam in Burkina Faso (Upper Volta) has a long and varied history. According to the 2010 census, the population of the country was 63.2% Muslim. The 2019 census notes that 63.8% of the population are Muslim, with a Sunni majority and a small Shia minority. Although the vast majority of Muslims are Sunni Muslims who follow Maliki school of thought, small minorities follow Shia Islam and Ahmadiyya. According to the Pew Research Center less than 1% of Burkinabe Muslims are Shia.