Gorom-Gorom
Gorom-Gorom | |
|---|---|
The Gorom-Gorom market | |
Gorom-Gorom Location within Burkina Faso | |
| Coordinates: 14°27′N 0°14′W / 14.450°N 0.233°W | |
| Country | Burkina Faso |
| Region | Sahel Region |
| Province | Oudalan Province |
| Department | Gorom-Gorom Department |
| Population (2019)[1] | |
• Total | 9,752 |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (GMT) |
Gorom-Gorom is a town in northern Burkina Faso. It is the capital of the Gorom-Gorom Department and Oudalan Province, in the Sahel Region. Gorom-Gorom is known for its weekly market, which is the largest in the country and attracts merchants from across the region.
The 2019 census recorded 9,752 people in Gorom-Gorom, many of whom were nomads from the Tuareg, Fulani, or Songhai ethnic groups. The town and area around it also hosts thousands of internally displaced persons who fled the violence of the Islamist insurgency in Burkina Faso.
Etymology
The name Gorom-Gorom translates to "you sit down, [and] we will sit down", reminiscent of its role as an important crossroads in the Sahel.[2]
Demographics
The 2019 census recorded 9,752 residents in Gorom-Gorom.[1] The population of is mostly nomadic and consists mainly of Tuareg, Fulani, and Songhai.[3]
Additionally, 20,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) reside in and around Gorom-Gorom as a consequence of the ongoing Islamist insurgency in Burkina Faso.[4] Both the local populace and IDPs rely on non-governmental organisations such as Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) for access to clean drinking water and food aid.[4][5]
Economy
The Gorom-Gorom market is the largest in Burkina Faso. Every week, merchants and customers from the various ethnic groups of the Sahara gather in the town to buy and sell goods, chiefly handicrafts and local foods.[3]
Transportation
Gorom-Gorom has a small airport located approximately 1.9 kilometres (1.2 mi) northeast of the town.[6] A number of buses, bush taxis, and minibuses can be taken to reach Gorom-Gorom from the national capital Ouagadougou, but the two settlements are 290 kilometres (180 mi) apart from each other.[3]
References
- ^ a b "Results of the 2019 Burkina Faso Census". National Institute of Statistics and Demography, Burkina Faso – via Citypopulation.de.
- ^ Auzias, Dominique; Labourdette, Jean-Paul (2004). Burkina Faso. Paris: Le Petit Futé. ISBN 2-7469-1138-8.
- ^ a b c "Le marchés de Gorom-Gorom" [The Market of Gorom-Gorom]. Burkina Tourisme. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
- ^ a b "Conflit au Burkina Faso : le défi de l'accès à l'eau potable pour les populations déplacées" [Conflict in Burkina Faso: the challenge of access to drinking water for displaced populations]. Médecins Sans Frontières (in French). 25 June 2025. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
- ^ "'Unprecedented' insecurity in West Africa and the Sahel, Security Council hears". United Nations News. 10 January 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
- ^ "Gorom-Gorom Airport". world-airport-codes.com. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
External links
- Gorom-Gorom travel guide from Wikivoyage
- Burkina Faso, Off the Beaten Track
- Gorom-Gorom, Under the Acacias