Gorom-Gorom

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Gorom-Gorom
Marche de Gorom Gorom001.jpg
The Gorom-Gorom market
Burkina Faso location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Gorom-Gorom
Location within Burkina Faso
Coordinates: 14°27′N0°14′W / 14.450°N 0.233°W / 14.450; -0.233
CountryFlag of Burkina Faso.svg  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.

Contents

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

Songhai pottery being sold at the Gorom-Gorom market Songhay pottery gorom gorom market.jpg
Songhai pottery being sold at the Gorom-Gorom market

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

  1. 1 2 "Results of the 2019 Burkina Faso Census". National Institute of Statistics and Demography, Burkina Faso – via Citypopulation.de.
  2. ↑ Auzias, Dominique; Labourdette, Jean-Paul (2004). Burkina Faso. Paris: Le Petit Futé. ISBN   2-7469-1138-8.
  3. 1 2 3 "Le marchés de Gorom-Gorom" [The Market of Gorom-Gorom]. Burkina Tourisme. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
  4. 1 2 "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.
  5. ↑ "'Unprecedented' insecurity in West Africa and the Sahel, Security Council hears". United Nations News. 10 January 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
  6. ↑ "Gorom-Gorom Airport". world-airport-codes.com. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
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