Bobo-Dioulasso

Bobo-Dioulasso
Bobo-Dioulasso city hall
Bobo-Dioulasso Location within Burkina Faso, French West Africa
Coordinates: 11°11′N 4°17′W / 11.183°N 4.283°W / 11.183; -4.283
Country	Burkina Faso
Region	Hauts-Bassins Region
Province	Houet Province
Founded	15th century
Area
• Total	136.78 km2 (52.81 sq mi)
Elevation	445 m (1,460 ft)
Population (2012)
• Total	537,728
• Density	3,900/km2 (10,000/sq mi)
Time zone	GMT (UTC+0)
Area code(s)	+226 20
Website	bobodioulasso.net

Coordinates: 11°11′N 4°17′W / 11.183°N 4.283°W / 11.183; -4.283 Bobo-Dioulasso is a city in Burkina Faso with a population of about 537,728 (as of 2012^[update]); it is the second largest city in the country, after Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso's capital. The name means "home of the Bobo-Dioula"; while it was likely coined by French colonists to reflect the languages of the two major groups in the population, it does not capture the complex identity and ethnicity of the location.

The local Bobo-speaking population (related to the Mande) refers to the city simply as Sia. There are two distinct dialects spoken of Jula, based on the origins of different peoples who speak this language. The city is situated in the southwest of the country, in the Houet Province, some 350 km (220 mi) from Ouagadougou. Bobo-Dioulasso is significant both economically (agricultural trade, textile industry) and culturally, as it is a major center of culture and music.

At the end of the nineteenth century, Sia consisted of two large villages, Tunuma and Sia proper, located a few hundred meters from each other on a narrow spit of land bounded by 10-to-15-foot-deep (3.0–4.6-metre) ravines on either side, carved by the We (Houët) river to the east and by its tributary Sanyo to the west. Three small satellite villages were located beyond this natural border. A number of other independent villages in the surroundings (Bindogoso, Dogona, Kwirima, Kpa) have been absorbed by the developing city and are now within its municipal boundaries and incorporated as part of the city.