Ouagadougou or Wagadugu [key], city (1991 est. pop. 634,500), capital of Burkina Faso. It is the nation's largest city and its administrative, communications, and economic center. Ouagadougou is also the trade and distribution center for an agricultural region whose main crop is peanuts. The city's industry is limited to handicrafts and the processing of food and beverages. It has an international airport, rail connections with Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, and road links with Niamey, Niger. Ouagadougou was founded in the late 11th cent. as the capital of a Mossi empire ruled by the moro naba [ruler of the world]. It remained a center of Mossi power until 1896, when French forces captured it.
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