Gaoua
Attractions in the town include a sacred grove of trees, the Poni Museum (Musée des Civilisations des Peuples du Sud-Ouest or Musée du Poni) and caves. There is also a mosque on elevated ground near the centre. The Gaoua Catholic parish Church of the Sacred Heart will be the cathedral for the newly erected Catholic Diocese of Gaoua.
Lobi Goldfields
Though their ancient home was considered to be Takyiman in Ghana, the Lobi migrated across the Mouhoun River as a result of the Dagomba Wars in the 1770s. Thirty years later, the Lobi displaced the Gan at Gaoua. The French occupied southwest Burkina Faso in 1879, based on the region's reputation for gold, dating back to the era of Mossi and Dyula gold traders. Although primarily farmers, the Lobi did partake of gold panning around Gaoua, besides Gaoua being on a trade route to the Poura gold mines further north.
Climate
Climate data for Gaoua (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 40.0 (104.0) |
42.2 (108.0) |
42.6 (108.7) |
42.0 (107.6) |
40.1 (104.2) |
38.9 (102.0) |
36.0 (96.8) |
34.8 (94.6) |
36.2 (97.2) |
37.5 (99.5) |
39.0 (102.2) |
38.4 (101.1) |
42.6 (108.7) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 34.5 (94.1) |
36.8 (98.2) |
38.1 (100.6) |
36.8 (98.2) |
34.9 (94.8) |
32.5 (90.5) |
30.8 (87.4) |
30.0 (86.0) |
31.2 (88.2) |
33.8 (92.8) |
35.7 (96.3) |
35.0 (95.0) |
34.2 (93.6) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 25.5 (77.9) |
28.4 (83.1) |
30.8 (87.4) |
30.6 (87.1) |
29.3 (84.7) |
27.6 (81.7) |
26.2 (79.2) |
25.6 (78.1) |
26.0 (78.8) |
27.1 (80.8) |
26.9 (80.4) |
25.4 (77.7) |
27.4 (81.3) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 16.3 (61.3) |
19.8 (67.6) |
24.0 (75.2) |
25.5 (77.9) |
24.7 (76.5) |
23.4 (74.1) |
22.7 (72.9) |
22.3 (72.1) |
22.2 (72.0) |
22.2 (72.0) |
19.5 (67.1) |
16.1 (61.0) |
21.6 (70.9) |
Record low °C (°F) | 10.6 (51.1) |
12.6 (54.7) |
15.5 (59.9) |
18.4 (65.1) |
17.0 (62.6) |
17.9 (64.2) |
18.1 (64.6) |
16.0 (60.8) |
16.2 (61.2) |
15.5 (59.9) |
12.1 (53.8) |
9.5 (49.1) |
9.5 (49.1) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 2.6 (0.10) |
9.4 (0.37) |
28.8 (1.13) |
79.8 (3.14) |
122.9 (4.84) |
134.3 (5.29) |
186.1 (7.33) |
235.9 (9.29) |
191.7 (7.55) |
92.5 (3.64) |
13.4 (0.53) |
0.1 (0.00) |
1,097.5 (43.21) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 0.1 | 0.7 | 2.1 | 5.1 | 8.1 | 9.2 | 11.2 | 13.2 | 14.0 | 7.9 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 72.8 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 271.1 | 242.9 | 246.4 | 235.8 | 252.7 | 234.6 | 206.0 | 171.9 | 194.1 | 253.0 | 268.8 | 278.8 | 2,856.1 |
Source: NOAA |
10°19′N 3°10′W / 10.317°N 3.167°W