Yatenga - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Yatenga is a modern province in the Nord Region of Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in west Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest.Its size is with an estimated...

, located in its Nord Region. In modern Yatenga, the most prominent city is Ouahigouya

Ouahigouya

Ouahigouya is the most important town in northern Burkina Faso. It is the capital of the Yatenga Province and one of its subdivisions the Ouahigouya Department. It is also the biggest town in the Nord Region. It is the third largest city in the country with a population of 122,677. It is situated ...

(also known as Waiguya). This city served as the capital of the old Mossi kingdom, but its influence has decreased in the century or two since colonization. The city is famed today for being home to the Naba

Naba

Naba may refer to:*Al Naba'ah, an areas of the emirate of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates*An-Naba, the 78th sura of the Qur'an*Mogho Naba, King of the Mossi, an ethnic group in Burkina Faso...

's (traditional king) compound and the tomb

Tomb

A tomb is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes...

of Naba Kango.

The Yatenga region is renowned for its unique style of Mossi mask

Mask

A mask is an article normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance or entertainment. Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and practical purposes...

s. They are tall, vertically-oriented, and concave-faced. They are considered to be some of the best examples of Mossi art available today.

Yatenga is divided into 12 departments:

Kain
Kain Department
Kain is a department or commune of Yatenga Province in northern Burkina Faso. Its capital lies at the town of Kain.-References:...
Kalsaka
Koumbri
Namissiguima
Ouahigouya
Ouahigouya
Ouahigouya is the most important town in northern Burkina Faso. It is the capital of the Yatenga Province and one of its subdivisions the Ouahigouya Department. It is also the biggest town in the Nord Region. It is the third largest city in the country with a population of 122,677. It is situated ...
Oula
Oula Department
Oula is a department or commune of Yatenga Province in northern Burkina Faso. Its capital lies at the town of Oula....
Rambo
Rambo Department
Rambo is a department or commune of Yatenga Province in northern Burkina Faso. Its capital lies at the town of Rambo....
Seguenega
Tangaye
Tangaye Department
Tangaye is a department or commune of Yatenga Province in northern Burkina Faso. Its capital lies at the town of Tangaye.-References:...
Thiou
Thiou
The Thiou, about 3.5 km long, is considered one of the shortest rivers in France. It is an effluent of Lake Annecy and an affluent of Fier, which is in turn is a tributary of the Rhone. The Thiou is considered one of the cleanest rivers in Europe and a postcard of the city of Annecy...
Zogore

Kingdom of Yatenga

Yatenge was historically a powerful kingdom in the region. It was founded as a Mossi state along with Ouagadougou

Ouagadougou

Ouagadougou is the capital of Burkina Faso and the administrative, communications, cultural and economic center of the nation. It is also the country's largest city, with a population of 1,475,223 . The city's name is often shortened to Ouaga. The inhabitants are called ouagalais...

, Tengkodogo, and Gourma by invaders from neighboring Ghana

Ghana

Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...

. Each of the Mossi states (including Yatenga) possessed a strong military that was able to repel attacks from hostile tribes and nations.

When the European powers began their scramble for territory in Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

in the 19th century, France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

brokered a deal making Yatenga a French protectorate

Protectorate

In history, the term protectorate has two different meanings. In its earliest inception, which has been adopted by modern international law, it is an autonomous territory that is protected diplomatically or militarily against third parties by a stronger state or entity...

. Following the annexation of the other Mossi states, the area was governed as Upper Volta

French Upper Volta

Upper Volta was a colony of French West Africaestablished on March 1, 1919, from territories that had been part of the colonies of Upper Senegal and Niger and the Côte d'Ivoire...

until the nation's independence on August 5, 1960.

Kingdom of Yatenga

See also