Abstract

Migration, Population and Settlement in the Southwest of Burkina Faso
Track: Census and Statistical
Authors: Gabriel SANGLI

The evolution of the settlement of populations, in the southwest of the Burkina Faso, highlights the pressure exerted on the available space by a demographic dynamic accentuated by migration. The global, rural and agricultural densities of the population inside administrative units do not sufficiently reveal the shape of the settlement. GIS, through the Kernel density method, provides freedom from administrative constraints in order to analyze the isodensities of the population from 4 censuses (1975, 1985, 1996, 2006), given the availability of population data which can be matched up by village. Centers and frontlines of population settlement are not governed by administrative divisions. Enlightened decision-making can ensure a viable local balance. The choice of the construction parameters and the interpretation of the results require an informed discussion prior to applying them to the study of the settlement of all the villages in the country.