  We analyze the observed properties of dwarf galaxies, which are dark matter
dominated astrophysical objects, by assuming that dark matter is in the form of
a strongly - coupled, dilute Bose - Einstein condensate. The basic
astrophysical properties of the condensate (density profile, rotational
velocity, and mass profile, respectively), are derived from a variational
principle. To test the validity of the model we compare first the tangential
velocity equation of the model with a sample of eight rotation curves of dwarf
galaxies. We find a good agreement between the theoretically predicted rotation
curves (without any baryonic component) and the observational data. The mean
value of the logarithmic inner slope of the mass density profile of dwarf
galaxies is also obtained, and it is shown that the observed value of this
parameter is in agreement with the theoretical results. The predictions of the
Bose - Einstein condensate model are also systematically compared with the
predictions of the standard Cold Dark Matter model. The non-singular density
profiles of the Bose-Einstein condensed dark matter generally show the presence
of an extended core, whose presence is due to the strong interaction between
dark matter particles.
