Ivory Coast,also known as Côte d'Ivoire and officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire,is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital city of Yamoussoukro is located in the centre of the country,while its largest city and economic centre is the port city of Abidjan. It borders Guinea to the northwest,Liberia to the west,Mali to the northwest,Burkina Faso to the northeast,Ghana to the east,and the Gulf of Guinea to the south. With 30.9 million inhabitants in 2023,Ivory Coast is the third-most populous country in West Africa. Its official language is French,and indigenous languages are also widely used,including Bété,Baoulé,Dioula,Dan,Anyin,and Cebaara Senufo. In total,there are around 78 different languages spoken in Ivory Coast. The country has a religiously diverse population,including numerous followers of Islam,Christianity,and traditional faiths like Animism.
Francis Vangah Romain Wodié was an Ivorian politician,jurist,and human rights activist. He led the Ivorian Workers' Party (PIT) from 1990 to 2011. During that time,Wodiéserved as a Deputy in the National Assembly of Côte d'Ivoire from 1990 to 1995 and as Minister of Higher Education from 1998 to 1999. He was President of the Constitutional Council of Côte d'Ivoire from 2011 to 2015.
The United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI) was a UN-NATO peacekeeping mission in Ivory Coast whose objective was "to facilitate the implementation by the Ivorian parties of the peace agreement signed by them in January 2003". The two main Ivorian parties were the Ivorian Government forces who controlled the south of the country,and the New Forces,who controlled the north. The UNOCI mission aimed to control a "zone of confidence" across the centre of the country separating the two parties. The Head of Mission and Special Representative of the Secretary-General was Aïchatou Mindaoudou Souleymane from Niger. She succeeded Bert Koenders from the Netherlands in 2013,who himself succeeded Choi Young-jin from South Korea in 2011. The mission officially ended on 30 June 2017.
Henriette Dagri Diabaté is an Ivorian politician and writer. A member of the Rally of the Republicans (RDR),Diabatéwas Minister of Culture in Côte d'Ivoire from 1990 to 1993 and again in 2000;later,she was Minister of Justice from 2003 to 2005. She became Secretary-General of the RDR in 1999 and has been President of the RDR since 2017.
Simone Ehivet Gbagbo is an Ivorian politician. She is the President of the Parliamentary Group of the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI) and is a Vice-President of the FPI. As the wife of Laurent Gbagbo,the President of Côte d'Ivoire from 2000 to 2011,she was also First Lady of Ivory Coast prior to their arrest by pro-Ouattara forces.
Patrick Jérôme Achi is an Ivorian politician who served as Prime Minister of Côte d'Ivoire from March 2021 to October 2023 in President Alassane Ouattara's government. He is a member of the Rally of the Republicans (RDR). He studied at Supélec and Stanford University and specialises in engineering and infrastructure. He has also worked as the government spokesman for President Alassane Ouattara.
Abidjan is the largest city and the former capital of the Ivory Coast. As of the 2021 census,Abidjan's population was 6.3 million,which is 21.5 percent of overall population of the country,making it the sixth most populous city proper in Africa,after Lagos,Cairo,Kinshasa,Dar es Salaam,and Johannesburg. A cultural crossroads of West Africa,Abidjan is characterised by a high level of industrialisation and urbanisation. It is also the most populous Dioula-speaking and French-speaking city in Africa.
Mass media in Ivory Coast is controlled by the government. Audiovisual communications are regulated by the Conseil national de la communication audiovisuelle (CNCA),an administrative arm of the national government.
Daoukro is a town in east-central Ivory Coast. It is a sub-prefecture of and the seat of Daoukro Department. It is also the seat of Iffou Region in Lacs District. Daoukro is also a commune.
The 2010–11 Ivorian crisis was a political crisis in Ivory Coast which began after Laurent Gbagbo,the President of Ivory Coast since 2000,was proclaimed the winner of the Ivorian election of 2010,the first election in the country in 10 years. The opposition candidate,Alassane Ouattara,and a number of countries,organisations and leaders worldwide claimed Ouattara had won the election. After months of attempted negotiation and sporadic violence,the crisis entered a decisive stage as Ouattara's forces began a military offensive in which they quickly gained control of most of the country and besieged key targets in Abidjan,the country's largest city. At the time,international organizations reported numerous human rights violations,and the UN undertook its own military action with the stated objective to protect itself and civilians.
The Second Ivorian Civil War broke out in March 2011 when the crisis in Ivory Coast escalated into full-scale military conflict between forces loyal to Laurent Gbagbo,the President of Ivory Coast since 2000,and supporters of the internationally recognised president-elect Alassane Ouattara. After months of unsuccessful negotiations and sporadic violence between supporters of the two sides,the crisis entered a critical stage as Ouattara's forces seized control of most of the country with the help of the UN,with Gbagbo entrenched in Abidjan,the country's largest city. International organizations have reported numerous instances of human rights violations by both sides,in particular in the city of Duékouéwhere Ouattara's forces killed hundreds of people. Overall casualties of the war are estimated around 3000. The UN and French forces took military action,with the stated objective to protect their forces and civilians. France's forces arrested Gbagbo at his residence on 11 April 2011.
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Abidjan,Ivory Coast.
Regina Yaou was a writer from Ivory Coast.
Anne Jacqueline Oble,also known as Jacqueline Lohoues-Oble,is an Ivorian lawyer and politician who was the first woman to stand as a candidate in a presidential election.
Marcel Amon-Tanoh is an Ivorian politician.
Euphrasie Kouassi Yao is an Ivorian politician,who is the current special advisor to president Alassane Ouattara in charge of gender. She has also served as the Minister for the Promotion of Women,Family and Child Protection,and as a UNESCO chair on their committee on Water,Women and Decision-making.
Ramata Ly-Bakayoko is an Ivorian academic and government official. She served as Ivory Coast's Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research from 2016 to 2018. She was appointed Minister of Women,Families,and Children in 2018. She was appointed permanent delegate of Côte d'Ivoire to UNESCO with residence in Paris on September 8,2021.
Hamed Bakayoko was an Ivorian politician who served as Prime Minister of Côte d'Ivoire from 8 July 2020 until his death on 10 March 2021. He had previously served as the country's Minister of New Technologies,Information and Communication,Minister of the Interior and Minister of Defense.
Kandia Camara is an Ivorian teacher and politician who is the President of the Senate of Ivory Coast since 12 October 2023. She is the former minister of foreign affairs in the government of President Alassane Ouattara.
Village Ivoire is a hospitality and entertainment district located on the banks of the ÉbriéLagoon,in the Cocody commune of Abidjan,Côte d'Ivoire. Its original building and centerpiece is Hôtel Ivoire,a luxury hotel. A prestige project for the young independent nation of Côte d'Ivoire,the district earned international notice for its lavish amenities,among them a now-closed artificial ice rink which was considered the first of its kind in the West African region. Shortly after its completion,a New York Times article called the Ivoire "sui generis,perhaps Africa's most dazzling hotel".
