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YamoussoukroYamoussoukro, a town of 100,000 inhabitants located 240 kilometers North of Abidjan, is the administrative capital of Côte d'Ivoire. Yamoussoukro is located at 6°50' North, 5°15' West (6.8333, -5.25). [http://earth-info.nga.mil/gns/html/cntry_files.html]
History
Colonial period history
Chief Yamousso, the niece of Kouassi N'Go, ran the village of N'Gokro at the time of French colonization. The village then comprised 475 inhabitants, and was one of 129 Akoué villages.
Diplomatic and commercial relations were then established but, in 1909, on the orders of the Chief of Djamlabo, the Akoué revolted against the administration. Bonzi station, seven kilometers from Yamoussoukro on the Bouaflé road, was set on fire, and the French administrator, Simon Maurice, was spared only by the intervention of Kouassi N'Go. This respected former leader persuaded the Akoué not to wage a war which could only have turned into a disaster.
As the situation returned to normal, Simon Maurice, judging that Bonzi had become unsafe, decided to transfer the French military station to Yamoussoukro, where the French Administration built a pyramid to the memory of Kouassi N'Go, Chief of the Akoué, and in homage to Yamousso, N'Gokro was renamed Yamoussoukro.
In 1919, the civil station of Yamoussoukro was removed, and Félix Houphouët-Boigny became the leader of the village in 1939. A long period was passed where Yamoussoukro, small agricultural town, remained in the shadows, until after the war, when it saw the creation of the African Agricultural Trade Union, and first conferences of its Chief. But it was only with Independence that Yamoussoukro finally started to rise.
History since independence
After 1964, the President Félix Houphouët-Boigny made ambitious plans and started to build. One day in 1965, later called the Great Lesson of Yamoussoukro, he visited the plantations with the leaders of the county, inviting them to transpose to their own villages the efforts and agricultural achievements of the region. On July 21, 1977, Houphouët offered its plantations to the State.
In March 1983, Yamoussoukro became the political and administrative capital of the Côte d'Ivoire, after, in one century, Grand-Bassam (1893), Bingerville (1900) and Abidjan (1933). The majority of economic activity still takes place in Abidjan.
Highlights
Yamoussoukro is also the site of what is claimed to be tallest Christian place of worship on Earth: The Basilica of Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro, consecrated by Pope John Paul II on September 10, 1990.
Also noteworthy are the Kossou Dam, the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Foundation, the PDCI-GDR House, the various schools of the Félix-Houphouët-Boigny-Boigny Polytechnic Institute, the international airport (with an average of six hundred passengers and 36 flights in 1995, it is only airport in Africa which can accommodate the Concorde), the Town Hall, the Protestant Temple, the Mosque, and the Palace of Hosts.
On November 6, 2004, Yamoussoukro Airport was attacked by French infantry after military aircraft from the airport bombed UN peacekeeper as well as rebel targets and 9 French peacekeepers and one U.S. civilian were killed. Two Ivory Coast Sukhoi Su-25 aircraft and several Mil Mi-24 helicopters were destroyed, which was most of the country's air forces. Mobs tried to attack the French forces after the airport raid.
Category:Cities in Côte d'Ivoire
Category:Capitals in Africa
ja:ヤムスクロ
AbidjanAbidjan is the largest city and former capital of Côte d'Ivoire. It is the commercial and banking center of Côte d'Ivoire as well as the de facto capital (Yamoussoukro is the official capital). It stands in Ébrié Lagoon on several converging peninsulas and islands, connected by bridges. The city is a study in contrasts. On one hand the city is hot and humid, congested and full of street hawkers. On the other hand, Abidjan is referred to as the "Paris of West Africa" because of its parks, broad boulevards, universities, exotic fashions and museums. Districts include Cocody, an upscale residential area located east of the modern business district, and Treichville, located southward on Petit-Bassam Island, with its busy traditional market. Banco National Park lies north of the city. Abidjan harbors numerous government departments. It is also the hub of the national road system and the terminus of the Abidjan-Niger Railway, which extends northward into Burkina Faso.
Abidjan's modern port opened in 1950, when the Vridi Canal was cut through a sandbar, linking the Ébrié Lagoon with the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean. Formerly West Africa's pre-eminent port, Abidjan is attempting to bring back traffic which veered to other ports during Côte d'Ivoire's political unrest. Since a military putsch in December 1999, as well as widespread civil unrest in the ensuing years, traffic has switched to other main regional ports such as Accra, Lome, Cotonou and Dakar. Xenophobia and harassment of foreigners, as well as numerous illegal roadblocks along the country's roads, have further discouraged shippers from using Abidjan's port. The Abidjan Port Authority has invited delegations of shippers from the landlocked countries of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger -- which have seen increased difficulty in imports due to Abidjan's problems -- to working sessions to discuss improvements in the situation.
Population and language
A 1995 estimate placed Abidjan's population at around 2,793,000. Estimates for the population of the Abidjan metropolitan area as of 2005 vary between 4 and 5 million inhabitants. As Abidjan is inhabited by people from a wide array of different ethnicities, the French language is used as the language of communication in the metropolitan area, which is the fourth-largest French speaking metropolitan area in the world after Paris and Kinshasa and Montreal. A specific colloquial Abidjan French has even appeared, with a pronunciation and some colloquial words distinct from standard French. The area of Abidjan is recognized as the only area in Africa where French (colloquial Abidjan French) is truly a native tongue.
Geography and neighbourhoods
Abidjan lies on the Ébrié Lagoon. The business district Le Plateau is the centre of the city. It lies with Cocody, Deux Plateaux (the richest neighbourhood with mansions, typically inhabited by diplomats and the wealthy) and the slum area of Adjamé on the north shore of the lagoon, while Treichville and Marcory (also poor areas) lie to the south, Abobo-Doume and Yapougon to the west and Boulay Island in the middle of the lagoon. Further south lies Port Bouët, home to the airport and main seaport. Abidjan is located at 5°25' North, 4°2' West (5.41667, -4.03333). [http://earth-info.nga.mil/gns/html/cntry_files.html]
History
The city grew after the construction of a new wharf in 1931 and its designation as the capital of the then French colony in 1933. The completion of the Vridi Canal in 1951 enabled it to become an important sea port. In 1983, Yamoussoukro was designated as the nation's capital, but most government offices and foreign embassies remained in Abidjan.
Places of interest
The University of Abidjan, several technical colleges, and the national library and museum are in the city.
Sights in Abidjan include St Paul's Cathedral, designed by Aldo Spiritom, the Cocody Municipal Museum of Contemporary Art and the Parc du Banco rainforest reserve. Le Plateau is known for its skyscrapers, unusual in West Africa. It is the business centre of Abidjan. With its chic boutiques and outdoor cafes, le Plateau is a favourite place of business travellers. There are many different banks located in the le Plateau district.
Industry
Major industries include food processing, lumber, automobile manufacturing, and the manufacture of textiles, chemicals, and soap. There is also a large oil refinery.
Transportation
Trains on the line to Ouagadougou run from several stations in the city, the most important being in Treichville. Ferries link Treichville, Abobo-Doumé and Le Plateau. The airport is located approximately 10 mi/16 km from downtown Abidjan. Taxis and buses are available at the airport, but are considered unsafe. The taxis are metered and the fares are relatively low. Rental cars are also available, however the fees can be quite expensive. Vehicle accidents occur frequently, especially at night when roads are poorly lit. Roadblocks manned by government security forces are becoming magnets for corruption. Police officers routinely extort bribes from motorists. Travelers planning to travel outside of Abidjan should do so only in convoy, maintaining constant radio or satellite contact.
PORT BOUET INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (DIAP/ABJ)
Abidjan Airport (Port Bouet International Airport) has a 3,000-meter runway and ILS 3B equipment. The airport has 25 check-in counters and nine boarding access points. AERIA, Abidjan Airport Management Company, operates and manages the whole airport area and relevant indirect services. There is a military apron at the airport. Private aircraft usually park in the commercial area, away from the terminal. Fencing and lighting are adequate at this facility.
A special airport police unit provides security at Abidjan's airport. X-ray machines and metal detectors are used to screen passengers and their baggage, but security measures at this facility are lacking both in terms of quality and coverage. Theft is a concern in the passenger terminal. Airport officials are known to be corrupt due to their low salaries. Incidents of theft and drug smuggling occur frequently. Do not allow ground service personnel to handle possessions without supervision.
Political Unrest
During times of political unrest, the Ivorian government closes the airport and imposes an overnight curfew for days at a time. There is also a French military base near the airport where protests may occur during times of political unrest.
Occasional violence also occurs at the airport. Most recently, on 6 November 2004, Ivorian troops raided Abidjan's airport in an attempt to destroy French aircraft. One aircraft was slightly damaged during the incident, but there are no details as to the extent or specificity of the damage. As a result of the attack, the airport perimeter was sealed and closed to air traffic.
In the September 2002 mutiny, the Ivorian government closed Abidjan's international airport, as it usually does during times of unrest. Flights were diverted to neighboring Ghana and elsewhere. Unidentified gunmen briefly blocked the major highway leading in and out of Abidjan. Several carriers have cancelled service to Côte d'Ivoire.
Culture
The musical group Magic System was founded in the city in the 1990s.
Security
- The law requires that travelers in Abidjan carry one of the following: national identity card, employee card, consular card, residency permit or passport.
- Although the overall situation in Abidjan has stabilized since the resurge in violence in November 2004, there are continual reports of violence. The U.N. has stated "its concern over the security situation" throughout Côte d'Ivoire, particularly in Abidjan. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice ranks Abidjan as the second most dangerous city in the world.
- The current political situation is highly unstable and security risks are acute due to ongoing conflict. Foreigners should avoid all travel outside Abidjan, the former capital, as well as rural and outlying areas. Other threats include crime, carjacking and demonstrations.
Ongoing Conflict
As the economic capital and largest city in Côte d’Ivoire, violence due to ongoing conflict remains a concern in Abidjan. Although the security situation has stabilized significantly since November 2004 and citizens have resumed regular daily activities, sporadic violence still occurs. Pro-government militia groups, some accused of theft and racketeering, have previously been concentrated in the Adjamé district. There have been isolated incidents of violence between these militia and local residents.
Demonstrations
Abidjan has been the site of sporadic protests, some of which have turned violent. Demonstrations have normally been over political issues revolving around political opposition groups and disgruntled military personnel. The Young Patriots, a pro-government youth group, conducted a series of protests throughout the country in March 2005 to demand the withdrawal of French peacekeeping troops. Although these protests have subsided, the possibility remains that these protests could resume, particularly as 4 May 2005, the date the U.N. peacekeeping mandate is set to expire, nears. While these protests did not occur in Abidjan, in accordance with a government ban on public demonstrations, government supporters wore red head or arm bands to show anti-French sentiment. Political protests remain a possibility as the national election, expected in October 2005, nears. Although all public demonstrations have been banned in Abidjan until 11 June 2005, visitors should avoid all protests that may occur.
Crime
Even before the September 2002 mutiny, the crime rate has continually increased as a result of poor economic conditions, an influx of weapons and refugees from neighboring Liberia, and urban migration. Burglaries commonly occur at residences, restaurants, and small businesses. Petty theft is prevalent throughout Abidjan and armed gangs are a growing problem. Tourists are frequently robbed on the Houphouet-Boigny and Charles de Gaulle bridges; travelers should not cross these bridges on foot. Persons who are victims of armed robbery should not attempt to resist thieves.
Please see "Country News" for periodic updates on crime trends.
Carjacking
Armed carjackings are very common in Côte d'Ivoire. Criminals customarily target four-wheel drive vehicles, and do not hesitate to shoot their victims when confronted with resistance. The vehicles are often used to commit other crimes, and are often discovered abandoned within 24 hours of the carjacking. The police force has established checkpoints throughout the city, in an attempt to curb the high crime rate.
- Travelers should avoid the Treichville, Plateau and Abobo business districts due to high crime rates.
- Avoid the Adjamé district due to high crime and the frequent presence of armed militia groups. Armed conflict and violence are not uncommon in Adjamé.
- Avoid the de Gaulle and Houphouet-Boigny bridges (crossing the Lagoon) because they are dangerous areas for pedestrians.
- Do not walk alone in the city, especially after dark.
The police are less than adequate in coping with crime. The police force is hampered by a lack of funding, training and support. At times, the police force has refused to respond to crimes while weapons are being used. Police are known to solicit bribes, especially at highway checkpoints and near Port Bouet Airport. Most police officials only speak French.
Human rights organizations have condemned alleged abuses by security officials against foreigners in Côte d'Ivoire as xenophobia continues in the country. The Ivorian League of Human Rights (LIDHO) charges that members of all the security forces have extorted money from West African immigrants, seized and destroyed their identity documents and subject people to degrading and humiliating treatment, especially at the many checkpoints along roads nationwide. At particular risk are immigrants fleeing Côte d'Ivoire due to increased persecution and insecurity: in the past, these travelers have been stripped of their belongings and sometimes stripped, beaten and humiliated in public places. While security forces are highly unlikely to behave this way toward Western travelers, such impunity poses a growing concern for all travelers to the country.
- The police emergency telephone number is 170 and 112 for GSM cell phones.
- The medical emergency telephone number is 180 and 112 for GSM cell phones.
Medical care in Côte d'Ivoire is substandard and medicines are in short supply. The following facilities are located in Abidjan:
Hôpital de Port Bouet: (225) 21-27-85-00
PISAM (Polyclinique internationale Sainte-Marie) (Cocody): (225) 22-44-51-32
External Links
- [http://abidjan.ci.site.voila.fr Photos from Abidjan]
- [http://ivorycoast.site.voila.fr Akwaba in Ivory Coast]
- [http://www.izf.net/izf/documentation/cartes/centreVille/abidjan.htm Map of Abidjan]
Category:Capitals in Africa
Category:Cities in Côte d'Ivoire
Category:Coastal cities
ja:アビジャン
Côte d'IvoireThe Republic of Côte d'Ivoire (IPA /kot divwa/ or /kot divwar/; commonly called Ivory Coast in English; see below about the name) is a country in West Africa. It borders Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Ghana to the west, north, and east, and borders the Gulf of Guinea to its south. One of the most prosperous of the tropical West African states, its economic development has been undermined by political turmoil spawned by official corruption and refusal to adopt needed reforms.
History
Not much is known about Côte d'Ivoire prior to the arrival of European ships in the 1460s. The major ethnic groups came relatively recently from neighbouring areas: the Kru people migrated from Liberia around 1600; the Senoufo and Lobi moved southward from Burkina Faso and Mali. It wasn't until the 18th and 19th centuries that the Akan people, including the Baoulé, migrated from Ghana into the eastern area of the country and the Malinké migrated from Guinea into the northwest.
Compared to neighbouring Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire suffered little from the slave trade. European slaving and merchant ships preferred other areas along the coast with better harbours. France took an interest in the 1840s, enticing local chiefs to grant French commercial traders a monopoly along the coast. Thereafter, the French built naval bases to keep out non-French traders and began a systematic conquest of the interior. They accomplished this only after a long war in the 1890s against Mandinka forces, mostly from Gambia. Guerilla warfare by the Baoulé and other eastern groups continued until 1917.
The French had one overriding goal: to stimulate the production of exports. Coffee, cocoa and palm oil crops were soon planted along the coast. Côte d'Ivoire stood out as the only West African country with a sizeable population of 'settlers'; elsewhere in West and Central Africa, the French and English were largely bureaucrats. As a result, a third of the cocoa, coffee and banana plantations were in the hands of French citizens and a hated forced-labour system became the backbone of the economy.
The son of a Baoulé chief, Félix Houphouët-Boigny was to become Côte d'Ivoire's father of independence. In 1944 he formed the country's first agricultural trade union for African cocoa farmers like himself. Annoyed that colonial policy favoured French plantation owners, they united to recruit migrant workers for their own farms. Houphouët-Boigny soon rose to prominence and within a year was elected to the French Parliament in Paris. A year later the French abolished forced labour. As Houphouët-Boigny grew fonder of money and power, and became more ingratiated with the French, he gradually dropped the more radical stance of his youth. France reciprocated by making him the first African to become a minister in a European government.
At the time of Côte d'Ivoire's independence in 1960, the country was easily French West Africa's most prosperous, contributing over 40% of the region's total exports. When Houphouët-Boigny became the country's first president, his government gave farmers good prices to further stimulate production. Coffee production increased significantly, catapulting Côte d'Ivoire into third place in total output behind Brazil and Colombia. Cocoa did the same; by 1979 the country was the world's leading producer. It also became Africa's leading exporter of pineapples and palm oil. Behind the scenes, it was French technicians who had masterminded the programme, which was often referred to as the 'Ivoirian miracle'. In the rest of Africa, Europeans were driven out following independence; in Côte d'Ivoire, they poured in. The French community grew from 10,000 to 50,000, most of them teachers and advisers. For 20 years, the economy maintained an annual growth rate of nearly 10% - the highest of Africa's non-oil exporting countries.
Politically, Houphouët-Boigny ruled with an iron hand. The press wasn't free, and only one political party was tolerated. Houphouët-Boigny was also Africa's number one producer of 'show' projects. So many millions of dollars were spent transforming his village, Yamoussoukro, into the new capital that it became the butt of jokes. No one was laughing by the early 1980s though, when the world recession and a local drought sent shockwaves through the Ivoirian economy. Thanks also to the overcutting of timber and collapsing sugar prices, the country's external debt increased threefold. Rising crime in Abidjan made news in Europe. The miracle was over.
In 1990, hundreds of civil servants went on strike, joined by students protesting institutional corruption. The unrest forced the government to support multiparty democracy. Houphouët-Boigny became increasingly feeble and died in 1993. His hand-picked successor was Henri Konan Bédié.
In October 1995, Bédié overwhelmingly won re-election against a fragmented and disorganised opposition. He tightened his hold over political life, sending several hundred opposition supporters to jail. In contrast, the economic outlook improved, at least superficially, with decreasing inflation and an attempt to remove foreign debt.
Unlike Houphouët-Boigny, who was very careful in avoiding any ethnic conflict and left access to Ivorian nationality wide-open to immigrants from neighbouring countries, Bedié emphasized the concept of "Ivority" (Ivoirité) to exclude his rival Alassane Ouattara, having only one parent of Ivory Coast nationality, to run for future presidential election. As people originating from Burkina Faso are a large part of the Ivorian population this policy resulted in the exclusion of many people from Ivorian nationality and relationship between various ethnic groups became strained.
In parallel, Bédié excluded many potential opponents from the army. In late 1999, a group of dissatisfied officers staged a military coup putting General Robert Guéi in power, Bédié fled into exile in France. The coup had the effect of reducing crime and corruption, and the generals pressed for austerity and openly campaigned in the streets for a less wasteful society.
An election was held in October 2000 in which Laurent Gbagbo vied with Robert Guéi for the presidency, but it was neither peaceful nor democratic. The lead up to the elections was marked by military and civil unrest. Guéi's attempt to fix the election led to a public uprising, resulting in around 180 deaths and his swift replacement by the election's likely winner, Gbagbo. Alassane Ouattara, was disqualified by the country's Supreme Court, which based his ineligibility on his Burkinabé nationality. The disqualification sparked violent protests in which his supporters, mainly from the country's Muslim north, battled riot police in the capital, Yamoussoukro.
On September 19, 2002, troops mutinied and gained control of the north of the country. In Abidjan, the gendarmerie was seized by the rebels and former president Guéi was murdered with fifteen persons in his home. Alassane Ouattara took refuge in the French embassy. What exactly happened on the night of September 19 is confused; some report the events as a military coup attempt, but other sources report that opponents were executed by pro-Gbagbo death squads and that the rebellion was an unplanned reaction.
An early ceasefire with the rebels, who had the full backing of the northern populace (mostly of Burkinabé origins), proved short-lived and fighting over the prime cocoa-growing areas resumed. France sent in troops to maintain the cease-fire boundaries, and militias, including warlords and fighters from Liberia and Sierra Leone, took advantage of the crisis to seize parts of the west.
In January 2003, President Gbagbo and rebel leaders signed accords creating a 'government of national unity'. Curfews were lifted and French troops cleaned up the lawless western border of the country. But the central problems remained, and neither side achieved its goals.
Since then, the unity government has proven extremely unstable. In March 2004, 120 people were killed in an opposition rally. A later report concluded the killings were planned. Though UN peacekeepers were deployed, relations between Gbagbo and the opposition continued to deteriorate.
Politics
The official capital since 1983 is Yamoussoukro; however, Abidjan remains the administrative center. Most countries maintain their embassies in Abidjan. The population continues to suffer because of an on-going civil war. International human rights organizations have noted problems with the treatment of captive non-combatants by both sides and the re-emergence of child slavery among workers in cocoa production.
Since the incident on September 19, 2002 (refer to the history section), a civil war broke out, and the north part of the country has been seized by the rebels, the New Forces (FN). A new presidential election was expected to be held in October, 2005. However, this new election could not be held on time due to delay in the preparation.
See also: Civil war in Côte d'Ivoire
Administrative Divisions
Côte d'Ivoire is divided into 19 regions (régions), which are further divided into 58 departments (départements).
Geography
department
Côte d'Ivoire is a country of western Sub-Saharan Africa. It borders Liberia and Guinea in the west, Mali and Burkina Faso in the north, Ghana in the east, and the Gulf of Guinea (Atlantic Ocean) in the south.
Economy
Maintaining close ties to France since independence in 1960, diversification of agriculture for export, and encouragement of foreign investment has made Côte d'Ivoire one of the most prosperous of the tropical African states.
Demographics
76% of the population are considered Ivorians. They belong to different peoples, which linguistically are summarized under the language groups of Kwa, Kru, Mande, and Gur.
Since Cote d'Ivoire has established itself as one of the most successful west African nations, about 20% of the population consists of workers from neighbouring Liberia, Burkina Faso and Guinea. This fact has created steadily increasing tension in recent years, especially since most of these workers are Muslims while the native-born population is largely Christian (primarily Roman Catholic) and animist. 4% of the population is of non-African ancestry. Many are French, British, and Spanish citizens, as well as Protestant missionaries of American and Canadian background. In November 2004, around 10,000 French and other foreign nationals evacuated Cote d'Ivoire due to attacks from pro-government youth militias.
Culture
Spanish
- Music of Côte d'Ivoire: Alpha Blondy, Gyil, Djun-djun
- Islam in Côte d'Ivoire
See also: List of writers from Côte d'Ivoire, Art of Côte d'Ivoire
The name
History
The country was originally known in English as Ivory Coast, and corresponding translations in other languages: Elfenbeinküste in German, Costa de Marfil in Spanish, Costa do Marfim in Portuguese, Ivoorkust in Dutch and so on. In October 1985 the government requested that the country be known as Côte d'Ivoire in every language. In fact, according to national law, the name of the country cannot be translated from French. Of course, this law can only apply within the country itself.
Usage
Despite the Ivorian government's ruling, "Ivory Coast" (sometimes "the Ivory Coast") is still the most commonly used name in English. Governments, however, use "Côte d'Ivoire" for diplomatic reasons. Journalistic style guides usually (but not always) recommend "Ivory Coast":
- The Guardian newspaper's [http://www.guardian.co.uk/styleguide/page/0,5817,184827,00.html Style Guide] says: "Ivory Coast, not "the Ivory Coast" or "Côte D'Ivoire"; its nationals are Ivorians"
- The BBC usually uses "Ivory Coast" both in news reports and on its page about the country [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/country_profiles/1043014.stm].
- The Economist newsmagazine's [http://www.economist.com/research/styleGuide/index.cfm?page=805717 Style Guide] says "Côte d'Ivoire not Ivory Coast".
- The United States Department of State uses "Côte d'Ivoire" in formal documents, but uses "Ivory Coast" in many general references, speeches and briefing documents [http://www.state.gov/p/af/rls/rm/2005/43552.htm].
- Encyclopædia Britannica uses "Côte d'Ivoire".
- ABC News, The Times of London, the New York Times and SABC all use "Ivory Coast" either exclusively or predominantly.
Miscellaneous topics
- Civil war in Côte d'Ivoire
- Communications in Côte d'Ivoire
- Foreign relations of Côte d'Ivoire
- Military of Côte d'Ivoire
- Music of Côte d'Ivoire
- Transportation in Côte d'Ivoire
- National football team of Côte d'Ivoire
References
- Much of the material in these articles comes from the CIA World Factbook 2000 and the 2003 U.S. Department of State website.
External links
Government
- [http://www.isa-africa.com/ambaci-jp/ Embassy of Côte d'Ivoire in Japan] government information and links
News
- [http://allafrica.com/cotedivoire/ allAfrica - Côte d'Ivoire]news headline links
- [http://www.abidjan.net Abidjan.Net] news forums links
Overviews
- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/country_profiles/1043014.stm BBC News - Country Profile: Ivory Coast]
- [http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/iv.html CIA World Factbook - Cote d'Ivoire]
- [http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/citoc.html Library of Congress Country Study - Ivory Coast] data as of November 1988
Directories
- [http://www.afrika.no/index/Countries/C_te_d_Ivoire/index.html The Index on Africa - Côte d'Ivoire] directory category
- [http://search.looksmart.com/p/browse/us1/us317836/us317916/us559898/us559899/us10065674/us559908/ LookSmart - Ivory Coast or Cote d'Ivoire] directory category
- [http://dmoz.org/Regional/Africa/C%c3%b4te_d%27Ivoire/ Open Directory Project - Côte d'Ivoire] directory category
- [http://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/ssrg/africa/cote.html Stanford University - Africa South of the Sahara: Cote d'Ivoire - Ivory Coast] directory category
- [http://www.sas.upenn.edu/African_Studies/Country_Specific/Cote.html University of Pennsylvania - African Studies Center: Cote d'Ivoire] directory category
- [http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Cote_d_Ivoire/ Yahoo! - Cote d'Ivoire] directory category
Tourism
-
- [http://www.anytravels.com/africa/cote_divore/ Travel Overview of Côte d'Ivoire]
Other
- [http://www.izf.net/izf/documentation/cartes/Pays/supercartes/cotedivoire.htm Map of Côte d'Ivoire]
- [http://www.pipci.org/ Parti Ivoirien du Peuple]
- [http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/africa/cote_divoire/ Lonely Planet - Cote d'Ivoire] travel guide
- [http://globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/ivory-coast.htm Global Security - Ivory Coast Conflict]
- [http://www.metafilter.com/mefi/37105 French Soldiers Machine-gun Civilians on 'Ivory Coast'. (video, November 2004)]
- [http://ivorycoast.site.voila.fr Akwaba in Ivory Coast]
Category:Côte d'Ivoire
Category:African Union member states
zh-min-nan:Côte d'Ivoire
ko:코트디부아르
ms:Côte d'Ivoire
ja:コートジボワール
simple:Côte d'Ivoire
French colonization
France has had colonial possessions, in various forms, since the beginning of the 17th century, until the 1960's. In the 19th and 20th centuries, its colonial empire was the third largest in the world, behind the British Empire and Russian Empire. At its peak, between 1919 and 1939, the second French colonial empire extended over 12,347,000 km² (4,767,000 sq. miles) of land. Including metropolitan France, the total area of land under French sovereignty reached 12,898,000 km² (4,980,000 sq. miles) in the 1920's and 1930s, which is 8.6% of the world's land area.
Currently, the remnants of this large empire are tens of thousands of islands and archipelagos located in the North Atlantic, the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, the South Pacific, the North Pacific, and the Antarctic Ocean, as well one mainland territory in South America, totaling altogether 123,150 km² (47,548 sq. miles), which amounts to only 1% of the pre-1939 French colonial empire's area, with 2,485,000 people living in them in 2005, (see Administrative divisions of France). All of these enjoy full political representation at the national level, as well as varying degrees of legislative autonomy and legitimacy.
Most of the empire was controlled by the French Colonial Forces.
The first French colonial empire
The early voyages of Giovanni da Verrazano and Jacques Cartier in the early 16th century, as well as the frequent voyages of French fishermen to the Grand Banks off Newfoundland throughout that century, were the precursors to the story of France's colonial expansion. But Spain's jealous protection of its American monopoly, and the disruptions caused in France itself by the Wars of Religion in the later 16th century, prevented any consistent efforts by France to establish colonies. Early French attempts to found colonies in Brazil, in 1555 at Rio de Janeiro (the so-called France Antarctique) and in 1612 at São Luís (the so-called France Équinoxiale), and in Florida were unsuccessful, due to Portuguese and Spanish vigilance and prevention.
The story of France's colonial empire truly began on July 27, 1605, with the foundation of Port Royal in the colony of Acadia in North America, in what is now Nova Scotia, Canada. A few years later, in 1608, Samuel de Champlain founded Quebec, which was to become the capital of the enormous, but sparsely settled, fur-trading colony of New France (also called Canada).
Although, through alliances with various Native American tribes, the French were able to exert a loose control over much of the North American continent, areas of French settlement were generally limited to the St. Lawrence River Valley. Prior to the establishment of the 1663 Sovereign Council, the territories of New France were developed as mercantile colonies. It is only after the arrival of intendant Jean Talon that France gave its American colonies the proper means to develop population colonies comparable to that of the British. But there was relatively little interest in colonialism in France, which concentrated rather on dominance within Europe, and for most of the history of New France, even Canada was far behind the British North American colonies in both population and economic development. Acadia itself was lost to the British in the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713.
In 1699, French territorial claims in North America expanded still further, with the foundation of Louisiana in the basin of Mississippi River. The extensive trading network throughout the region connected to Canada through the Great Lakes, and was maintained through a vast system of fortifications, much of them centered in the Illinois Country and in present-day Arkansas.
As the French empire in North America expanded, the French also began to build a smaller but more profitable empire in the West Indies. Settlement along the South American coast in what is today French Guiana began in 1624, and a colony was founded on Saint Kitts in 1627 (the island had to be shared with the English until the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, when it was ceded outright). The Compagnie des Îles de l'Amérique founded colonies in Guadeloupe and Martinique in 1635, and a colony was later founded on Saint Lucia by (1650). The food-producing plantations of these colonies were built and sustained through slavery, by the abduction of slaves from Africa. Local resistance by the indigenous native American "Indian" peoples resulted in the Carib Expulsion of 1660.
The most important Caribbean colonial possession did not come until 1664, when the colony of Saint-Domingue (today's Haiti) was founded on the western half of the Spanish island of Hispaniola (now also including the Dominican Republic). In the 18th century, Saint-Domingue grew to be the richest sugar colony in the Caribbean. The eastern half of Hispaniola also came under French rule for a short period, after being given to France by Spain, shortly after the loss of Saint-Domingue to France after the Haitian Revolution.
French colonial expansion was not limited to the New World, however. In Senegal in West Africa, the French began to establish trading posts along the coast in 1624. In 1664, the French East India Company was established to compete for trade in the east. Colonies were established in India in Chandernagore in Bengal (1673) and Pondicherry in the Southeast (1674), and later at Yanam (1723), Mahe (1725), and Karikal (1739) (see French India). Colonies were also founded in the Indian Ocean, on the Île de Bourbon (Réunion, 1664), Île de France (Mauritius, 1718), and the Seychelles (1756).
Colonial conflict with
Some recovery of the French colonial empire was made during the French intervention in the American Revolution, with Saint Lucia being returned to France by the Treaty of Paris in 1783, but not nearly as much as had been hoped for at the time of French intervention. True disaster cameo what remained of France's colonial empire in 1791 when Saint Domingue (com Peace of Amiens in 1802, but when war resumed in 1803, the British soon recaptured them. France's repurchase of Louisiana in 1800 came to nothing, as the final success of the Haitian revolt convinced Bonaparte that holding Louisiana would not be worth the cost, leading to its sale to the United States in 1803 (the Louisiana Purchase). Nor was the French attempt to establish a colony in Egypt in 1798–1801 successful either.
The second French colonial empire
At the close of the Napoleonic Wars, most of France's colonies were restored to it by Britain, notably Guadeloupe and Martinique in the West Indies, French Guiana on the coast of South America, various trading posts in Senegal, the Île de Bourbon (Réunion) in the Indian Ocean, and France's tiny Indian possessions. Britain finally annexed Saint Lucia, Tobago, the Seychelles, and the Île de France (Mauritius), however.
The true beginnings of the second French colonial empire, however, were laid in 1830 with the French invasion of Algeria, which was conquered over the next 17 years (see French rule in Algeria). During the time of Napoleon III, an attempt was made to establish a colonial-type protectorate in Mexico, but this came to little, and the French were forced to abandon the experiment after the end of the American Civil War, when the American president invoked the Monroe Doctrine. Napoleon also established French control over Cochin-China (the southernmost part of modern Vietnam including Saigon), as well as a protectorate over Cambodia.
It was only after the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–1871 that most of France's later colonial possessions were acquired. From their base in Cochin-China, the French took over Tonkin and Annam (in modern Vietnam) in 1884-1885. These, together with Cambodia and Cochin-China, formed French Indochina (to which Laos was added in 1887, and Kwang-Chou-Wan in 1900). In 1849, the French "concession" in Shanghai was established, lasting until 1946. The French also expanded their influence in North Africa, establishing a protectorate on Tunisia in 1881. Gradually, French control was established over much of Northern, Western, and Central Africa by the turn of the century (including the modern nations of Mauritania, Senegal, Guinea, Mali, Côte d'Ivoire, Benin, Niger, Chad, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo), as well as the east African coastal enclave of Djibouti (French Somaliland). In 1911, Morocco became a French protectorate.
The French made their last major colonial gains after the First World War, when they gained mandates over the former Turkish territories of the Ottoman Empire that make up what is now Syria and Lebanon, as well as most of the former German colonies of Togo and Cameroon.
Collapse of the empire
The French colonial empire began to fall apart during the Second World War, when various parts of their empire were occupied by foreign powers (Japan in Indochina, Britain in Syria and Lebanon, the US and Britain in Morocco and Algeria, and Germany in Tunisia). Although France's colonies were restored in 1945, France almost immediately had to engage in suppressing a bitter independence struggle in Indochina. When this ended with French defeat and withdrawal in 1954, the French almost immediately became involved in a new, and even harsher conflict in their oldest major colony, Algeria (see Algerian War of Independence, Nationalism and resistance in Algeria). Algeria was particularly problematic for the French, due to the large number of European settlers (or pieds-noirs) who had settled there in the century and a quarter of French rule; in addition, a sizeable Jewish community feared that independence would expose them to persecution by Muslim Nationalists. Charles de Gaulle's accession to power in 1958 ultimately led to independence for Algeria in 1962. Most of the other French African colonies had already been granted independence in 1960, following local referendums. Some colonies chose instead to remain part of France, under the statuses of oversea département or oversea territory.
After independence, some of France's former colonies continued to participate in the French Union, and later in the French Community, nurturing to varying extents political, economic and cultural ties with their former colonial power.
Extent of the French colonial empires
Here is a list of all the countries that were part of the French colonial empires in the last 500 years, either entirely or in part. When only a part of the country was under French sovereignty, that part is listed in parentheses after the country. When there are no parentheses, it means the whole country was formerly part of any one of the French colonial empires. Countries listed here are those where French sovereignty applied effectively. Areas that were only claimed, but not effectively controlled (such as Manhattan or Western Australia) are not listed.
"1st" means the country/territory was part of the first French colonial empire. "2nd" means the country/territory was part of the second French colonial empire. "Now" means this is a territory still part of the French Republic today.
North America
- Canada (most of eastern and central Canada) -- 1st
- Saint-Pierre and Miquelon -- 1st, 2nd, & now
- United States (entire basin of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, Great Lakes) -- 1st
Caribbean
- Anguilla (briefly) -- 1st
- Antigua and Barbuda (briefly) -- 1st
- Dominica -- 1st
- Dominican Republic -- 1st
- Grenada -- 1st
- Guadeloupe -- 1st, 2nd, & now
- Haiti -- 1st
- Martinique -- 1st, 2nd, & now
- Montserrat (briefly) -- 1st
- Saint Martin (northern half only) -- 1st, 2nd, & now
- Saint-Barthélemy -- 1st, 2nd, & now
- Saint Lucia -- 1st
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines -- 1st
- Sint Eustatius (briefly) -- 1st
- St Kitts and Nevis (St Kitts, but not Nevis) -- 1st
- Trinidad and Tobago (Tobago only) -- 1st
- US Virgin Islands (Saint Croix only) -- 1st
South America
- Brazil (Rio de Janeiro briefly, and São Luís briefly) -- 1st
(see France Antarctique and France Équinoxiale)
- French Guiana -- 1st, 2nd, & now
North Africa
- Morocco (89% of Morocco) -- 2nd
- Algeria -- 2nd
- Tunisia -- 2nd
Sub-saharan Africa
- Benin -- 2nd
- Burkina Faso -- 2nd
- Cameroon (91% of Cameroon) -- 2nd
- Central African Republic -- 2nd
- Côte d'Ivoire -- 2nd
- Chad -- 2nd
- Republic of the Congo -- 2nd
- Gabon -- 2nd
- Guinea -- 2nd
- Mali -- 2nd
- Mauritania -- 2nd
- Niger -- 2nd
- Senegal -- 1st & 2nd
- Togo -- 2nd
Red Sea
- Djibouti -- 2nd
- Yemen (Cheik-Saïd peninsula) -- 2nd
Indian Ocean
- Comoros -- 2nd
- Madagascar -- 2nd
- Mauritius -- 1st
- Mayotte - 2nd & now
- Réunion -- 1st, 2nd, & now
- Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean - 2nd & now
- Seychelles -- 1st
- Tanzania (Zanzibar, briefly) -- 2nd
Middle East
- Lebanon -- 2nd
- Syria -- 2nd
- Territories from the Ottoman Empire (Sanjak of Alexandretta, now called Hatay province) -- 2nd
South Asia
- India
- half of India (French India)-- 1st
- only Pondicherry, Karikal, Yanaon, Mahé, and Chandernagore -- 2nd
East Asia
- Cambodia - 2nd
- China
- Kwang-Chou-Wan (廣州灣) leased territory, now the city of Zhanjiang (Guangdong province) -- 2nd
- French settlements (concessions) in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Tianjin, and Hankou -- 2nd
- French zone of influence officially recognized by China over the provinces of Yunnan, Guangxi, Hainan, and Guangdong -- 2nd
- Laos - 2nd
- Vietnam - 2nd
Oceania
- Clipperton - 2nd & now
- New Caledonia -- 2nd & now
- French Polynesia -- 2nd & now
- Vanuatu (condominium shared with the British Empire) -- 2nd
- Wallis and Futuna -- 2nd & now
Antarctic Ocean
- French Southern and Antarctic Lands -- 2nd & now
Territories where French colonization was checked
These are countries or territories where France had many economic and political interests, but which she was prevented from incorporating into her colonial empire due to active British opposition.
- Thailand
- Egypt
- India
- Sudan
- Ethiopia
- Palestine
- northern Iraq (oil fields of Mosul and Kirkuk)
- Tangiers
- New Zealand- the French established a Colony at Akaroa on Banks Peninsula in the South Island, but were thwarted in plans to expand by the arrival of HMS Britomart a few days before the French warship dispatched to the area.
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