Abidjan is the economic and former official capital of
Côte d'IvoireThe Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
, while the current capital is
YamoussoukroThe District of Yamoussoukro is the official political capital and administrative capital city of Côte d'Ivoire, while the economic capital of the country is Abidjan. As of 2010, it was estimated to have 242,744 inhabitants...
. it was the largest city in the nation and the third-largest
French-speakingThe adjective francophone means French-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....
city in the world, after Paris, and
KinshasaKinshasa is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The city is located on the Congo River....
but before
MontrealMontreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. It has, according to the authorities of the country in 2006, 5,068,858 residents in the metropolitan area and 3,796,677 residents in the municipality. Only
Lagos Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
, the former capital of
NigeriaNigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
, has a larger number of inhabitants in this region. Considered a cultural hub of West Africa, Abidjan is characterized by a high level of industrialization and urbanization. The city stands in
Ébrié LagoonThe Ébrié Lagoon lies in Côte d'Ivoire, separated for most of its length from the Atlantic Ocean by a narrow coastal strip. The 100 km long lagoon is linked to the sea by the Vridi Canal, while the Comoë River flows into it. The lagoon averages 4 km in width, and 5 m in depth...
, on several converging peninsulas and islands, connected by bridges.
The city grew after the construction of a new
wharfA wharf or quay is a structure on the shore of a harbor where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers.Such a structure includes one or more berths , and may also include piers, warehouses, or other facilities necessary for handling the ships.A wharf commonly comprises a fixed...
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 are still in Abidjan.
Geography
Abidjan lies on the south-east coast of the country in the
Gulf of GuineaThe Gulf of Guinea is the northeasternmost part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean between Cape Lopez in Gabon, north and west to Cape Palmas in Liberia. The intersection of the Equator and Prime Meridian is in the gulf....
. The city lies on the
Ébrié LagoonThe Ébrié Lagoon lies in Côte d'Ivoire, separated for most of its length from the Atlantic Ocean by a narrow coastal strip. The 100 km long lagoon is linked to the sea by the Vridi Canal, while the Comoë River flows into it. The lagoon averages 4 km in width, and 5 m in depth...
. The business district Le Plateau is the centre of the city, along with Cocody', Deux Plateaux (the wealthiest neighborhood and a hubbub for diplomats), and the
slumA slum, as defined by United Nations agency UN-HABITAT, is a run-down area of a city characterized by substandard housing and squalor and lacking in tenure security. According to the United Nations, the percentage of urban dwellers living in slums decreased from 47 percent to 37 percent in the...
of
AdjaméAdjamé is a quarter and commune within the département of Abidjan in Côte d'Ivoire, forming a part of the metropolitan area of Abidjan....
on the north shore of the lagoon.
TreichvilleTreichville is a commune of Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. The commune is known as one of the most lively in the city, specially around the Crossroad France-Amérique. The streets have no name but numbers from 1 to 25. The commune is served by a railway station belonging to the RAN...
and
Marcory Marcory is a town and commune in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.It is one of four communes of Abidjan south of Ébrié Lagoon, the others being Treichville, Koumassi and Port-Bouët.-References:*This article was initially created from the French Wikipedia....
lie to the south, Commune d' Attecoube by its extension to Locodjro and Abobo Doume and
Yopougon Yopougon is a town and commune in Côte d'Ivoire.The city is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Yopougon. The diocese's cathedral is the Cathédrale Saint-André in Yopougon.-References:*This article was initially created from French Wikipedia...
to the west, and Gbagba and N'Gbotroya (Locodjro) called today Boulay Island in the middle of the lagoon. Further south lies Port Bouët, home to the
airportPort Bouet Airport , also known as Félix Houphouët-Boigny International Airport, is located 16 kilometres southeast of Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.The airport was one of many hubs for multi-national airline Air Afrique.- Airlines and destinations:...
and main seaport. Abidjan is located at 5°25′ North, 4°2′ West (5.41667, −4.03333).
Climate
The city has a
tropical monsoon climateTropical monsoon climate, occasionally also known as a tropical wet climate or tropical monsoon and trade-wind littoral climate in climate classification, is a relatively rare type of climate that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification category "Am."Tropical monsoon climates have monthly...
with a long rainy season from May through July, a short rainy season (September–November) and two dry seasons, though rain is seen even during these dry seasons. Abidjan is generally humid throughout the year, with humidity generally at or higher than 80 percent. During the rainy season it can rain continuously for several consecutive days, or intensely for over an hour. The rainfall is abundant at about 2,000 mm per year. The monthly rainfall varies between about 40 mm and 500 mm in January to June and the temperature is almost constant at around 27 °C (80.6 °F).
Territorial division
Abidjan is composed of two parts (northern Abidjan and southern Abidjan) with ten communes.
Northern Abidjan
- Abobo
Abobo is a northern suburb of Abidjan and urban commune of this city in Côte d'Ivoire. Abobo is one of the most populated communes in the country with about 1,500,000 inhabitants in an area of 9,000 ha , a density of 167 inhabitants per hectare. It is home to a railway station located on the road...
: the town consists mainly of public housing. It has long played the role of refuge for migrants with low financial means. This area has developed spontaneously around the station.
- Williamsville
Williamsville is the name of some places:United States of America* Williamsville, Illinois* Williamsville, Missouri* Williamsville, Nevada * Williamsville, New York* Williamsville, Vermont* Williamsville, VirginiaOther...
- Adjamé
Adjamé is a quarter and commune within the département of Abidjan in Côte d'Ivoire, forming a part of the metropolitan area of Abidjan....
: Although small in size, this commune is very important for the Ivorian economy, given the number of commercial activities taking place there. Unfortunately, Adjame experiences problems of sanitation. The village ÉbriéThe Ebrié are an Akan people people living in the Abidjan region of Côte d'Ivoire.The lagoon separating the Plateau neighborhood from the rest of the city is often called the Ebrié lagoon. The Ebrié represent approximately 0.7% of the country's population....
existed before Abidjan developed. Its market is the realm of shops of all kinds and its bus station is the main crossing bus lines that feed the country and neighbouring countries.
- Yopougon
Yopougon is a town and commune in Côte d'Ivoire.The city is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Yopougon. The diocese's cathedral is the Cathédrale Saint-André in Yopougon.-References:*This article was initially created from French Wikipedia...
: it is the most populated commune of Abidjan, lying partly in Northern Anidjan and partly across the lagoon in Southern Abidjan. It is home to industrial and residential areas. The research station ORSTOM, Pasteur InstituteThe Pasteur Institute is a French non-profit private foundation dedicated to the study of biology, micro-organisms, diseases, and vaccines. It is named after Louis Pasteur, who made some of the greatest breakthroughs in modern medicine at the time, including pasteurization and vaccines for anthrax...
and a teaching hospital are established
- Plateau : the business centre with tall buildings looks very modern in Abidjan. Although the administrative capital of Côte d'Ivoire has been officially transferred to Yamoussoukro
The District of Yamoussoukro is the official political capital and administrative capital city of Côte d'Ivoire, while the economic capital of the country is Abidjan. As of 2010, it was estimated to have 242,744 inhabitants...
in 1983, the institutions of the republic such as the Presidency and National Assembly are still in Plateau. It is the main administrative commercial and financial center of Côte d'Ivoire.
- Attécoubé
-References:*This article was initially created from French Wikipedia...
: Banco forest, classified as a national park, is located within this commune. A massive shopping complex, probably the largest in Abidjan, has been built there.
- Cocody
Cocody, is an upmarket suburb of Abidjan, marked by its abundance of mansions. Cocody is where most of the wealthy business people, ambassadors, and other affluent people live...
: famous for its residential districts (2-Trays, Riviera), Cocody University also has the same name (University of Cocody – public institution) and some private universities. Home Television (RTI) is located in Cocody. The President of the Republic resides in this commune. Cocody is also the embassy's district.
Southern Abidjan
- Koumassi
Koumassi is a town and commune in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.It is one of four communes of Abidjan south of Ébrié Lagoon, the others being Treichville, Marcory and Port-Bouët.-References:*This article was initially created from the French Wikipedia....
: This commune has an important industrial area.
- Marcory
Marcory is a town and commune in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.It is one of four communes of Abidjan south of Ébrié Lagoon, the others being Treichville, Koumassi and Port-Bouët.-References:*This article was initially created from the French Wikipedia....
: This commune is mainly a residential area.
- Biétry and Zone 4
Zone 4 may refer to:*Travelcard Zone 4, of the Transport for London zonal system*Hardiness zone, a geographically defined zone in which a specific category of plant life is capable of growing...
are residential areas where many foreigners live
- Port-Bouët
Port-Bouët is a town and commune in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.It is one of four communes of Abidjan south of Ébrié Lagoon, the others being Treichville, Koumassi and Marcory. Felix Houphouet Boigny International Airport is located in Port-Bouët...
: This commune includes both a refinery (Ivorian Company Refining CRS) and the Félix Houphouët-Boigny International Airport. There is also an established office of the IRDIrd may refer to the following:* Ird , a Bedouin honor code for women* Ird : Someone who lives in a state of total delusion. Closely related to narcissistic personalities.* Ird, alternate name of Arad, Iran, a city in Fars Province...
, the centre of Little Bassam. His famous lighthouseA lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
sweeps the Gulf of GuineaThe Gulf of Guinea is the northeasternmost part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean between Cape Lopez in Gabon, north and west to Cape Palmas in Liberia. The intersection of the Equator and Prime Meridian is in the gulf....
on several nautical miles.
- Vridi : the beach area is busy every weekend, although the ocean is very aggressive the "bar" does a little to move away from the shore, a phenomenon widely along the Gulf of Guinea
The Gulf of Guinea is the northeasternmost part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean between Cape Lopez in Gabon, north and west to Cape Palmas in Liberia. The intersection of the Equator and Prime Meridian is in the gulf....
. From 1950, Vridi has become the main employment areas in Abidjan because of the increasing number of factories and warehouses
- Treichville
Treichville is a commune of Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. The commune is known as one of the most lively in the city, specially around the Crossroad France-Amérique. The streets have no name but numbers from 1 to 25. The commune is served by a railway station belonging to the RAN...
: This commune is home to the Autonomous Port of Abidjan and many shops. The port area is also an industrial area. There is also the pool of State Treichville (PET), the palace of sports Treichville, the Palace of Culture, street 12, racetrack Abidjan...
-
- Île Boulay
The name of Boulay is applied both to an archipelago of islands in the Abidjan Lagoon in Côte d'Ivoire and the main island of that group. These islands are relatively unpopulated and remained in an undeveloped state, considering their proximity to the urban areas of Abidjan. Boulay is only 15...
.
Suburbs
The main towns which are near Abidjan are
JacquevilleJacqueville is the chief town of Jaqueville Department of Côte d'Ivoire. Jacqueville Department is part of the Lagunes Region. The town of Jacqueville is so named because it was the first place in Côte d'Ivoire where the Union Flag was raised when the British originally occupied the country...
, Grand-Lahou and
DabouDabou is a town in Dabou Department of Côte d'Ivoire, located in the country's Lagunes Region. Dabou is also the port city that dominates that department. The area is served by Dabou Airport....
in the west,
SikensiSikensi is a town and commune in southern Côte d'Ivoire....
,
TiassaléTiassalé is one of the fifty-eight departments of Côte d'Ivoire. It is also the name of a principal town in the department. Tiassalé Department is part of Lagunes Region....
,
AgbovilleAgboville is a town in Agboville Department of Côte d'Ivoire, and located in Agnéby Region. It is near to Abidjan. The local ethnic group is called Abbey. Abbey is one of over 60 ethnic groups represented in Cote D'Ivoire. The Abbey people have many traditions related to family and friends. One...
,
AdzopéAdzopé is a town in Adzopé Department of Côte d'Ivoire. It is located in Agnéby Region....
and
AleppoAleppo is the largest city in Syria and the capital of Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Syrian governorate. With an official population of 2,301,570 , expanding to over 2.5 million in the metropolitan area, it is also one of the largest cities in the Levant...
in the north, and
Grand-BassamGrand-Bassam is a city in Côte d'Ivoire, lying east of Abidjan. It was the French colonial capital city from 1893 until 1896, when the administration was transferred to Bingerville after a bout of yellow fever. The city remained a key seaport until the growth of Abidjan from the...
to the east.
The towns of
Songon-References:*This article was initially created from French Wikipedia...
,
BingervilleBingerville is a city in south eastern Côte d'Ivoire, lying on the Ébrié Lagoon. Originally a market town, it grew as the capital of the then colony from 1909 until 1934. It is named after Louis-Gustave Binger, a former French colonial governor...
and
AnyamaAnyama is a suburb of the Côte d'Ivoire capital of Abidjan, lying around 20 km north of the city. It has its own football club, the Rio Sport d'Anyama, and a population of roughly 100,000. Ivory coast football internationals Gervinho and Arouna Koné were born in Anyama....
were incorporated in 2001 into the Department of Abidjan.
Origin of the name "Abidjan"
According to
oral traditionOral tradition and oral lore is cultural material and traditions transmitted orally from one generation to another. The messages or testimony are verbally transmitted in speech or song and may take the form, for example, of folktales, sayings, ballads, songs, or chants...
ÉbriéThe Ebrié are an Akan people people living in the Abidjan region of Côte d'Ivoire.The lagoon separating the Plateau neighborhood from the rest of the city is often called the Ebrié lagoon. The Ebrié represent approximately 0.7% of the country's population....
reported in the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Côte d'Ivoire, the name of Abidjan, Abidjan at the time, was invented as a misunderstanding. A legend narrated that an old man returning from his farm with his arm filled with branches probably intended to repair the roof of his house, met him on his way to ruin a European explorer who asked him the name of the nearest village. The old man did not speak the language of the white man thought he understood that he wondered what he was doing in those places. Terrorized by this unexpected meeting, he fled shouting "min-chan m'bidjan", which means language Ébrié: "I just cut the leaves." The white man thought he had the answer to his question carefully and wrote down on his notepad
Abidjan.
A slightly different and less elaborate version of the legend: When the first colonists asked a native man the name of the place, the man misunderstood and replied "M'bi min djan": "I've just been cutting leaves".
Colonial era
Abidjan was originally a small fishing village. In 1896, following a series of deadly
yellow feverYellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease. The virus is a 40 to 50 nm enveloped RNA virus with positive sense of the Flaviviridae family....
epidemics, the French colonists who first settled in Bassam decided to move to a safer place. Their movement was followed by the colonial government created in 1899, although nearby
BingervilleBingerville is a city in south eastern Côte d'Ivoire, lying on the Ébrié Lagoon. Originally a market town, it grew as the capital of the then colony from 1909 until 1934. It is named after Louis-Gustave Binger, a former French colonial governor...
became capital of the French colony from 1900 until 1934.
The future Abidjan, situated on the edge of the
lagoon n'doupé ("the lagoon in hot water, "future "Ébrié Lagoon"), offered more space and greater opportunities for trade expansion. The wharf in Petit Bassam (now
Port-Bouet Port-Bouët is a town and commune in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.It is one of four communes of Abidjan south of Ébrié Lagoon, the others being Treichville, Koumassi and Marcory. Felix Houphouet Boigny International Airport is located in Port-Bouët...
) south of the town, quickly overtook in importance the wharf of
Grand-BassamGrand-Bassam is a city in Côte d'Ivoire, lying east of Abidjan. It was the French colonial capital city from 1893 until 1896, when the administration was transferred to Bingerville after a bout of yellow fever. The city remained a key seaport until the growth of Abidjan from the...
, hitherto the main economic access to the colony.
From 1904, when
BingervilleBingerville is a city in south eastern Côte d'Ivoire, lying on the Ébrié Lagoon. Originally a market town, it grew as the capital of the then colony from 1909 until 1934. It is named after Louis-Gustave Binger, a former French colonial governor...
was not yet complete, Abidjan became the main economic hub of the colony of Côte d'Ivoire and a prime channel for distributing products to the European hinterland, particularly through the Lebanese community which was increasingly important.
Henri Terrasson de Fougères became governor of French Sudan in 1924, and remained the governor until his death in 1931. One of the main streets of Abidjan still bears his name.
In 1931, Plateau and what became
TreichvilleTreichville is a commune of Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. The commune is known as one of the most lively in the city, specially around the Crossroad France-Amérique. The streets have no name but numbers from 1 to 25. The commune is served by a railway station belonging to the RAN...
were connected approximately at the position of the bridge Houphouet Boigny by a floating bridge. That year, it was first addressed as the streets of Abidjan. It temporarily held the name in 1964, under the leadership of Mayor Konan Kanga, completed by the Americans in 1993.
Abidjan became the third capital of Côte d'Ivoire, after
Grand-BassamGrand-Bassam is a city in Côte d'Ivoire, lying east of Abidjan. It was the French colonial capital city from 1893 until 1896, when the administration was transferred to Bingerville after a bout of yellow fever. The city remained a key seaport until the growth of Abidjan from the...
and
BingervilleBingerville is a city in south eastern Côte d'Ivoire, lying on the Ébrié Lagoon. Originally a market town, it grew as the capital of the then colony from 1909 until 1934. It is named after Louis-Gustave Binger, a former French colonial governor...
by a decree on 10 August 1933. Several villages in Tchaman were then deserted. It is particularly Adjame ("center" in Tchaman), located at the north of the Plateau, which is still the leader of the Tchaman community.
South of the Plateau district (the current central district of the city of Abidjan), the village of
Dugbeo was moved across the lagoon to Anoumabo, "the forest of fruit bats", which became the neighborhood of
TreichvilleTreichville is a commune of Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. The commune is known as one of the most lively in the city, specially around the Crossroad France-Amérique. The streets have no name but numbers from 1 to 25. The commune is served by a railway station belonging to the RAN...
(now Commikro). This area was thus renamed in 1934 in honour of Marcel Treich-Laplénie (1860–1890), the first explorer of Côte d'Ivoire and its first colonial administrator, considered its founder. Instead of Dugbeyo, is the current Treich Laplénie Avenue, the bus station and water lagoon buses in Plateau, and the Avenue
Charles de GaulleCharles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
(commonly called Rue du Commerce).
The city was laid out like the usual colonial towns on the basis of a rather utopian plan. Le Plateau ("m'brato" in Tchaman) was inhabited by settlers. In the north, the city was inhabited by the colonized. The two zones were separated by the Gallieni Military Barracks, instead of the current courthouse.
Near the port and along a petanque, originally named Boulevard de Marseille, facetious settlers who had "borrowed" a street sign of a famous street of Marseille renamed the street Canebière, a sand track. This is the legend behind the first Blohorn oil mills, in
CocodyCocody, is an upmarket suburb of Abidjan, marked by its abundance of mansions. Cocody is where most of the wealthy business people, ambassadors, and other affluent people live...
. A racetrack was built in the south of the city that never stops growing.
Le Plateau in the 1940s, the hotel grew and became Bardon Park Hotel, the first air-conditioned hotel working in francophone Africa.
After independence
After independence in 1960, the old settler town became the administrative center and business headquarters of the Presidency. The axis south of
TreichvilleTreichville is a commune of Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. The commune is known as one of the most lively in the city, specially around the Crossroad France-Amérique. The streets have no name but numbers from 1 to 25. The commune is served by a railway station belonging to the RAN...
, towards the international airport and the beaches, became the headquarters of European and middle-class Abidjan. There, in November 2004, focus was on the anti-French riots and looting. The
CocodyCocody, is an upmarket suburb of Abidjan, marked by its abundance of mansions. Cocody is where most of the wealthy business people, ambassadors, and other affluent people live...
district, famous for a gentleman embodied in film by
Jean Marais-Biography:A native of Cherbourg, France, Marais starred in several movies directed by Jean Cocteau, for a time his lover, most famously Beauty and the Beast and Orphée ....
, which should be a vast indigenous district according to the colonial urban pattern, became an upscale neighborhood including the presidential residence, the embassy of France, Hotel Ivorian (which for a long time, was the only African hotel to have a skating rink), and since 2006, the largest U.S. embassy in Africa. Large areas have grown popular among these clusters, extended by areas of poor housing and poverty fed by the rural exodus and sub-regional immigration.
In 1983 the village of
YamoussoukroThe District of Yamoussoukro is the official political capital and administrative capital city of Côte d'Ivoire, while the economic capital of the country is Abidjan. As of 2010, it was estimated to have 242,744 inhabitants...
(literally the city of Queen Yamoussoukro) became the new political capital of Ivory Coast under the leadership of President
Félix Houphouët-BoignyFélix Houphouët-Boigny , affectionately called Papa Houphouët or Le Vieux, was the first President of Côte d'Ivoire. Originally a village chief, he worked as a doctor, an administrator of a plantation, and a union leader, before being elected to the French Parliament and serving in a number of...
who was born in Yamoussoukro.
Since 1999, Abidjan has been penalized by the political and economic Ivorian disaster. Since the 80s, despite undeniable improvements and because of the negligence of officials, corruption as well as general degradation of the city of Abidjan has been prevalent. In 2006, the mass poisoning of people by pollutants dumped in landfills are illustrations of an inevitable drama. (case of the Probo Koala).
Organisation
Formerly managed by the French "colonial administration", Abidjan became a municipality in 1956, and was divided into administrative areas by lagoons. Its first municipal council was elected on 18 November 1956, and the first mayor in the context of the Framework Law of 1956 was president
Félix Houphouët-BoignyFélix Houphouët-Boigny , affectionately called Papa Houphouët or Le Vieux, was the first President of Côte d'Ivoire. Originally a village chief, he worked as a doctor, an administrator of a plantation, and a union leader, before being elected to the French Parliament and serving in a number of...
. A law of 1978 established twenty-seven municipalities full year in the country. After the application of this new organization, Dioulo Emmanuel was elected mayor of Abidjan on 30 November 1980.
style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 1.1em; margin-bottom: 0.5em"|List of successive mayors
| Date of election | Name | Party | Background | Status |
| 1956 |
Félix Houphouët-BoignyFélix Houphouët-Boigny , affectionately called Papa Houphouët or Le Vieux, was the first President of Côte d'Ivoire. Originally a village chief, he worked as a doctor, an administrator of a plantation, and a union leader, before being elected to the French Parliament and serving in a number of...
|
PDCI-RDA |
Politician |
Elected |
| |
Antoine Filidori |
|
|Industry |
Appointed |
| |
Jean Porquet |
|
|Industry |
Appointed |
| |
Antoine Konan Kanga |
PDCI-RDA |
Politician |
Appointed |
| 1980 |
Emmanuel Dioulo |
PDCI-RDA |
Politician |
Elected |
| 1985 |
Mobio N'Koumo |
PDCI-RDA |
Politician |
Elected |
Since 2001, the city has been run as a department divided into ten municipalities (communes) and with three new sub-prefectures at
AnyamaAnyama is a suburb of the Côte d'Ivoire capital of Abidjan, lying around 20 km north of the city. It has its own football club, the Rio Sport d'Anyama, and a population of roughly 100,000. Ivory coast football internationals Gervinho and Arouna Koné were born in Anyama....
,
BingervilleBingerville is a city in south eastern Côte d'Ivoire, lying on the Ébrié Lagoon. Originally a market town, it grew as the capital of the then colony from 1909 until 1934. It is named after Louis-Gustave Binger, a former French colonial governor...
and
Songon-References:*This article was initially created from French Wikipedia...
. The post of Mayor of Abidjan was replaced by the District Governor, appointed by the head of state. The position has been occupied by
Pierre Djedji AmondjiPierre Djédji Amondji is the current governor of Abidjan, the largest city in Côte d'Ivoire, Africa, since 2002. He is a member of the FPI party.-References:...
since 2002. However, each of the ten municipalities of Abidjan has its own municipal council headed by a mayor. The last municipal elections were held in March 2001.
| Commune |
Mayor |
Political party |
AboboAbobo is a northern suburb of Abidjan and urban commune of this city in Côte d'Ivoire. Abobo is one of the most populated communes in the country with about 1,500,000 inhabitants in an area of 9,000 ha , a density of 167 inhabitants per hectare. It is home to a railway station located on the road...
|
Adama Toungara |
RDR |
| Adjamé Adjamé is a quarter and commune within the département of Abidjan in Côte d'Ivoire, forming a part of the metropolitan area of Abidjan....
|
Youssouf Sylla |
RDR |
| Attécoubé -References:*This article was initially created from French Wikipedia...
|
Danho Paulin |
PDCI-RDA |
| Cocody Cocody, is an upmarket suburb of Abidjan, marked by its abundance of mansions. Cocody is where most of the wealthy business people, ambassadors, and other affluent people live...
|
Jean-Baptiste Gomont Diagou |
FPI The Ivorian Popular Front , known by its French initials FPI, is a centre-left, democratic socialist and social democratic, political party in Côte d'Ivoire....
|
| Plateau |
Akossi Noel Bendjo |
PDCI-RDA |
| Yopougon Yopougon is a town and commune in Côte d'Ivoire.The city is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Yopougon. The diocese's cathedral is the Cathédrale Saint-André in Yopougon.-References:*This article was initially created from French Wikipedia...
|
Gbamnan Djidan Jean Félicien |
FPI The Ivorian Popular Front , known by its French initials FPI, is a centre-left, democratic socialist and social democratic, political party in Côte d'Ivoire....
|
| Treichville Treichville is a commune of Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. The commune is known as one of the most lively in the city, specially around the Crossroad France-Amérique. The streets have no name but numbers from 1 to 25. The commune is served by a railway station belonging to the RAN...
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François Amichia François Albert Amichia is an Ivorian politician. He is a member of the Democratic Party of Côte d'Ivoire - African Democratic Rally . He was the mayor of Treichville and held the post of sports minister and the minister of tourism.In 2002, he was held hostage in Bouaké in the center of the...
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PDCI-RDA |
| Koumassi Koumassi is a town and commune in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.It is one of four communes of Abidjan south of Ébrié Lagoon, the others being Treichville, Marcory and Port-Bouët.-References:*This article was initially created from the French Wikipedia....
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N'Dohi Yapi Raymond |
PDCI-RDA |
| Marcory Marcory is a town and commune in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.It is one of four communes of Abidjan south of Ébrié Lagoon, the others being Treichville, Koumassi and Port-Bouët.-References:*This article was initially created from the French Wikipedia....
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Marcellin Akanda Assi |
FPI The Ivorian Popular Front , known by its French initials FPI, is a centre-left, democratic socialist and social democratic, political party in Côte d'Ivoire....
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| Port-Bouët Port-Bouët is a town and commune in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.It is one of four communes of Abidjan south of Ébrié Lagoon, the others being Treichville, Koumassi and Marcory. Felix Houphouet Boigny International Airport is located in Port-Bouët...
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Hortense Aka-Anghui |
PDCI-RDA |
The communes of Abobo, Adjamé, Attécoubé, Cocody, and Plateau are located north of the Ébrié Lagoon (hence the name "Abidjan North"). This is the continental part of Abidjan.
The commune of Yopougon straddles the lagoon, with part lying north and part south of that body of water. The communes of
TreichvilleTreichville is a commune of Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. The commune is known as one of the most lively in the city, specially around the Crossroad France-Amérique. The streets have no name but numbers from 1 to 25. The commune is served by a railway station belonging to the RAN...
, Koumassi, Marcory and Port-Bouet in Abidjan are south of the lagoon.
Blokosso and Locodjro villages are included within the city and maintain cultural identity in urban areas.
Places of interest
The University of Abidjan, several technical colleges, and the
National Library of Côte d'IvoireNational Library of Côte d'Ivoire is located in Abidjan.It was closed in 2006 because of lack of funding and a new team led by Adjiman Nandoh Chantal has been at work since February 2008 and aims to restore and renew the institution. As of October 2009, 85% of the building is still closed...
and
National museumA national museum is a museum maintained by a nation.The following is a list of national museums:-Australia:*Australian National Aviation Museum*Australian National Maritime Museum*, Sydney*Australian War Memorial*Museum Victoria...
are in the city.
Sights in Abidjan include St Paul's Cathedral, designed by Aldo Spirito, the Cocody Municipal Museum of Contemporary Art and the Parc du Banco
rainforestRainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
reserve. Le Plateau is known for its skyscrapers, unusual in West Africa.
Le Plateau is the business centre of Abidjan. With its gleaming skyscrapers, 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.
Government institutions
The majority of Ivorian government institutions are still located in Abidjan until the end of the transfer of the Ivorian capital Yamoussoukro: the President's office in
CocodyCocody, is an upmarket suburb of Abidjan, marked by its abundance of mansions. Cocody is where most of the wealthy business people, ambassadors, and other affluent people live...
, the parliament, the Constitutional Council, the Supreme Court (Court of Cassation, Council state and the court of accounts), the Chancellery of the National Order. However, the current president,
Laurent GbagboLaurent Koudou Gbagbo served as the fourth President of Côte d'Ivoire from 2000 until his arrest in April 2011. A historian by profession, he is also an amateur chemist and physicist....
, elected in 2000, decided to give effect to the project of making the political capital Yamoussoukro in Côte d'Ivoire, despite the events since 2002. This recent decision is a consensus on the part of the country's political leaders.
Government offices are located in Le Plateau in the administrative district of Abidjan, Boulevard Carde or Angoulvant Boulevard (near the Cathedral of St. Paul of Abidjan), or elsewhere in the great buildings of the town.
Security
Since 2004, when virtually all prisoners of Abidjan (MACA ...) are released from prison, insecurity has increased significantly: increase in crimes and misdemeanors, increased drug seizures. Besides the presence of the police, gendarmerie, the impartial forces (UNOCI whose headquarters are in
Attécoubé-References:*This article was initially created from French Wikipedia...
and a large base to Biétry), French soldiers based in
Port-Bouet Port-Bouët is a town and commune in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.It is one of four communes of Abidjan south of Ébrié Lagoon, the others being Treichville, Koumassi and Marcory. Felix Houphouet Boigny International Airport is located in Port-Bouët...
and the Ivorian army, were created in the 2000 by the CECOS and several private security firms.
In 2007,
Permanent Danger by Pierre Laba a film about the laxity of the police against the banditry in major African cities in the image of the Ivorian capital was out in cinema
Police
Abidjan is divided into districts, each of which has a police station. The municipal police and national police are distinguished.
The police's training center (National Police Academy) located in the town of Cocody, where all police are trained. They are recruited by competitive examination held by the police administration. The policy includes several sections, it is the BAE (Anti Riot Squad), whose base is located in the Yopougon north of the city, the CRS (Republican Security Company), whose main base is located in Williamsville (Adjame) also includes a secondary base called CRS2 which is located in zone 4 in the town of Marcory (central capital).
The Force and CECOS (Command Center Security Operations) accompany the police.
The main base of the gendarmerie is Agban (common Adjamé), another in Abobo and Kumasi, It also has training school "School de Gendarmerie" in Cocody and the city.
Drugs
Since 2000, Côte d'Ivoire has experienced a sharp rise in drug trafficking. The drug dens occur mainly in informal settlements as rail or behind
AboboAbobo is a northern suburb of Abidjan and urban commune of this city in Côte d'Ivoire. Abobo is one of the most populated communes in the country with about 1,500,000 inhabitants in an area of 9,000 ha , a density of 167 inhabitants per hectare. It is home to a railway station located on the road...
AdjaméAdjamé is a quarter and commune within the département of Abidjan in Côte d'Ivoire, forming a part of the metropolitan area of Abidjan....
Bramokoté. Surveys show that the drug comes from Asia responding to a recent spike in demand among young unemployed and Ivorian vagrants. The Ivorian police are increasingly focused on the fight against trafficking and drug use in the district of Abidjan. A report by the Office of the UN says the West Africa plays an increasingly important transit of cocaine to the Latin American Europe. According to an investigation by the commission for the fight against drug trafficking UN, 46 percent of youth in West Africa is dependent on the drug. In May 2007, seven drug houses were dismantled and 191 people arrested including a military officer..
French military base
Abidjan is home to
Port-Bouet Port-Bouët is a town and commune in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.It is one of four communes of Abidjan south of Ébrié Lagoon, the others being Treichville, Koumassi and Marcory. Felix Houphouet Boigny International Airport is located in Port-Bouët...
, one of the six French military bases that still exist in Africa (
DakarDakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...
,
LibrevilleLibreville is the capital and largest city of Gabon, in west central Africa. The city is a port on the Komo River, near the Gulf of Guinea, and a trade center for a timber region. As of 2005, it has a population of 578,156.- History :...
,
BouarBouar is a market town in the western Central African Republic, lying on the main road from Bangui to the frontier with Cameroon . The city has a population of 40,353, while the whole sous-préfecture has a population of 96,595 and is the capital of Nana-Mambéré prefecture...
CAR,
N'DjamenaN'Djamena is the capital and largest city of Chad. A port on the Chari River, near the confluence with the Logone River, it directly faces the Cameroonian town of Kousséri, to which the city is connected by a bridge. It is also a special statute region, divided in 10 arrondissements. It is a...
and
DjiboutiDjibouti , officially the Republic of Djibouti , is a country in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Eritrea in the north, Ethiopia in the west and south, and Somalia in the southeast. The remainder of the border is formed by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden at the east...
). Thousands of people live there, around the 43rd BIMA which is permanently parked in accordance with established defense agreements 24 April 1961 linking the two countries The presence of the French military base on the territory of Ivory Coast.
Diplomacy and international bodies
Abidjan is the regional headquarters of major international institutions: UNICEF, UN Development Program,
World Health OrganizationThe World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
, World Food Program, UNOPS, UNFPA,
International Labour OrganizationThe International Labour Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that deals with labour issues pertaining to international labour standards. Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland. Its secretariat — the people who are employed by it throughout the world — is known as the...
(ILO),
International Monetary FundThe International Monetary Fund is an organization of 187 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world...
(IMF), etc.
The great nations of the world all have representation in Abidjan, most of which serve sub-region
The American Embassy is located in Côte d'Ivoire while the
African Development BankThe African Development Bank Group is a development bank established in 1964 with the intention of promoting economic and social development in Africa...
(ADB) moved for a while to
TunisiaTunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
, which is the largest financial institution in Africa.
Sister cities
Abidjan is sister cities with:
-
Tianjin' is a metropolis in northern China and one of the five national central cities of the People's Republic of China. It is governed as a direct-controlled municipality, one of four such designations, and is, thus, under direct administration of the central government...
, China
- Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
, France
-
São PauloSão Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
, Brazil
- San Francisco, US
- Alfortville
Alfortville is a commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.-History:The commune of Alfortville was created on 1 April 1885 by detaching its territory from the commune of Maisons-Alfort.-Transport:...
, France (twinned with cocodyCocody, is an upmarket suburb of Abidjan, marked by its abundance of mansions. Cocody is where most of the wealthy business people, ambassadors, and other affluent people live...
)
-
KumasiKumasi is a city in southern central Ghana's Ashanti region. It is located near Lake Bosomtwe, in the Rain Forest Region about northwest of Accra. Kumasi is approximately north of the Equator and north of the Gulf of Guinea...
, Ghana (twinned with TreichvilleTreichville is a commune of Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. The commune is known as one of the most lively in the city, specially around the Crossroad France-Amérique. The streets have no name but numbers from 1 to 25. The commune is served by a railway station belonging to the RAN...
)
-
Pontault-CombaultPontault-Combault is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located in the eastern suburbs of Paris from the center.-History:...
, France (twinned with AnyamaAnyama is a suburb of the Côte d'Ivoire capital of Abidjan, lying around 20 km north of the city. It has its own football club, the Rio Sport d'Anyama, and a population of roughly 100,000. Ivory coast football internationals Gervinho and Arouna Koné were born in Anyama....
)
Miscellaneous
In the 1980s,
Jean-Bédel BokassaJean-Bédel Bokassa , a military officer, was the head of state of the Central African Republic and its successor state, the Central African Empire, from his coup d'état on 1 January 1966 until 20 September 1979...
took refuge after his ouster from power in the Central Africa Republic.
Society
The 1998 Census revealed Abidjan's population to be 2,877,923. Estimates for the population of the Abidjan metropolitan area 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 areaThe term metropolitan area refers to a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories, sharing industry, infrastructure, and housing. A metropolitan area usually encompasses multiple jurisdictions and municipalities: neighborhoods, townships,...
, which is the third-largest French speaking metropolitan area in the world after Paris and
KinshasaKinshasa is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The city is located on the Congo River....
. 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 one of only two areas in Africa where French (colloquial Abidjan French) is truly a native tongue, the other one being
LibrevilleLibreville is the capital and largest city of Gabon, in west central Africa. The city is a port on the Komo River, near the Gulf of Guinea, and a trade center for a timber region. As of 2005, it has a population of 578,156.- History :...
, Gabon.
Demographics
The figures as of 2006 estimate the Abidjanaise population at 3,796,677. In 2006, the metropolitan area of Abidjan had 5,060,858 inhabitants. This population increase can be attributed to the displacement caused by the war (since September 2002). This city has many inhabitants who come to live downtown because they seek employment and safer lodgings.
style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 1.1em; margin-bottom: 0.5em"|Demographic evolution
| 1920 | 1946 | 1970 | 1978 | 1998 | 2003 |
| 1,000 |
48,000 |
500,000 |
1,200,000 |
3,125,890 |
3,660,682 |
| Numbers since 1920: Population without duplication |
By 1950, Abidjan had just exceeded a population of 50,000 (at the end of 1948). Reaching a population of a million by the end of 1975, the city grew at a rate of 10 to 12% per year: a doubling every 6 or 7 years. However, this growth underwent a sharp decline due to the crises of the 1980s and 1990s. In the last 20 years of the 20th century, the growth rate dropped to 3–6%. Growth by birth rate was supplemented by migration, with the influx being substantial and the outflow only partly compensating the arrivals. Positive migration, prior to the census of 1988, contributed a growth of about 80,000 with 50,000 people from within Côte d'Ivoire, and about 30,000 from abroad per year. From within Côte d'Ivoire, the migration pattern was dominated by
AkanThe Akan people are an ethnic group found predominately in Ghana and The Ivory Coast. Akans are the majority in both of these countries and overall have a population of over 20 million people.The Akan speak Kwa languages-Origin and ethnogenesis:...
(South-east, 48%), then Mandé (North-west, 24%) and Krou (South-west, 20%). From abroad, the migration was
BurkinabesBurkina 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...
(30%),
MaliMali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
ans (22%),
GhanaGhana , 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...
ians (19%),
NigerNiger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
ien (11%), and
GuineaGuinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
ns (9%). It should be noted that of the Non-African migration, Lebanese migration exceeded that of Europeans, with the French being largest of these. All in all, non-African migration represents hardly 3% of the total population of Abidjan, which is still the highest in the area.
The last population census in the country took place in 1998. It presented 2,877,948 inhabitants for the city.
The figures for 2006 estimated the population of Abidjan to 3,796,677 inhabitants, while the larger metropolitan area of Abidjan had 5,060,858 inhabitants. This population increase is mainly due to war-displaced since the events of September 2002. The town hosts many people in search of both jobs and a more secure
It planned to hold a new census in 2008.
Languages
The traditional language of the city was
ÉbriéThe Ebrié are an Akan people people living in the Abidjan region of Côte d'Ivoire.The lagoon separating the Plateau neighborhood from the rest of the city is often called the Ebrié lagoon. The Ebrié represent approximately 0.7% of the country's population....
. Since independence, the
official languageAn official language is a language that is given a special legal status in a particular country, state, or other jurisdiction. Typically a nation's official language will be the one used in that nation's courts, parliament and administration. However, official status can also be used to give a...
in Abidjan and throughout Côte d'Ivoire is French. French spoken in Abidjan is called French or French Ivorian Popular moussa. This differs from the standard French pronunciation. Another form of spoken French in Abidjan is nouchi which is a kind of popular slang in youth. The lingua franca, spoken and understood by most of the trading population of Abidjan, is the
DioulaJula is a Mande language spoken in Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire and Mali. It is one of the Manding languages, and is most closely related to Bambara, being mutually intelligible with Bambara as well as Malinke. It is a trade language in West Africa and is spoken by millions of people, either as a...
. Finally, the city hosts many Ivorians from all over the country, all the vernacular languages of the country, about sixty, are spoken the l'attié, le baoulé, le bété, le wobé
Abidjan is still surrounded by more than thirty villages where primarily Baulé and Ébrié are spoken.
Education
In Côte d'Ivoire, the enrollment rate is 74 percent and access to secondary education is limited by an entrance in the sixth stage after which 1 / 3 of students is allowed to continue their studies 24percent of the student population resides in Abidjan .out of 20percent of the population. Abidjan is the location of the main educational institutions in Côte d'Ivoire. These includes the Lycée Classique d'Abidjan, the Lycée Sainte-Marie de Cocody Lycée Boy Bingerville Mami Adjoua the Lyceum, the school-Blaise Pascal Abidjan is a French school (mean school French school who signed an agreement with the ADFE.
Health
The city has a care package complete. Besides, many traditional medicine establishments sell old drugs in the street. There are numerous health centers and pharmacies, many pharmacopoeias. The city has more than fifty clinics, and over sixty specialist (veterinary,
dermatologyDermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the skin and its diseases, a unique specialty with both medical and surgical aspects. A dermatologist takes care of diseases, in the widest sense, and some cosmetic problems of the skin, scalp, hair, and nails....
, dental,
optometryOptometry is a health care profession concerned with eyes and related structures, as well as vision, visual systems, and vision information processing in humans. Optometrists, or Doctors of Optometry, are state licensed medical professionals trained to prescribe and fit lenses to improve vision,...
, motherhood, psychology,
pediatricsPediatrics or paediatrics is the branch of medicine that deals with the medical care of infants, children, and adolescents. A medical practitioner who specializes in this area is known as a pediatrician or paediatrician...
, etc.).
Urbanism and habitat
Modern districts like Plateau or
CocodyCocody, is an upmarket suburb of Abidjan, marked by its abundance of mansions. Cocody is where most of the wealthy business people, ambassadors, and other affluent people live...
have developed like those in Europe with the construction of large office towers, apartment buildings between the 1970s and the mid-1980.
Traditional neighborhoods like
TreichvilleTreichville is a commune of Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. The commune is known as one of the most lively in the city, specially around the Crossroad France-Amérique. The streets have no name but numbers from 1 to 25. The commune is served by a railway station belonging to the RAN...
or
Marcory Marcory is a town and commune in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.It is one of four communes of Abidjan south of Ébrié Lagoon, the others being Treichville, Koumassi and Port-Bouët.-References:*This article was initially created from the French Wikipedia....
maintained the system of "concessions" where housing is adjacent to the plant and the system of "court" group of which several houses, within the normal organization and multi centuries-old villages Africans.
The district of Cocody is also home to many single-storey wooden villas, surrounded by vast gardens where there is lush vegetation fed by heavy rains that water the city. Recently, it became "fashionable" for wealthier inhabitants to construct villas in imitation of Greek temples in this district. In addition, many houses were built on stilts on the edge of the Ébrié Lagoon.
The town hall, a fine example of modernist architecture, was designed by architect Henry Chomette.
Problems with urban network
The urban network is disrupted as Abidjan has seen its population double every seven years since 1945. Rural people attracted by the opportunities of the future of the city form the bulk of inward migration. Abidjan represents 45 percent of city dwellers in Ivory Coast and 20 percent of the overall population. However, if a significant rise was observed for half a century, its growth would not have been more than 4.5 percent per year (compared to 10 percent from 1960 to 1990) and we find more than one third of Rural involved in the growth of the city (two thirds from 1960 to 1990). Despite this decline, the city is still the most populated in comparison to the second largest city in the country, Bouaké (1,500,000 inhabitants) or the political capital, Yamoussoukro (100,000 inhabitants)
Urban development control should be regularized as this is the prerequiste for all the urban facilities. There will be no more encroachments and subversiver activities in urban center if the development control is implemented.
Urban squalor
Despite the case of the Probo Koala-2006, sanitary conditions which affect Africa could be solved in Abidjan. Indeed, a contract was signed between China and Côte d'Ivoire: a Chinese company handling urban waste and industrial plans to treat all waste district this transformation also create daily cleaning. The project is funded 60 percent by China and 40 percent by Côte d'Ivoire. A gigantic waste treatment center is built at Attengué. 15,000 permanent jobs and 5,000 seasonal jobs will be created through this project.
Urban rehabilitation
The last building program of roads in Abidjan, led to the consolidation of certain roads in the capital in 1994. Since May 2007, the company Ageroute (Road Management Agency) is undertaking major operations in Abidjan and
AnyamaAnyama is a suburb of the Côte d'Ivoire capital of Abidjan, lying around 20 km north of the city. It has its own football club, the Rio Sport d'Anyama, and a population of roughly 100,000. Ivory coast football internationals Gervinho and Arouna Koné were born in Anyama....
. These works relating to roads badly damaged, suffering from lack of maintenance, and heavy rain events, gutters, roads not tarred. The District and BNETD plan to rehabilitate and construct 400 to 500 kilometers, providing them with a quality 15 to 20 years of life.
Improvements include the rehabilitation of roads in Abidjan and
AnyamaAnyama is a suburb of the Côte d'Ivoire capital of Abidjan, lying around 20 km north of the city. It has its own football club, the Rio Sport d'Anyama, and a population of roughly 100,000. Ivory coast football internationals Gervinho and Arouna Koné were born in Anyama....
, construction of drains, the tarring of gravel roads and sanitation of the city by the construction of sewers. These rehabilitations affect all municipalities in Abidjan:
- In Cocody
Cocody, is an upmarket suburb of Abidjan, marked by its abundance of mansions. Cocody is where most of the wealthy business people, ambassadors, and other affluent people live...
, at a cost of 3 billion CFA francs, was taken to the reconstruction of the Corniche, one of the busiest routes in the municipality. Reconstruction has been extended by the dam of the limit, located at the crossroads of life, to filter all runoff from their waste before they throw themselves into the lagoon.
- At Yopougon
Yopougon is a town and commune in Côte d'Ivoire.The city is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Yopougon. The diocese's cathedral is the Cathédrale Saint-André in Yopougon.-References:*This article was initially created from French Wikipedia...
, the rehabilitation nerve Sand continues with the construction of a culvert 200 feet long designed to slow the streaking wastewater, the main cause of degradation pathways.
- In Abobo
Abobo is a northern suburb of Abidjan and urban commune of this city in Côte d'Ivoire. Abobo is one of the most populated communes in the country with about 1,500,000 inhabitants in an area of 9,000 ha , a density of 167 inhabitants per hectare. It is home to a railway station located on the road...
extent of degradation of the road requires a significant investment in manufacturing and installation of gutters to ensure proper sanitation. The rehabilitation of roads and highways continues.
Economy
The principal stock exchange of the country, the Bourse Régionale des Valeurs Mobilières (BRVM), is located in the city.
Air IvoireAir Ivoire is an airline headquartered in the Immueble EECI in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. It is the national airline and operates scheduled regional and intercontinental services. Its main base is Port Bouet Airport, Abidjan.- History :...
has its head office in Abidjan.
Prior to its dissolution,
Air AfriqueAir Afrique was a Pan-African airline, that was mainly owned by many West African countries for most of its history. It was established as the official transnational carrier for francophone West and Central Africa, because many of these countries did not have the capability to create and maintain a...
was headquartered in Abidjan.
Industry
Major industries include
food processingFood processing is the set of methods and techniques used to transform raw ingredients into food or to transform food into other forms for consumption by humans or animals either in the home or by the food processing industry...
,
lumberLumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
, automobile manufacturing, and the manufacture of textiles,
chemicalsThe chemical industry comprises the companies that produce industrial chemicals. Central to the modern world economy, it converts raw materials into more than 70,000 different products.-Products:...
, and soap. There is also a large
oil refineryAn oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where crude oil is processed and refined into more useful petroleum products, such as gasoline, diesel fuel, asphalt base, heating oil, kerosene, and liquefied petroleum gas...
. Kalys Engineering (www.kalysengineering.com), a US based company presided by an ivorian is initiating a homegrow business in Civil Engineering, Environment and the production of Clean Energy from biomass and Municipal Solid Waste. In the nearly year, Kalys Engineering, in partnership with Groupe Eoulee and US world class companies, will get the Akouedo landfill in the production of the Electricity and/or bio-fuel from an average of 1,000 tons/day garbage dumped over 3,000 tons/day generated by the town of Abidjan.
The region of the lagoons is the most industrialized region of the country.
Its industries are mainly Construction and Maintenance with the presence of major international groups: the furnace SETAO, Colas, Bouygues,
Jean LefebvreJean Lefebvre was a French film actor.-Selected filmography:* La Belle Américaine * La Vendetta * Konga Yo...
, and Swiss Holcim.
There are textile industries with the packaging of the grown cotton in the north either for export or for on-site processing of cloth, canvas, batik clothing and miscellaneous. The textile sector is very dynamic, representing 15.6percent of net investment, 13percent of turnover and 24percent of the value added of Ivorian industry.
There are several oil wells off the coast offshore operations (Côte d'Ivoire is an oil producing country, even if it is not self-sufficient in this area), which leads to the presence chemical industry with refineries pétrole, et un port pour hydrocarbures., and a port for oil. It also works on stones and precious metals for exportation.
The city also has a large wood processing activity mainly at the port by river from the forests of central Canada. It is exported either as natural as
mahoganyThe name mahogany is used when referring to numerous varieties of dark-colored hardwood. It is a native American word originally used for the wood of the species Swietenia mahagoni, known as West Indian or Cuban mahogany....
which was already sold two centuries ago by the English Victorian or in a semi-industrialized: peeled wood, plywood, chipboard.
In the food industry mainly include: the production of oil palm, processing of bergamot and Seville oranges, processing of rubber from plantations in the west, the manufacture of beverages from pineapples, oranges and mangoes, and especially the roasting of coffee, robust type, came from the plantations of the West whose country is the third largest producer, behind
ColombiaColombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
and Brazil as well as packaging and processing of cocoa, including Ivory Coast's, the world's leading producer to
GhanaGhana , 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...
and
IndonesiaIndonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. (37 percent of cocoa and 10percent of coffee products undergo at least one first local processing). Abidjan is also the first African tuna port, and three plants condition tuna primarily for the European market. This activity generates about 3,000 salaried jobs, and is an important source of foreign exchange.
As in all countries of the Third World developing countries, much of the city's economy lies in what economists describe as informal economy with its many "odd jobs".
Tertiary sector
The development of tertiary industry, with the establishment of international commercial banks and the increasing number of service companies of all types, appears to be the trend of recent years.
Abidjan is the main financial center of
French West AfricaFrench West Africa was a federation of eight French colonial territories in Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, French Sudan , French Guinea , Côte d'Ivoire , Upper Volta , Dahomey and Niger...
. The seat of the common purse of West Africa (BRVM) is located in Abidjan. BRVM is mainly dominated by Ivorian firms.
Electricity
The thermal power plant Azito, built in 1997 in partnership with EDF, located on the Yopougon on the edge of the lagoon and facing Ébrié Island Boulay, alone provides 300 MW. Two other power plants, built in 1984 and 1985, are installed in Vridi. Several utilities are installed in Abidjan: SOPIE which is a corporation State, ICE and SOPREL, subsidiaries of the French group SAUR (Côté d'Ivoire produces all the electricity it consumes, and exports to neighboring countries,
GhanaGhana , 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...
, Togo,
BeninBenin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. Its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin is where a majority of the population is located...
, Mali and
Burkina FasoBurkina 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...
through the interconnection.
The production, which increases steadily, and gas storage are provided by two state companies: PETROCI and GESTOCI. A small industry of renewable energy production has also developed.
Telecommunication and ICT
The city has a powerful fixed telephony network of 450,000 lines (in 2004) managed by
Côte d'Ivoire Telecom. Broadband Internet connections, leased lines and ADSL are powered by various providers: Aviso Ivory Coast Telecoms. Africa is Line, Globe Access, Afnet, and as the news portal www.abidjan24.net
Banking system
Abidjan is home to all the representatives of international financial institutions:
World BankThe World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
,
International Monetary FundThe International Monetary Fund is an organization of 187 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world...
,
African Development BankThe African Development Bank Group is a development bank established in 1964 with the intention of promoting economic and social development in Africa...
, BOAD, etc. Banking Commission of WAEMU regional stock exchange securities subsidiaries of major international banks: BNP Paribas, General bank, Crédit Lyonnais,
CitibankCitibank, a major international bank, is the consumer banking arm of financial services giant Citigroup. Citibank was founded in 1812 as the City Bank of New York, later First National City Bank of New York...
,
JPMorgan Chase & Co.JPMorgan Chase & Co. is an American multinational banking corporation of securities, investments and retail. It is the largest bank in the United States by assets and market capitalization.It is a major provider of financial services, with assets of $2 trillion and according to Forbes magazine is...
, Barclays, etc. Sixteen national banks (SGBCI, BICI, etc.) maintaining a network of 170 branches, seven financial institutions and more than thirty insurance companies make a financial competitive Abidjan that animates the entire West Africa.
Transportation
Trains on the line to
OuagadougouOuagadougou 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...
run from several stations in the city, the most important being in Treichville. Ferries link Treichville, Abobo-Doumé and Le Plateau.
Felix Houphouet Boigny International AirportPort Bouet Airport , also known as Félix Houphouët-Boigny International Airport, is located 16 kilometres southeast of Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.The airport was one of many hubs for multi-national airline Air Afrique.- Airlines and destinations:...
serves the city.
Transport
SOTRA (Abidjan Transport Company) ensure regular urban transportation in Abidjan via bus, taxi and luggage Line Express.
Sotra has announced the start of work for the use of light rail to Abidjan. The project has three phases at a cost of 125 billion CFA francs for a long loop of 32 km.
Taxis
It is very difficult to imagine the streets of the city without cabs. There are two kinds: the taxi-meter, color orange, which can travel throughout the city, and woro-woro, yellow and green or blue or orange depending on the commune, which are limited to a neighborhood. They are often used in taxi mode
Airport
Abidjan International Airport has a large capacity that allows it to accommodate all existing large aircraft. Abidjan is located an hour's flight from all the capitals of the sub-region. Abidjan is served by major airlines in the direction of the great capitals of the world. Headquarters of the former multinational African Air company, Abidjan knows a traffic of nearly 900,000 passengers (1995 figure)
Circulation
The District has several paved streets and boulevards linking the towns between them and the District across the country. Abidjan has a network of urban bypasses.
River transport is already consistent with the fishing smacks and the many boat-buses connecting the various neighborhoods of the city thrives plan lagoon.
Abidjan is also the bridgehead of the country's only highway linking the city to the administrative and political capital,
YamoussoukroThe District of Yamoussoukro is the official political capital and administrative capital city of Côte d'Ivoire, while the economic capital of the country is Abidjan. As of 2010, it was estimated to have 242,744 inhabitants...
.
Port
Abidjan has the biggest port in the sub-region (West Africa), which is also the second biggest in Africa; the biggest being in
Lagos Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
. It is a container transshipment port and was opened in 1951 in the presence of the Minister of Overseas and Colonies at the time,
François MitterrandFrançois Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand was the 21st President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra, serving from 1981 until 1995. He is the longest-serving President of France and, as leader of the Socialist Party, the only figure from the left so far elected President...
. Thanks to the 15m deep Vridi Canal, boats with large draughts can dock in the deep-water port.
The Côte d'Ivoire is in the Franc Zone (where the currency is CFA francs), as part of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU). Abidjan is the economic centre of both the Côte d'Ivoire and of the whole region, including
Burkina FasoBurkina 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...
and
MaliMali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
; this is mainly because of its deep-water port, which opened in 1951. The road network in Abidjan (5,600 km asphalted in 1995, compared to 1,000kmm in 1970), which covers the whole region, effectively increases its port activity as 50% of the business from Burkina Faso, Mali and
NigerNiger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
pass through it.
Abidjan receives the bulk of the country's industrial activity; its port alone receiving 60% of ivory park industry. Abidjan's ambitions of oil-production must be noted (off-shore production and especially
refiningRefining is the process of purification of a substance or a form. The term is usually used of a natural resource that is almost in a usable form, but which is more useful in its pure form. For instance, most types of natural petroleum will burn straight from the ground, but it will burn poorly...
and distribution). In 1995 the port received 12 million tonnes of traffic, of which 5.5 million tonnes were petroleum products.
Bridges
The two halves of the city, Northern Abidjan and Southern Abidjan, are joined by the Houphouët-Boigny andCharles de Gaulle bridges. These two bridges are located between
TreichvilleTreichville is a commune of Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. The commune is known as one of the most lively in the city, specially around the Crossroad France-Amérique. The streets have no name but numbers from 1 to 25. The commune is served by a railway station belonging to the RAN...
and Le Plateau.Charles de Gaulle Bridge extends over the immense Valéry Giscard d'Estaing Boulevard which leads to the airport. Unfortunately, their capacity is markedly insufficient, especially during rush hour times or on the occasion of police and military roadblocks, when there is immense traffic congestion. This assessment prompted the government to consider a construction project for a third possible bridge which would be located between
CocodyCocody, is an upmarket suburb of Abidjan, marked by its abundance of mansions. Cocody is where most of the wealthy business people, ambassadors, and other affluent people live...
and
Marcory Marcory is a town and commune in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.It is one of four communes of Abidjan south of Ébrié Lagoon, the others being Treichville, Koumassi and Port-Bouët.-References:*This article was initially created from the French Wikipedia....
. However, due to political upheavals which the country has been experiencing since December 1999, these plans have been suspended, and according to the Minister for Infrastructure of the government under Guillaume Soro, they should have been taken up again in 2008. Yet the project had already been started: people had been relocated and buildings had been destroyed in Marcory, opposite the
Mille Maquis (the famous restaurant
la Bâche bleue was moved).
Trains and trams
The city is the foothold for the region's only railway: the Abidjan-
OuagadougouOuagadougou 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...
line, with stations in
TreichvilleTreichville is a commune of Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. The commune is known as one of the most lively in the city, specially around the Crossroad France-Amérique. The streets have no name but numbers from 1 to 25. The commune is served by a railway station belonging to the RAN...
,
AboboAbobo is a northern suburb of Abidjan and urban commune of this city in Côte d'Ivoire. Abobo is one of the most populated communes in the country with about 1,500,000 inhabitants in an area of 9,000 ha , a density of 167 inhabitants per hectare. It is home to a railway station located on the road...
and
AdjaméAdjamé is a quarter and commune within the département of Abidjan in Côte d'Ivoire, forming a part of the metropolitan area of Abidjan....
. This line only has two trains, the
Gazelle and the
Bélier, and links the two capitals in about 40 hours.
The most recent project in Abidjan is one for an electric train which is promised by the Ivory Society of Railroads (SICF).
The development of infrastructural projects has been envisaged, including a suburban train system in Abidjan which is estimated to cost almost 100 billion CFA francs. This suburban train system would link the North-West to the East and North of the city. The project extends over 25 km of railway tracks which were used by the operator Sitarail, a subsidiary company of the
BolloréBolloré is a French investment and industrial holding group headquartered in Puteaux, on the western outskirts of Paris, France. The company, a paper-energy-plantations-logistics conglomerate, employs 28,000 people around the world....
group. The infrastructural works (tracks, electrification, and civil engineers) have been estimated at 40 billion CFA francs, financed by the State of Côte d'Ivoire and backers (
World BankThe World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
and the French Development Agency). In addition, a BOT concession contract would be given to a private operator, over 20–30 years, to operate the network. This operator will be in charge of the acquisition of railway materials, workshop renovation and the implementation of an organisational system. The concession contract has been estimated at around 60 billion CFA francs.
Tourism
Abidjan is a unique city in Africa. Its nicknames, such as "Manhattan of the tropics", "Small Manhattan" or "Pearl of the lagoons", explain the city's unpredictable and triumphant image. With its accommodation facilities – such as the Golf Hôtel – and sporting facilities, its lively night life, transport and communication lines as well as its impressiveness, it is the perfect city for business tourism.
Abidjan also has beaches around the lagoon, with palm and coconut trees, in the Vridi area, which are very popular at weekends with the picturesque sight of the pineapple and coconut sellers. Nevertheless, the "ban phenomenon", which affects practically the whole of the Gulf of Guinea's coast, means that in this area swimming is not usually allowed.
Generally, in the Côte d'Ivoire, tourism has never really been developed as an economic industry; the country does not appear among common holiday destinations.
Parc du Banco (Banco National Park)
Converted in 1926, this park has 3,000 hectares and ancient "sacred wood" lies at the entrance to the city, in the
Attécoubé-References:*This article was initially created from French Wikipedia...
community, which has been conserved as a relic of the first forest which surrounded the lagoon in the past. A tarmaced road goes straight to the lake at the heart of the park and trails go throughout it. The park is inhabited and there are coffee and
cocoaCocoa bean is the dried and fully fermented fatty seed of Theobroma cacao, from which cocoa solids and cocoa butter are extracted...
plantations.
At the edge of the park, a small river serves as a wash-house where the
fanicos, laundry men, work after collecting the laundry from the whole of the city. It is one of the ‘small jobs’ which exist in Abidjan.
Night life
Overall, the night life in Abidjan is considered to be one of the liveliest in the whole of Africa.
The district has an abundance of night-clubs, maquis, out-door areas and go-go bars. These entertainment platforms provide a musical ‘pipeline’ encompassing mainly DJs, Coupé Décalé and Zouglou, and, in lesser amounts, other local and international varieties.
Formerly containing only local traditional varieties, Congolese music and Western music, Abidjan's night life has experienced a positive cultural disruption in its music since the start of the 2000s, with the arrival of Coupé Décalé.
Indeed, this musical genre was introduced in 2002 by Douk Saga and JetSet, with the help of Sagacité, created a phenomenon which has not stopped spreading and reaching out to the hot nights in the capitals of the sub-region. It has given a cultural identity, globally identifiable, to entertainment ‘Made in Côte d'Ivoire’.
The very popular Zouglou additionally benefits "Wôyô" spaces; furnished and dedicated so that the most famous, the Internat at Fitini's and the Lycee at Vieux Gazeur's, attract ‘zouglouphiles’ the whole weekend.
TreichvilleTreichville is a commune of Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. The commune is known as one of the most lively in the city, specially around the Crossroad France-Amérique. The streets have no name but numbers from 1 to 25. The commune is served by a railway station belonging to the RAN...
, with its many maquis, discothèques and jazz clubs, used to be the liveliest area in the city, but since the end of the 90s Youpougon,
Marcory Marcory is a town and commune in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.It is one of four communes of Abidjan south of Ébrié Lagoon, the others being Treichville, Koumassi and Port-Bouët.-References:*This article was initially created from the French Wikipedia....
and
CocodyCocody, is an upmarket suburb of Abidjan, marked by its abundance of mansions. Cocody is where most of the wealthy business people, ambassadors, and other affluent people live...
have taken over this role.
Religious buildings
The
TreichvilleTreichville is a commune of Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. The commune is known as one of the most lively in the city, specially around the Crossroad France-Amérique. The streets have no name but numbers from 1 to 25. The commune is served by a railway station belonging to the RAN...
mosque, the
CocodyCocody, is an upmarket suburb of Abidjan, marked by its abundance of mansions. Cocody is where most of the wealthy business people, ambassadors, and other affluent people live...
mosque, the Plateau Mosque, and
Saint-Paul's Cathedral in AbidjanSt Paul's Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral located in the city of Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire. The cathedral, which was designed by architect Aldo Spirito, serves as the motherchurch for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Abidjan.Saint Paul's Cathedral served as a refuge for approximately 1,800...
, created by the architect Aldo Spirito and inaugurated by
Pope John Paul IIBlessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
in 1985, make up the city's main religious buildings. The cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Abidjan.
Monuments and museums
- The National Library of Côte d'Ivoire
National Library of Côte d'Ivoire is located in Abidjan.It was closed in 2006 because of lack of funding and a new team led by Adjiman Nandoh Chantal has been at work since February 2008 and aims to restore and renew the institution. As of October 2009, 85% of the building is still closed...
- In Cocody
Cocody, is an upmarket suburb of Abidjan, marked by its abundance of mansions. Cocody is where most of the wealthy business people, ambassadors, and other affluent people live...
:
- The Goethe Institute.
- The Municipal Museum.
- The American Culture Centre (CCA)
- The Ki Yi M'Bock Village (in the Riviera
Riviera is an Italian term originally from the Middle Ages for the coast of Liguria. The term is now more generally applied to any coastal area popular with tourists, particularly in warm areas...
).
- Cocody Museum of Contemporary Art.
- Point d'Orgue, private music education centre
- In Plateau:
- The French Cultural Centre (CCF)
- The Ivory Coast Museum of Civilisations
- The National Museum: presents a collection of Ivory Coast art (statues, masks, jewellery, tools, carved doors, tom-toms and musical instruments from every region in the country). It is free entry, but there is the possibility of a voluntary donation when you leave.
- In Treichville
Treichville is a commune of Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. The commune is known as one of the most lively in the city, specially around the Crossroad France-Amérique. The streets have no name but numbers from 1 to 25. The commune is served by a railway station belonging to the RAN...
:
- The Sports Palace
- The Cultural Palace.
- The Abidjan artisanal centre (CAVA)
Festivals
Each year film festivals are organised in Abidjan: The Clap-Ivoire Festival, the Spanish Film Festival, the Ivory Coast National Film Festial (FESNACI) – the first of which was organised in 2007, the short film festival (FIMA), which has been organised since 1998 by Hanni Tchelley, the Abidjan Israeli Film Festival; the fourth one took place in 2006 in the Goethe Institute.
Abidjan in cinema
Several films depict or are devoted to the city:
- Le Sixième doigt, a film by Henri Duparc
Henri Duparc was an Ivorian film director and writer. He produced and wrote the 2004 film Caramel.-Filmography:* 1969 : Mouna, le rêve d'un artiste...
.
- Bronx-Barbès by Eliane Delatour released in 2000.
- Caramel a film by Henri Duparc with Adrienne Koutouan, Fortuné Akakpo.
- Rue Princesse a film by Henri Duparc with Félicité Wouassi, Akissi Delta, Gérard Essomba released in 1993.
- Danger Permanent a film by Pierre Laba with Michel Bohiri
Michel Bohiri is an Ivorian actor. He was one of the main actors in the long-running television series Ma Famille . He became known throughout Africa for his work on the series...
, Michel Gohou, Adrienne Koutouan, Jimmy Danger.
- Un homme pour deux sœurs a film by Marie-Louise Asseu released in 2007, with Bétika, Jimmy Danger, Michel Gohou
- Le gentleman de Cocody a film by Christian-Jaque
Christian-Jaque was a French filmmaker. He was married to actress Martine Carol from 1954 to 1959.Christian-Jaque was born at Paris....
released in 1964, with Jean Marais-Biography:A native of Cherbourg, France, Marais starred in several movies directed by Jean Cocteau, for a time his lover, most famously Beauty and the Beast and Orphée ....
, Philippe ClayPhilippe Clay, born Philippe Mathevet, was a French mime artist, singer and actor.He was known for his tall and slim silhouette and for his interpretations of songs by Charles Aznavour, Claude Nougaro, Jean-Roger Caussimon, Boris Vian, Serge Gainsbourg, Jean Yanne, Léo Ferré, Jacques Datin,...
, Robert Dalban, Jacques Morel, Gil Delamare, Maria Grazia Buccela, Nancy Holloway and Liselotte PulverLiselotte Pulver , sometimes credited as Lilo Pulver, is a Swiss actress.Pulver was one of the stars of German cinema in the 1950s and 1960s, where she often was cast as a tomboy...
.
- Le virus, a film by Bleu Brigitte released in December 2007, with Fortuné Akakpo, Fanta Coulibaly, Tatianna de M'C Ensira.
Music
Abidjan is a turntable for West African music, and a major producer of musical art in Africa. The city attracts the majority of musicians from the Côte d'Ivoire mainly because of its many discothèques, which allow artists to make their debut and express themselves, record companies and national media. Here are a few examples of the most popular artists to have made their debut in Abidjan:
Alpha BlondyAlpha Blondy is a reggae singer and international recording artist. Alpha Blondy was born Seydou Koné in Dimbokro, Côte d'Ivoire. He sings mainly in his native language of Dioula, in French and English, and sometimes in Arabic or Hebrew...
, Aïcha Koné, the group
Magic SystemA magic system is a set of rules that magical effects in a fictional setting follow. Magic systems are most elaborate in video games and role-playing games, due to the need to balance the game. A common feature to many magic systems is a way to limit the number of spells a magic user can cast.-...
, Meiway, and
Tiken Jah FakolyTiken Jah Fakoly is a reggae singer from Côte d'Ivoire.Tiken Jah was born into a family of griots and christened Doumbia Moussa Fakoly on June 23, 1968 in Odienné, north-western Côte d'Ivoire. He discovered reggae at an early age, assembling his first group, Djelys, in 1987...
, as well as Gadji Celi, Chantal Taiba, Nayanka Bell, DJ Arafat. In the 1980s Myriam Makeba came to the city, when she was not allowed back to her own country, South Africa, as did the Congolese diva Tshala Muana, apostle of the Soukous style of dance.
Since the 1990s Abidjan has had a significant variety of musical styles being exported throughout Africa and the West. These are namely Zoblazo, Mapouka, Zouglou and, since 2002, the Coupé Décalé; the popularity and great variety of these dances make the city a kind of African dance and musical trend capital. Congo-Kinchasa used to be known by this title; with Rumba, Soukous and then Ndombolo.
Abidjan is also considered to be the reggae capital of Africa.
Each year, the city organises the following music festivals:
- Faya Flow
- Les Top d'or.
- Concerto Festival.
- Le Tiercé Gagnant
- The RTI Music Awards.
- Dj Mix Atalakou, organised by RTI Music TV
- International Jazz Festival ofAbidjan (FIJA)
- International Festival of Black Music (FIMNA). Organised every two years, alternating with the International Jazz Festival.
Television and radio
The National Council for Audio-visual Communication (CNCA) is the regulating authority of audio-visual material in the Côte d'Ivoire.
Radiodiffusion Television IvoirienneRadiodiffusion-Télévision ivoirienne is the publicly owned radio and television authority of Côte d'Ivoire. It is financed through a combination of television and radio licences, advertisement, and taxes.-Radio:...
(RTI) is the radio and television broadcasting authority for the Ivory Coast; it is financed by licence fees, publicity and grants. RTI has four television channels and two radio stations:
La Première (non-specialised),
TV2,
RTI Music TV,
RTI Sport TV,
Radio Côte d'Ivoire, and
Fréquence 2 (non-specialised radio).
Radio Jam is a private radio station in the Côte d'Ivoire, and is the station the most listened to by young people.
With regards to private channels, Tam-Tam TV will be the first International Côte d'Ivoire television channel with headquarters in Abidjan, with other studios in the United States, Italy, France, Asia, the Middle East.
There are also several Côte d'Ivoire TV channels or radio stations available on the Internet:
Africahit,
Music TV,
Abidjan.net TV,
Bengueshow, etc.
Press
At the time of the single-party, a political situation which ruled over the country for 30 years like most other West African countries after independence, only one daily newspaper was distributed throughout the country: Fraternité Matin, from the parliamentary group PDCI-RDA, which was founded by the first president,
Félix Houphouët-BoignyFélix Houphouët-Boigny , affectionately called Papa Houphouët or Le Vieux, was the first President of Côte d'Ivoire. Originally a village chief, he worked as a doctor, an administrator of a plantation, and a union leader, before being elected to the French Parliament and serving in a number of...
. The advent of multiple parties in the Côte d'Ivoire in 1999 can be seen in the proliferation of newspapers and diverse publications, of which the majority is published in Abidjan.
Daily Publications
- L'Inter
- Nord-Sud
- Fraternité Matin
- Le nouveau réveil
- Notre Voie
- Le Front
- Le National
- Le Temps
- Le Jour
- Le Patriote
- Le Matin d'Abidjan
- Le Courrier d'Abidjan
- Ivoir' Soir
- Soir Info
- 24 heures
|
|
|
Daily Sports Publications
Weekly Publications
- Gbich (journal satirique
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
)
- La Nouvelle République
- Le Démocrate
- Top Visage
Monthly Publications
|
|
Internet and digital TV
The President, the Prime Minister, the government and ministers have an official website.
- The web portal Abidjan.net, which is domiciled in California in the U.S., broadcasts information about the city and the country all over the world. In the "global village" organisation, Abidjan has an Internet node and the number of internet-cafés there is increasing at an exponential rate, like the number of Internet users, which was estimated in 2007 to be 400,000.
- The web portal Abidjan24.net, which is domiciled in Abidjan in the Côte d'Ivoire, broadcasts information about the city and the country all over the world.
Television channels
- There is only one public state-owned channel (RTI
Radiodiffusion-Télévision ivoirienne is the publicly owned radio and television authority of Côte d'Ivoire. It is financed through a combination of television and radio licences, advertisement, and taxes.-Radio:...
), which is also in charge of radio.
- Channel 2 (TV2): in progress.
- Private channels and international radio: undeveloped, non-existent.
- Local radio stations: localised regional nature stations, not accessible out of the country.
Dance
- Urban Dance Festival.
- Hip-hop is back. The 2007 show was on the 21 April, and Diam's and Rageman were guests. It took place on two stages at the Las Palmas Complex.
Fashion
Several fashion events are organised in the city each year: "Les Féeries" (The Fairies), the ceremonies for Miss Côte d'Ivoire, Miss Abidjan District, Miss Christmas (from 6–11 years) and Miss Awoulaba (very prestigious). Moreover, the Yéhé Fashion Show takes place every year, a celebration of African fashion, and the International Festival of Lingerie and Beauty of Abidjan (FILBA).
Abidjan is also the headquarters for Côte d'Ivoire's clothes designers, renowned for being the best in Africa; including Gilles Touré (designer for Miss Côte d'Ivoire) or even Pathéo.
Miscellaneous
- Climbie Beach Festival
- International Cartoon Festival,.
- International Comedy Festival (FIRA) organised by Adama Dahico.
Sport
Côte d'Ivoire national sport (basketball, athletics,
rugbyRugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
,
handballHandball is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each pass a ball to throw it into the goal of the other team...
, volleyball, etc.), especially football, is very popular in Abidjan. Abidjan is home to the
ASEC MimosasThe Académie Sportive des Employés de Commerce Mimosas is an Ivorian football club based in Abidjan. The club is also known as ASEC Mimosas Abidjan and ASEC Abidjan, especially in international club competitions. Founded in 1948, they are the most successful side in Ivorian football, having won...
football club, one of the country's leading football clubs followed by Africa Sport National.
Football
- Ivory Coast Football Federation (FIF)
- Professional Clubs
| Club |
Stadium |
Founded in |
Titles |
Cups |
F. H.-B. Cups |
ASEC MimosasThe Académie Sportive des Employés de Commerce Mimosas is an Ivorian football club based in Abidjan. The club is also known as ASEC Mimosas Abidjan and ASEC Abidjan, especially in international club competitions. Founded in 1948, they are the most successful side in Ivorian football, having won...
|
Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny, nicknamed "le Félicia", is a multi-purpose stadium, which can host football, rugby and athletics, in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. It is the national stadium of the Côte d'Ivoire national football team. It is named after the first president of the country, Félix...
|
1948 |
22 |
14 |
11 |
| Africa Sports |
Stade Robert Champroux Stade Robert Champroux is a multi-use stadium in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. It is currently used mostly for football matches. It serves as a home ground of Jeunesse Club d'Abidjan, Stade d'Abidjan and Stella Club d'Adjamé. The stadium holds 20,000 people....
|
1947 |
14 |
13 |
10 |
Stade d'AbidjanStade d'Abidjan is an Ivorian football club based in Abidjan.-History:It was founded in 1936 as ASFI Abidjan after fusion with PIC and OC Abidjan and called U.S.F. Abidjan, before was renamed in Olympique Club Abidjan, since 1959 played as Stade d'Abidjan...
|
Stade Municipal d'Abidjan Stade Municipal d'Abidjan is a multi-use stadium in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of Stade d'Abidjan of the Côte d'Ivoire Premier Division. The stadium has a capacity of 9,000 spectators....
|
1936 |
5 |
5 |
1 |
Stella Club d'AdjaméStella Club d'Adjamé is an Ivorian football club based in Abidjan.-History:It was founded in 1953 in a fusion between Red Star, Etoile d'Adjamé and US Bella...
|
Stade Auguste Denise |
1953 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
| Société Omnisports de l'Armée Société Omnisports de l'Armée is an Ivorian football club based in Yamoussoukro. The club is a member of the Fédération Ivoirienne de Football Premiere Division...
|
Stade Robert Champroux Stade Robert Champroux is a multi-use stadium in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. It is currently used mostly for football matches. It serves as a home ground of Jeunesse Club d'Abidjan, Stade d'Abidjan and Stella Club d'Adjamé. The stadium holds 20,000 people....
|
1932 |
|
1 |
1 |
Jeunesse AbidjanJeunesse Club d'Abidjan is an Ivorian football club based in Abidjan.-History:It was founded in 1932. They play at the Stade Robert Champroux...
|
Stade Robert Champroux Stade Robert Champroux is a multi-use stadium in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. It is currently used mostly for football matches. It serves as a home ground of Jeunesse Club d'Abidjan, Stade d'Abidjan and Stella Club d'Adjamé. The stadium holds 20,000 people....
|
1932 |
|
1 |
|
| FC Satellite |
Stade Imam Ali Timité |
|
|
|
| EFYM |
|
1997 |
|
|
|
| Rio-Sports d'Anyama |
Parc des sports de Rio |
1990 |
|
|
|
- Each year a 7-a-side football tournament is organised: the Festival of Maracana d'Abidjan (FESTMA) which takes place in Yopougon
Yopougon is a town and commune in Côte d'Ivoire.The city is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Yopougon. The diocese's cathedral is the Cathédrale Saint-André in Yopougon.-References:*This article was initially created from French Wikipedia...
.
- Following the undeniable success of the "Football Academy" created by Jean-Marc Guillou (Académie Sol Béni), from which several old members have rejoined professional European clubs, several football training centres for young footballers have developed in recent years: the Cyril Domoraud Centre, Labo foot in Yopougon
Yopougon is a town and commune in Côte d'Ivoire.The city is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Yopougon. The diocese's cathedral is the Cathédrale Saint-André in Yopougon.-References:*This article was initially created from French Wikipedia...
, the Centre ivoirien de formation de football d'Abidjan (CIFFA), l'Étoile Scientifique Football Abidjan (ESFA), etc.
Events :
The main football event organised in Abidjan was the 1984
African Cup of NationsThe Africa Cup of Nations, also referred to as the African Cup of Nations or African Nations Cup, officially CAN , is the main international association football competition in Africa. It is sanctioned by the Confederation of African Football , and was first held in 1957. Since 1968, it has been...
and one of the finals of the 1983 African Youth Cup of Nations.
In 1964 the Jeux d'Abidjan took place in Abidjan, as did the final of the African Cup Winners’ Cup in 1975, 1980, 1983 and 1990, then another in 1992 under the name of CAF Confederations Cup. The
Stade Félix Houphouët-BoignyStade Félix Houphouët-Boigny, nicknamed "le Félicia", is a multi-purpose stadium, which can host football, rugby and athletics, in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. It is the national stadium of the Côte d'Ivoire national football team. It is named after the first president of the country, Félix...
was the host of the very first African Super Cup in 1992, and the second in 1998. The finals of the 1966, 1986, 1995 and 1998
CAF Champions LeagueThe CAF Champions League is an annual international club football competition run by the Confederation of African Football . The top club sides from Africa's football leagues are invited to participate in this competition, which is the premier club football competition on the continent and the...
also took place in Abidjan.
The economic capital also attracted other football events such as the Assumption Tournament (the first one taking place in 2007 in the
Stade Robert ChamprouxStade Robert Champroux is a multi-use stadium in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. It is currently used mostly for football matches. It serves as a home ground of Jeunesse Club d'Abidjan, Stade d'Abidjan and Stella Club d'Adjamé. The stadium holds 20,000 people....
), the West African Club Championship (UFOA Cup), and international gala matches.
Other sports
Basketball
- Côte d'Ivoire Basketball Federation
- Clubs : Abidjan Basket Club, Club sportif Abidjanais, ASEC Mimosas (basket-ball), Phénix Basket Club de Cocody
Cocody, is an upmarket suburb of Abidjan, marked by its abundance of mansions. Cocody is where most of the wealthy business people, ambassadors, and other affluent people live...
and Génération Basket-ball Club (GBC) which is a new club of young volunteers who want to become basketball players.
Rugby
- Côte d'Ivoire Rugby Federation
-
Clubs : Abidjan University Club
, TreichvilleTreichville is a commune of Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. The commune is known as one of the most lively in the city, specially around the Crossroad France-Amérique. The streets have no name but numbers from 1 to 25. The commune is served by a railway station belonging to the RAN...
Biafra Olympic
Abidjan is the centre of Ivorian rugby, and most of the
Côte d'Ivoire national rugby union teamThe Ivory Coast national rugby union team, nicknamed Les Éléphants, represents Côte d'Ivoire in rugby union. The team is recognised as Ivory Coast by the International Rugby Board...
have come from here. Although the origins of Ivorian rugby go back to the 1960s and earlier, real growth came about when the paid French official Jean-François Turon managed to get the game adopted by Abidjan University at the turn of the 1980s, but it is François Dali who is seen as the father of Ivorian rugby, and his son was the national captain during the 1990s.
Cycling
- Côte d'Ivoire Cycling Federation
- Clubs : ASFA Moossou, Club cycliste d'Azagui, AS Cavel de Koumassi
Koumassi is a town and commune in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.It is one of four communes of Abidjan south of Ébrié Lagoon, the others being Treichville, Marcory and Port-Bouët.-References:*This article was initially created from the French Wikipedia....
, Cycliste club de l'océan, and the Club cycliste de Yopougon Yopougon is a town and commune in Côte d'Ivoire.The city is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Yopougon. The diocese's cathedral is the Cathédrale Saint-André in Yopougon.-References:*This article was initially created from French Wikipedia...
Tennis
- Côte d'Ivoire Tennis qui a organisé, which organised the first International Tennis tournament CEDEAO in 2007
-
Clubs : Seamen's Club
, SGBCI Tennis Club
, Tennis Club Hotel Ivoire
, Sporting Club 2 Plateaux
, Palm Club Abidjan Tennis
, and the Lycée technique Abidjan Tennis Club
Judo
Côte d'Ivoire Federation of Judo and Related Disciplines
which organised the 15th Abidjan Tournament in 2007'.
Athletics
Côte d'Ivoire Atheltics Federation.
Clubs : Club d'Attécoubé-References:*This article was initially created from French Wikipedia...
and Club de Yopougon Yopougon is a town and commune in Côte d'Ivoire.The city is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Yopougon. The diocese's cathedral is the Cathédrale Saint-André in Yopougon.-References:*This article was initially created from French Wikipedia...
Boxing
- Club : SOA Boxing Club d'Abidjan
Golf
- Côte d'Ivoire Golf Federation
-
Club:
Ivoire Golf Club
Facilities
- Stadiums : Stade INJS, Stade Municipal d'Abidjan
Stade Municipal d'Abidjan is a multi-use stadium in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of Stade d'Abidjan of the Côte d'Ivoire Premier Division. The stadium has a capacity of 9,000 spectators....
, Stade Municipal de Man FC, Stade Félix Houphouët-BoignyStade Félix Houphouët-Boigny, nicknamed "le Félicia", is a multi-purpose stadium, which can host football, rugby and athletics, in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. It is the national stadium of the Côte d'Ivoire national football team. It is named after the first president of the country, Félix...
, Parc des Sports de Treichville, Stade Robert ChamprouxStade Robert Champroux is a multi-use stadium in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. It is currently used mostly for football matches. It serves as a home ground of Jeunesse Club d'Abidjan, Stade d'Abidjan and Stella Club d'Adjamé. The stadium holds 20,000 people....
, Stade du Port autonome d'Abidjan.
- Other facilities: Omnisport Palace in Treichville
Treichville is a commune of Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. The commune is known as one of the most lively in the city, specially around the Crossroad France-Amérique. The streets have no name but numbers from 1 to 25. The commune is served by a railway station belonging to the RAN...
- Olympic Complex: with 80,000 to 100,000 seats is being planned, thanks to the Ivory Coast managers’ desire to provide the "Elephants" with a better national stadium. The complex will have, in addition to areas for all different Olympic disciplines (football, athletics, swimming, etc.), restaurants, shops, auditoriums, conference rooms, a hotel for the "sidelined" sportspeople, and training areas. Since the sudden increase in Côte d'Ivoire football, the Côte d'Ivoire State believes that the national team deserves a better stadium. Indeed, there is a problem with the "Félicia": it is impossible to increase its size due to its location in Le Plateau. The project for the new complex was suspended because of a lack of investors and the political situation which the country has been experiencing since December 1999.
External links