Ivory Coast Capital

The political and administrative capital of Ivory Coast is Yamoussoukro while Abidjan is the economic capita. Yamoussoukro is located on South Central Ivory Coast, 150 miles northwest of Abidjan, on the rolling hills and plains. In 1964, the then president, Félix Houphouët-Boigny began the process of making Yamoussoukro, then a small town, a city since it was his birthplace. It became the country’s political and administrative capital in 1983. Before 1983, Abidjan was the capital city of Ivory Coast.

Yamoussoukro is the fourth most populous city in Ivory Coast. As per the most recent census carried out in Ivory Coast in 2014, Yamoussoukro District has a population of approximately 355,000 people. However, the population living in the city is approximately 259,000. The population density of Yamoussoukro is 102 people per square kilometer.

Despite being considered a small and quiet city, Yamoussoukro hosts some of the top tourist attraction sites not only in Ivory Coast but also in West Africa. The most notable tourist attraction sites in the city are the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace and the Abokouamekro Game Reserve. The Basilica of Our Lady of Peace attracts a large number of tourists due to its unique architecture and size. It is considered as one of the biggest churches in the world.

The city experiences two seasons, wet and dry seasons. The wet season is usually between the months of March and October. The dry season is experienced at the beginning of November to January. The city receives an average rainfall of 1,130 millimeters per annum. The harmattan is the reason behind the city’s dry season. The Harmattan is northeasterly winds that blow from the Sahara Desert into wet Africa than into the Gulf of Guinea. The winds are usually dry and dusty. The climate can be summarized in simpler terms as hot with minimal rainfall all year round.

This page was last modified on May 1st, 2018

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Published on 2019-11-06


Capital	Yamoussoukro
Languages	French (official), 60 native dialects of which Dioula is the most widely spoken
Ethnic Groups	Akan 28.8%, Voltaique or Gur 16.1%, Northern Mande 14.5%, Kru 8.5%, Southern Mande 6.9%, unspecified 0.9%, non-Ivoirian 42.3% (2014 est.)
Religion	Muslim 42.9%, Catholic 17.2%, Evangelical 11.8%, Methodist 1.7%, other Christian 3.2%, animist 3.6%, other religion 0.5%, none 19.1%
Government	Presidential republic
Independance	7 August 1960 (from France)
Area	322,463.00 km²
Water Area	4,460.00 km²
Land Area	318,003.00 km²
Population	23,740,424.00
Location	Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Ghana and Liberia
No. Bordering Countries	5
Bordering Countries	Burkina Faso 545 km, Ghana 720 km, Guinea 816 km, Liberia 778 km, Mali 599 km
GDP(PPP)	$87,120,000,000.00 (USD)
GDP (Per Capita)	$3,600.00 (USD)
Export Partners	Its major export partners are the United States, the Netherlands, France, and Germany.
Export Commodities	Its main exports are cocoa, coffee, timber, petroleum, cotton, bananas, and pineapples.
Import Partners	Its major import partners are Nigeria, China, France, and the Bahamas.
Import Commodities	Its major imports include fuel, capital equipment, and foodstuffs.
Climate	Tropical along coast, semiarid in far north; three seasons - warm and dry (November to March), hot and dry (March to May), hot and wet (June to October)
Terrain	Mostly flat to undulating plains; mountains in northwest
Learn More	Ivory Coast

Ivory Coast Capital

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