The History of Ivory Coast/Côte d'Ivoire

Ivory Coast, or Côte d'Ivoire, is a country in West Africa. It’s capital is Yamoussoukro while its economic capital and largest city is Abidjan.  Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana are bordering countries to Ivory Cost. It is also bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the south.  French is the official language while several indigenous languages are also widely spoken which include Baoulé, Dioula, Dan, Anyin, and Cebaara Senufo. In all, there are about 78 different languages spoken in Ivory Coast. The major ethnic groups are akan which is the largest, Gur Mande and Krous. The country has sizable populations of Muslims (42.9%), Christians (33.9%) and various indigenous religions (3.6%). 19.1% of Ivorians consider themselves to be irreligious. Early French and Portuguese merchant-explorers in the 15th and 16th centuries divided the west coast of Africa into four "coasts" according to the prevailing local economies. There was the Slave Coast (Nigeria, Togo, Benin Republic), Gold Coast (Ghana) and Grain Coast (Liberia). The coast that the French named Côte d'Ivoire and the Portuguese named the Costa Do Marfim —both, literally meaning "Coast of Ivory" reflected the major trade in the area. A number of important states thrived in the region that now make up Ivory Coast during the pre-European era. There was the Muslim Kong Empire which was established by the Jola in the early 18th century.