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Description
Alternative Names: Republic of Côte d'Ivoire; République de Côte d'Ivoire

Ivory Coast (French: Côte d'Ivoire) is a multilingual country with an estimated 78 languages currently spoken. But the official language, is French, it was introduced during the colonial period. This language is taught in schools and serves as a lingua franca in the country.

There are four major branches of the Niger-Congo language spoken among Ivoirians, including the Kwa, Atlantic, Mande, and Voltaic. Language areas correspond closely to the four cultural regions of the nation. Agni and Baoule, both Kwa languages, are the most widely spoken languages in the south. In the north, variants of Mande and Senofu are the most widely spoken, but are also heard in almost all southern trading areas. No single African language is spoken by a majority of the population, and most Ivoirians speak two or more languages fluently.

French is used in schools and business and is spoken more frequently by men than by women. Arabic is taught in Quranic schools, which are most common in the north, and is spoken by immigrants from Lebanon and Syria. Many Ivoirians understand English, which is taught in high school and the National University of Côte d'Ivoire, but English is not a language of choice, even among the educated.

Word Lists
For word list and help researching Ivory Coast records, see:
 * French Genealogical Word List