Côte d'Ivoire History

History
Côte d'Ivoire formerly called, Ivory Coast, is officially called the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire. It is a country located in West Africa. Côte d'Ivoire's political capital is Yamoussoukro, while its economic capital and largest city is the port city of Abidjan. It borders Guinea and Liberia to the west, Burkina Faso and Mali to the north, Ghana to the east, and Gulf of Guinea (Atlantic Ocean) to the south.

The area became a protectorate of France in 1843 and was consolidated as a French colony in 1893 amid the European scramble for Africa. It achieved independence in 1960. Relatively stable by regional standards, Côte d'Ivoire established close political and economic ties with its West African neighbors while at the same time maintaining close relations to the West, especially France. Côte d'Ivoire experienced a coup d'état in 1999 and two religiously-grounded civil wars, first between 2002 and 2007 and again during 2010–2011. In 2000, the country adopted a new constitution.

The official language is French, with local indigenous languages also widely used, including Baoulé, Dioula, Dan, Anyin, and Cebaara Senufo. In total there are around 78 languages spoken in Côte d'Ivoire. There are large populations of Christians, primarily Roman Catholics, Muslims, and various indigenous religions. 

Timeline
1637 - A French mission was established at Assinie near the border with the Gold Coast, now Ghana 1871 - The defeat of France in the Franco-Prussian War caused the French to withdraw its military garrisons from its West African trading posts, leaving them in the care of resident merchants 1886 - France again assumed direct control of its West African coastal trading posts and embarked on an accelerated program of exploration in the interior 1893 - Côte d'Ivoire became a French colony 1904 - 1958 Côte d'Ivoire was part of the Federation of French West Africa 1917 - 1919 Some 150,000 men from Côte d'Ivoire died in World War I 1946 - The Brazzaville Conference and France's gratitude for African loyalty during World War II, led to far-reaching governmental reforms and French citizenship was granted to all African subjects 1958 - Côte d'Ivoire became an autonomous member of the French Community, which had replaced the French Union 1960 - 1980 In other African nations, the people drove out the Europeans following independence, but in Côte d'Ivoire, they poured in and the population grew 1986 - Country officially changed it's name from Ivory Coast to Côte d'Ivoire 2002 - 2004 The First Ivorian Civil War was a conflict where the country remained split in two, with a rebel-held Muslim north and a government-held Christian south 2010 - 2011 The Second Ivorian Civil War where the country was severely damaged by the war

Links

 * infoplease Cote d'Ivoire maps and history.
 * Country Studies Cote d'Ivoire history.