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ATTRACTIONS
YAMOUSSOUKRO:
This is the new administrative and political
capital, situated 230 km (143 miles) north of Abidjan. The lively
marketed town houses an international-standard golf course and has many
building with unique architectural designs like the Palace and
Plantations of the President and the Mosque. Additional to
architectural interest, the Cathédrale
Notre-Dame-de-la-Paix also
has some statistical interest. Even though it is smaller by a fraction
as compared to St Peter’s at Rome, its area of stained glass exceeds
that of the total area of stained glass in France. Cote d’Ivoire has a
minority of Roman Catholicism (it is said that the Cathedral houses all
Roman Catholics in the country many times over). Félix Houphouët-Boigny
was born in this town who went on to rule the place as president for 33
years. He was the major contributor to the construction of the
Cathedral.
ELSEWHERE:
Abidjan,
the former capital and the largest city has the Plâteau, the central commercial
district. Treichville, with its many bars, restaurants,
nightclubs and colourful central market, is the older of the lot and
more traditional. The Ifon Museum in the city is worth a look.
The suburbs of Cocody, Marcory and Adjame have come up
along the banks of the lagoon. The beach resort of
Assouinde resides 100 kms (60
miles) approx. to the east of Abidjan. There are new places that are
still coming up for the tourists like the Tiagba – a stilt
town; Grand Bassam - with its sandy beaches make it a perfect
weekend retreat for the Abidjans and lastly, Bondoukou – one of
the oldest settlements in the country.
The town of
Man is an attractive town situated
among thickly forested mountains and plateaux. The waterfalls situated
closeby are one of the major attractions of the region; the hikers have
a steep climb over the peaks of Mount Tonkoui. The visits to
the nearby villages of Biankouma and Gouessesso (at a
distance of 55 kms., i.e. 34 miles) are also interesting.
The other
interesting towns are Korhogo, which is the chief city of the
North and is a good centre for fishing and hunting; Bingerville
– the former capital; and the town of Bouake – located central
to the country.
There are
package tours available within the country wherein one also gets to see
the country’s National Parks, like the Comoe in the
North-east and the Banco National Park which is an equatorial
forest, stretching to a distance of about 3000 hectares.
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Capital: Abidjan
Area: 322 462 km²
Population: 14 015 000
Currency: 1 US$ = 600 CFA
GDP: 132/1 668$
HDI : 145/368
CPI : 59/3.1
Languages: French, fon, Yoruba, Somka, Dendi, Bariba, Goun, Adja,
Pila-pila
Ethnic groups: Akan (southeast), Kru (southwest), Voltaic Northeast),
Malinké Mande (northwest) Lebanese
Religions: Animist 60%, Muslim 20%, Christian 20%
H of S: Henri Konan-Bédié ‘93
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