Abidjan

Abidjan is the economic capital of Côte d'Ivoire, set along the Ébrié Lagoon on the southern coast of West Africa. The settlement began as a fishing hamlet of the Tchaman people in the 19th century. French authorities gave it official town status at the start of the 20th century.

Soon after, the Abidjan-Niger railway received its coastal terminus at Port-Bouët, tying the lagoon to inland farming regions. French administrators transferred the colonial capital of Côte d'Ivoire from Bingerville to Abidjan in 1934. The Vridi Canal, dug through the coastal sandbar in the middle of the century, let ocean-going ships enter the calm lagoon and made Abidjan a major seaport. The city served as the official national capital following independence in 1960 until the national assembly voted in the 1980s to transfer that title to Yamoussoukro. Government departments, foreign embassies, and judicial courts continue to operate in Abidjan.

Abidjan functions as the principal commercial and financial center of francophone West Africa. The Autonomous Port of Abidjan handles container shipping, fuel imports, and exports of raw cocoa beans, green coffee, and natural rubber. The regional securities exchange Bourse Régionale des Valeurs Mobilières keeps its central office in the quarter of Le Plateau. Industrial plants in the district of Yopougon process timber, canned tuna, and palm oil. The African Development Bank has had its headquarters in Abidjan since the 1960s.

Saint Paul's Cathedral was dedicated in the 1980s with a concrete tower designed by Italian architect Aldo Spirito. Higher education expanded after the founding of Félix Houphouët-Boigny University in the Cocody neighborhood. Sports clubs compete at the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Stadium, where ASEC Mimosas plays domestic soccer matches. In the northern municipality of Attécoubé, Banco National Park preserves a stretch of primary tropical rainforest inside the city limits. Neighborhood cooks prepare garba, a street meal of fried tuna served over steamed cassava granules known as attiéké.