Abidjan is the largest city and former capital of Côte d'Ivoire. In politics a capital (also called capital city or political capital — although the latter phrase has an alternative meaning based on an alternative meaning of capital) is the principal city or town associated with its government. ... Côte dIvoire (often called Ivory Coast in English; see below about the name) is a country in West Africa. ...

Population and language

A 1995 estimate placed Abidjan's population at around 2,793,000. Estimates for the population of the Abidjan metropolitan area as of 2005 vary between 4 and 5 million inhabitants. As Abidjan is inhabited by people from a wide array of different ethnicities, the French language is used as the language of communication in the metropolitan area, which is the second-largest French speaking metropolitan area in the world after Paris. A specific colloquial Abidjan French has even appeared, with a pronunciation and some colloquial words distinct from standard French. The area of Abidjan is recognized as the only area in Africa where French (colloquial Abidjan French) is truly a native tongue. 1995 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section should be merged with ethnic group Ethnicity is the cultural characteristics that connect a particular group or groups of people to each other. ... French (français, langue française) is one of the most important Romance languages, outnumbered in speakers only by Spanish and Portuguese. ... A metropolitan area is a large population center consisting of a large city and its adjacent zone of influence, or of several neighboring cities or towns and adjoining areas, with one or more large cities serving as its hub or hubs. ... The Eiffel Tower has become a symbol of Paris throughout the world. ...

Geography and neigbourhoods

Abidjan lies on the Ébrié Lagoon. The business district Le Plateau is the centre of the city. It lies with Cocody', Deux Plateaux (the richest neighbourhood with big mansions for rich people and diplomats) and the slum area of Adjamé on the north shore of the lagoon, while Treichville and Marcory (also poor areas) lie to the south, Abobo-Doume and Yapougon to the west and Boulay Island in the middle of the lagoon. Further south lies Port Bouët, home to the airport and main seaport. The Ébrié Lagoon lies in Côte dIvoire, separated for most of its length from the Atlantic Ocean by a narrow coastal strip. ... Le Plateau is the business center of Abidjan. ... Cocody is the one of the richest area of Africa. ... A slum is an overcrowded and squalid district of a city or town usually inhabited by the very poor. ... Categories: Stub | Commercial item transport and distribution | Transportation ...

History

The city grew after the construction of a new wharf in 1931 and its designation as the capital of the then French colony in 1933. The completion of the Vridi Canal in 1951 enabled it to become an important sea port. In 1983, Yamoussoukro was designated as the nation's capital, but most government offices and foreign embassies are still in Abidjan. A wharf (plural wharfs, or (especially in American English) wharves, collectively wharfing or wharfage) is a fixed platform, commonly on pilings, roughly parallel to and alongside navigable water, where ships are loaded and unloaded. ... 1931 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... In politics and in history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a geographically-distinct state (or city, in ancient times). ... 1933 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1951 was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... Categories: Stub | Commercial item transport and distribution | Transportation ... 1983 is an integer and composite number that represents a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Yamoussoukro, a town of 100,000 inhabitants located 240 kilometers North of Abidjan, is the administrative capital of Côte dIvoire. ... A diplomatic mission is a group of people from one nation state present in another nation state to represent the sending state in the receiving State. ...

Places of interest

The University of Abidjan, several technical colleges, and the national library and museum are in the city. United States Library of Congress, Jefferson building A national library is a library specifically established by the government of a nation to serve as the pre-eminent repository of information for that country. ...

Sights in Abidjan include St Paul's Cathedral, designed by Aldo Spiritom, the Cocody Municipal Museum of Contemporary Art and the Parc du Banco rainforest reserve. Le Plateau is known for its skyscrapers, unusual in West Africa. Rainforest on Fatu-Hiva, Marquesas Islands A rainforest is a forested biome with high annual rainfall due to the Intertropical convergence zone. ... Taipei 101, the worlds tallest skyscraper by roof height on high rise. ... West Africa is the region of western Africa generally considered to include these countries: Benin Burkina Faso Cameroon Côte dIvoire (Ivory Coast) Equatorial Guinea Gabon The Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Liberia Mali Niger Nigeria Republic of the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville) Senegal Sierra Leone Togo Chad, Mauritania, and...

Industry

Major industries include food processing, lumber, automobile manufacturing, and the manufacture of textiles, chemicals, and soap. There is also a large oil refinery. Food preservation is the process of treating and handling food in such a way as to stop or greatly slow down spoilage to prevent foodborne illness while maintaining nutritional value, texture and flavor. ... Lumber is the name used, generally in North America, for wood that has been cut into boards or other shapes for the purpose of woodworking or construction. ... A small variety of cars, the most popular kind of automobile. ... This article is about the type of fabric. ... Chemical industry includes those industries involved in the production of petrochemicals, agrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, polymers, paints, oleochemicals etc. ... This article is about a common cleaning mixture. ... View of the Shell/Valero Martinez oil refinery An oil refinery is an industrial process plant where crude oil is processed and refined into useful petroleum products. ...

Transportation

Trains on the line to Ouagadougou run from several stations in the city, the most important being in Treichville. Ferries link Treichville, Abobo-Doumé and Le Plateau. Ouagadougou (WAH-GAH-doo-goo) is the capital of Burkina Faso. ... The Pride of Burgundy, a P&O Ferries car ferry on the Dover-Calais route A ferry is a boat or a ship carrying passengers, and sometimes their vehicles, on short-distance, regularly-scheduled services. ...

Culture

The musical group Magic System were founded in the city in the 1990s. Magic System is a musical group from Abidjan in the Côte dIvoire (Ivory Coast), founded in 1996, featuring Salif Asalfo Traoré, Narcisse Goude Sadoua, Etienne Tino Boué Bi, and Adama Manadja Fanny. ... Events and trends Technology Explosive growth of the Internet; decrease in the cost of computers and other technology Reduction in size and cost of mobile phones leads to a massive surge in their popularity Year 2000 problem (commonly known as Y2K) Microsoft Windows operating system becomes virtually ubiquitous on IBM...