The culture of Côte d'Ivoire is ethnically diverse. More than sixty indigenous ethnic groups are often cited, although this number may be reduced to seven clusters of ethnic groups by classifying small units together on the basis of common cultural and historical characteristics. These may be reduced to four major cultural regions--the East Atlantic (primarily Akan), West Atlantic (primarily Kru), Voltaic, and Mandé--differentiated in terms of environment, economic activity, language, and overall cultural characteristics. In the southern half of the country, East Atlantic and West Atlantic cultures, separated by the Bandama River, each make up almost one-third of the indigenous population. Roughly onethird of the indigenous population lives in the north, including Voltaic peoples in the northeast and Mandé in the northwest. The Akan are an ethnic group from western Africa. ... The Kru are a tribe of people in inland Liberia. ... Upper Volta (French Haute-Volta) was the name of the African country now called Burkina Faso until August 4, 1984. ... Mande (or Manding) is the name of a group of languages which are spoken in several countries in West Africa, including Mandinka, Soninke, and Bambara. ...

This article incorporates Library of Congress: Country Studes