Yamoussoukro, a town of 100,000 inhabitants located 240 kilometers North of Abidjan, is the administrative capital of Côte d'Ivoire. Abidjan is the largest city and former capital of Côte dIvoire. ... Côte dIvoire (often called Ivory Coast in English; see below about the name) is a country in West Africa. ...

History

Colonial period history

Chief Yamousso, the niece of Kouassi N'Go, ran the village of N'Gokro at the time of French colonization. The village then comprised 475 inhabitants, and was one of 129 Akoué villages. In various forms, France had colonial possessions since the beginning of the 17th century until the 1960s. ...

Diplomatic and commercial relations were then established but, in 1909, on the orders of the Chief of Djamlabo, the Akoué revolted against the administration. Bonzi station, seven kilometers from Yamoussoukro on the Bouaflé road, was set on fire, and the French administrator, Simon Maurice, was spared only by the intervention of Kouassi N'Go. This respected former leader persuaded the Akoué not to wage a war which could only have turned into a disaster. 1909 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

As the situation returned to normal, Simon Maurice, judging that Bonzi had become unsafe, decided to transfer the French military station to Yamoussoukro, where the French Administration built a pyramid to the memory of Kouassi N'Go, Chief of the Akoué, and in homage to Yamousso, N'Gokro was renamed Yamoussoukro.

In 1919, the civil station of Yamoussoukro was removed, and Félix Houphouët-Boigny became the leader of the village in 1939. A long period was passed where Yamoussoukro, small agricultural town, remained in the shadows, until after the war, when it saw the creation of the African Agricultural Trade Union, and first conferences of its Chief. But it was only with Independence that Yamoussoukro finally started to rise. 1919 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Félix Houphouët-Boigny (fālēks´ oofwā´-bwä´nye) ( October 18, 1905 - December 7, 1993) was the first President of Côte dIvoire ( 1960 - 1993). ...

History since independence

After 1964, the President Félix Houphouët-Boigny made ambitious plans and started to build. One day in 1965, later called the Great Lesson of Yamoussoukro, he visited the plantations with the leaders of the county, inviting them to transpose to their own villages the efforts and agricultural achievements of the region. On July 21, 1977, Houphouët offered its plantations to the State. 1964 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... July 21 is the 202nd day (203rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 163 days remaining. ... 1977 was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1977 calendar). ...

In March 1983, Yamoussoukro became the political and administrative capital of the Côte d'Ivoire, after, in one century, Grand-Bassam (1893), Bingerville (1900) and Abidjan (1933). The majority of economic activity still takes place in Abidjan. 1983 is an integer and composite number that represents a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Côte dIvoire (often called Ivory Coast in English; see below about the name) is a country in West Africa. ... Grand-Bassam was the old colonial capital of Côte dIvoire. ... Bingerville is a city in south eastern Côte dIvoire, lying on the Ébrié Lagoon. ... Abidjan is the largest city and former capital of Côte dIvoire. ... Abidjan is the largest city and former capital of Côte dIvoire. ...

Highlights

Yamoussoukro is also the site of what is claimed to be tallest Christian place of worship on Earth: The Basilica of Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro, consecrated by Pope John Paul II on September 10, 1990. There is a similarly-named Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace in Honolulu. ... His Holiness Pope John Paul II (Latin: ), born Karol Józef Wojtyła [1] (May 18, 1920 – April 2, 2005), reigned as Pope of the Roman Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City for almost 27 years, from 16 October 1978 until his death. ... September 10 is the 253rd day of the year (254th in leap years). ... 1990 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Also noteworthy are the Kossou Dam, the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Foundation, the PDCI-GDR House, the various schools of the Félix-Houphouët-Boigny-Boigny Polytechnic Institute, the international airport (with an average of six hundred passengers and 36 flights in 1995, it is only airport in Africa which can accommodate the Concorde), the Town Hall, the Protestant Temple, the Mosque, and the Palace of Hosts. The Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde supersonic transport (SST) was one of only two models of supersonic passenger airliners to have seen commercial service. ...

On November 6, 2004, Yamoussoukro Airport was attacked by French infantry after military aircraft from the airport bombed UN peacekeeper as well as rebel targets and 9 French peacekeepers and one U.S. civilian were killed. Two Ivory Coast Sukhoi Su-25 aircraft and several Mil Mi-24 helicopters were destroyed, which was most of the country's air forces. Mobs tried to attack the French forces after the airport raid. November 6 is the 310th day of the year (311th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 55 days remaining. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the United Nations, for other uses of UN see UN (disambiguation) Official languages English, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Arabic Secretary-General Kofi Annan (since 1997) Established October 24, 1945 Member states 191 Headquarters New York City, NY, USA Official site http://www. ... Peacekeeping, as defined by the United Nations, is a way to help countries torn by conflict create conditions for sustainable peace. ... Su-25 of the Russian Air Force The Su-25 (NATO reporting name Frogfoot) is a battlefield attack, close air support, and anti-tank aircraft designed by the Soviet Union. ... The Mil Mi-24 is a large combat helicopter gunship and low-capacity troop transport operated from 1976 by the Soviet Air Force, its successors, and over thirty other nations. ...