Tag Archives: Cote D’Iviore

The luster pearl–Ivory Coast

Ivory Coast, as its name suggested, is located in the west coast of Africa. Ivory Coast used to be the most prosperous country in the Africa during the Cold War. People saw Ivory Coast as a luster pearl in West Africa in the past time. Although today’s Ivory Coast is no longer the most prosperous country in the whole Africa, Ivory Coast is still a good place to visit for the old cities, historical buildings and incredible natural beauty.

   There are two major cities in Ivory Coast: Abidjan and Yamoussoukro. Abidjan was the capital city in the past and Yamoussoukro is the capital city right now. However, Abidjan is actually the center of economics and culture till now. The whole city Abidjan was built on several small islands and peninsulas near the Ebrie lake. Those islands are connected by bridges, which make Abidjan a beautiful coast city.  Since Ivory Coast was one of the colony countries of France and Abidjan was the main city in the past, Abidjan has a French style. The beautiful streets, fantastic parks and historical universities made Abidjan the “little Paris” in the West Africa. Besides, Abidjan is located on the west coast of African continent, where near the Atlantic Ocean. As a result, the beaches in Abidjan is absolutely fantastic. One of the most famous beach in Abidjan is Assinie Beach. There are clear sky, cool sea water and soft white sands. It’s a perfect place for vacation. It’s not as crowded as Miami Beach and it’s not as expensive as Cancun. Besides beach, the location of Abidjan brings prosperous port economy. Abidjan Port was the biggest port in West Africa and the second biggest port in the whole Africa. If you walk along the port, you can not only enjoy the warm breeze, but also see how prosperous the economy of Ivory Coast was and how they created the “20-year miracle” during the Cold War.

     Another wonderful city in Ivory Coast is the capital city Yamoussoukro. The government of Ivory Coast changed the capital city into Yamoussoukro in 1983. Yamoussoukro started to become famous and dynamic since 1983. One of the most important crop in Yamoussoukro is cacao. There was a famous saying that one half of the cacaos we used nowadays is from Ivory Coast. The plantation of cacao is the core of Ivory Coast economy. Besides the development of economy, the culture and public infrastructure developed a lot since 80s. One of the most famous building in Yamoussoukro is Basilique de Notre Dame de la Paix de Yamoussoukro–the peace Notre Dame church of Yamoussoukro. This church is largest Catholic church all over the world. It was built during 1985 and 1989. It cost the government of Ivory Coast 3 billion dollars to build this church. After 1989, the church became the most famous and hottest attraction in Yamoussoukro. 

    The climate of Ivory Coast is tropical rainy climate, so there monsoon in Ivory Coast. In order to have a wonderful vacation in Ivory Coast, the best time to visit Ivory Coast is late spring. You can have the best travel experience in Ivory Coast if you visit in April or May.

To draw a brief conclusion, Ivory Coast is definitely a fantastic place for travel. Welcome to Ivory Coast.

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Republic of Cote d’Ivoire

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Republic of Cote d’Ivoire is one of the most flourishing counties in Africa; it gains its prosperity from exporting cocoa. Though Abidjan city is its commercial city and its executive central, Yamoussoukro is its official capital city. Generally, Republic of Cote d’Ivoire has tropical climate along its coast, and semi-arid or steppe climate in the north. About the natural beauty, Republic of Cote d’Ivoire has series of lovely beaches along the coast, and magnificent boundless land of rainforest.

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It has three seasons: it has warm and dry season from November to March, hot and dry season from March to May, and hot and wet season from June to October. For its terrain, Republic of Cote d’Ivoire is mostly flat plain; nevertheless, it has some mountains in the northwest part. Moreover, it has total of four regions: Lagunes, Northern Savanna, Southwestern Forests, and Eastern Plantations. Lagunes is in the southeastern part of Republic of Cote d’Ivoire and it is the coastal area around Abidjan. Northern Savanna is in the northern part of Republic of Cote d’Ivoire. Southwestern Forests is the southwestern part of Republic of Cote d’Ivoire and it is the tropical wet forest area, which is currently inhabited by Kru people. Eastern Plantations is in the eastern part of the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire and it is the region where the capital city of Republic of Cote d’Ivoire is located.

In these regions there are three national parks that are on the UNESCO World Heritage list. First, Tai National Park has the largest rainforest in West Africa. It is located in southwest of Republic of Cote d’Ivoire, and it contains wonderful natural flora and threatened mammal species. Second, Comoe National Park is located in northeastern part of Republic of Cote d’Ivoire. In this area, it holds the floodplains around River Come, which it creates grasslands that becomes the food source for the Hippopotamus amphibious. Lastly, Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve is located on the boarders of Guinea, Liberia, and Republic of Cote d’Ivoire. Furthermore, it is the mountain covering in grass, which is the habitat of many gorgeous flora and fauna with endemic species.

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There are many attractions in this country. If you are an adventurous person, there is a 230 meters tall mountain called, “Mount Nienokoue,” which the tourists are allowed to climb; during the climb,you will find spectacular views and exotic animals. If you are not into adventure so much, you can go sightseeing around town by using bus service. In the town, you can shop in many local shops for a traditional wooden mask, or you can eat local cuisine such as, Garba, Alloco, and Attieke. Outside the town, tourist villages, beaches, and photo safaris are the major attractions of Republic of Cote d’Ivoire. For recommendation, you should have a French speaker with you while you are on your trip because French is the official language of this country; though there are many other native dialects such as, Diola, Hamdunga, Gigala, Oloofid, Loftus Africanus, and Ulam.

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After reading all of this, you should already want to visit Republic of Cote d’Ivoire. To visit Republic of Cote d’Ivoire, you can get a flight daily either from Paris, Istanbul, or Brussels, to the Felix-Houphouet Boigny International Airport. Just a friendly reminder, do not forget to contact the embassy for the visa information before visiting Republic of Cote d’Ivoire and do not forget to have fun.