Abidjan, Ivory Coast
Abidjan is Côte d'Ivoire's economic capital and largest city — often called 'the Paris of West Africa'. Though Yamoussoukro holds official capital status, Abidjan is the diplomatic, financial and cultural hub of francophone West Africa.
Highlights
- St Paul's Cathedral and the Plateau business district
- Banco National Park within the city
- Treichville and Cocody — vibrant cultural districts
- Headquarters of the African Development Bank
History
Founded in 1903 as a French colonial port at the railway terminus, Abidjan replaced Bingerville as colonial capital in 1933. Independent Côte d'Ivoire's first president Félix Houphouët-Boigny moved the political capital to his birthplace Yamoussoukro in 1983, but Abidjan retained economic and diplomatic primacy.
Economy
Abidjan accounts for over 60% of Côte d'Ivoire's GDP and hosts the African Development Bank, the BRVM (regional stock exchange for the WAEMU francophone bloc), and most regional headquarters of French and West African corporations.
Neighborhoods
Plateau is the high-rise business CBD; Cocody is upscale and diplomatic; Treichville is the lively historic commercial district; Yopougon is the populous working-class western suburb.
Distances from Abidjan
Calculate distance and flight time from Abidjan to other major African cities: