Yamoussoukro

About Yamoussoukro

Yamoussoukro is the capital city of Ivory Coast and an autonomous district. As of the 2014 census, Yamoussoukro is the third most populous city in the Ivory Coast, with a population of 361,893. Located 240 kilometers (150 mi) north-west of Abidjan, the district of Yamoussoukro covers 2,075 square kilometers (801 sq mi) among rolling hills and plains.

Yamoussoukro became the legal capital of Ivory Coast in 1983, although the former capital Abidjan retains several political functions. Prior to 2011, what is now the district of Yamoussoukro was part of Lacs Region. The district was created in 2011 and is split into the departments of Attiégouakro and Yamoussoukro. In total, the district contains 169 settlements. Yamoussoukro is a sub-prefecture in Yamoussoukro Department and is also a commune: since 2012, the city of Yamoussoukro has been the sole commune in the autonomous district of Yamoussoukro.

Stone tools found in the country from hundreds of thousands of years ago show that the area around Yamoussoukro has been occupied since ancient times. Due to the desertification of the Sahara, many moved...

Overview adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA. Photography via Wikimedia Commons.