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History of Ivory Coast

A country on the southern coast of West Africa and the world's largest exporter of cocoa beans. 3 eras, 1710 to today.

Kong Empire, 1710–1898 Draft, not yet reviewed

The Kong Empire, also known as the Wattara Empire or Ouattara Empire for its founder Seku Watara, was a pre-colonial state centered in what is now northeastern Ivory Coast that also encompassed much of present-day Burkina Faso and parts of Mali and Ghana. It established a largely decentralized commercial empire based upon linkages between merchant houses, protecting trade routes throughout the region. Kong rose to prominence in the 1700s as a key commercial center and center of Islamic studies. In 1898, Samori Ture attacked the city and burnt it down.

Seat of power: Kong

French West Africa, 1895–1958 Draft, not yet reviewed

French West Africa was a federation of eight French colonial territories in West Africa. The federation existed from 1895 until 1958. Its capital was Saint-Louis in Senegal until 1902, and then Dakar until the federation's collapse in 1960. Following World War II, the French government began a process of extending limited political rights in its colonies.

Seat of power: Dakar

Rulers

Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, 1960 to today Draft, not yet reviewed

Ivory Coast was traditionally home to several states, including Gyaaman, the Kong Empire, and Baoulé. The area became a protectorate of France in 1843 and was consolidated as a French colony in 1893 amid the Scramble for Africa. It achieved independence in 1960, led by Félix Houphouët-Boigny, who ruled the country until 1993. Its stability was diminished by a coup d'état in 1999 and two civil wars, first between 2002 and 2007 and again during 2010 to 2011.

Seat of power: Yamoussoukro

Rulers

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