Yamoussoukro facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Yamoussoukro
Capital city
From top, left to right: Panoramic view of Yamoussoukro, the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, Yamoussoukro International Airport, Route de Abidjan, and the Hotel des Parlementaires
Seal
Nickname(s):  "Yakro"
Motto(s):  "Solidarité - Paix - Développement" "Solidarity - Peace - Development"
Yamoussoukro Location in Ivory Coast
Country	Ivory Coast
District	Yamoussoukro
Department	Yamoussoukro Attiégouakro
Area
• Total	2,075 km2 (801 sq mi)
• Sub-Prefecture	855 km2 (330 sq mi)
Population  (2021 census)
• Total	422,072 (District)
• Density	203/km2 (530/sq mi)
• Sub-Prefecture	340,234
• Sub-Prefecture density	397.93/km2 (1,030.6/sq mi)
• City	212,670
	(2014 census)
Time zone	UTC
HDI (2022)	0.619 medium · 1st of 14

Yamoussoukro is the official capital city of Ivory Coast. It's also an independent area called an autonomous district. In 2014, about 212,670 people lived there, making it the fifth largest city in Ivory Coast.

It's about 240 kilometers (149 miles) northwest of Abidjan. The Yamoussoukro district covers an area of 2,075 square kilometers (801 square miles) of hills and flat lands.

Yamoussoukro became the official capital in 1983. However, Abidjan, the old capital, still handles many government tasks. Before 2011, Yamoussoukro was part of the Lacs Region. The district was created in 2011. It is divided into two departments: Attiégouakro and Yamoussoukro. The district has 169 smaller communities in total.

Yamoussoukro is a sub-prefecture within the Yamoussoukro Department. It is also a commune. Since 2012, the city of Yamoussoukro has been the only commune in its autonomous district.

History

Early Times

Tools made of stone found in Ivory Coast show that people lived in the Yamoussoukro area hundreds of thousands of years ago. Many people moved south to this area to escape the harsh conditions as the Sahara desert grew.

Colonial Period

In 1929, during the time of French colonization, Queen Yamoussou was in charge of a village called N'Gokro. She was the niece of Kouassi N'Go. The village was later renamed Yamoussoukro. The word Kro means "town" in the Baoule language.

At first, there were good relations for trade and talking. But in 1909, some local people, the Akoué, rebelled against the French. They burned down a French station nearby. A French official named Simon Maurice was saved because Kouassi N'Go helped him.

Because of the trouble, Maurice moved the French military station to Yamoussoukro. The French built a pyramid there to remember Kouassi N'Go. He was killed in 1910 by Akoué rebels who thought he was too friendly with the French.

In 1919, the French station in Yamoussoukro was closed. Later, Félix Houphouët-Boigny became the leader of the village in 1939. For a long time, Yamoussoukro stayed a small farming town. It only began to grow after World War II. In 1950, only 500 people lived in the village.

Since Independence

After 1964, President Félix Houphouët-Boigny started big plans to build up Yamoussoukro. In 1965, he showed leaders from other areas the successful farms in Yamoussoukro. He encouraged them to do the same in their own villages. On July 21, 1977, Houphouët gave his own farms to the government.

In March 1983, President Houphouët-Boigny made Yamoussoukro the political and administrative capital of Ivory Coast. This was because it was his hometown. This was the fourth time the country's capital had moved in a century. Before Yamoussoukro, the capitals were Grand-Bassam (1893), Bingerville (1900), and Abidjan (1933). Most business and money-making activities still happen in Abidjan. Abidjan is officially called the "economic capital."

Yamoussoukro is where the main offices for the Yamoussoukro Department and the nearby Bélier Region are located. However, Yamoussoukro itself is not part of the Bélier Region.

How Yamoussoukro is Governed

Map showing the location of the autonomous district of Yamoussoukro

From 2001, the city was part of the Yamoussoukro Department and the Lacs Region. In 2011, the department was changed. The autonomous district of Yamoussoukro was created and separated from the rest of Lacs. Lacs then became its own separate district.

Unlike most districts in the country, the autonomous district of Yamoussoukro is not divided into smaller regions. Instead, it is divided into departments, sub-prefectures, and a commune. The district includes the departments of Attiégouakro and Yamoussoukro. These departments are further split into the sub-prefectures of Attiégouakro, Kossou, Lolobo, and Yamoussoukro.

There is one commune, which is also named Yamoussoukro. It has the same boundaries as the district. In 2011, the job of Mayor of Yamoussoukro was replaced. Now, a district governor, chosen by the country's leader, is in charge.

Famous Buildings and Places

Some important places in Yamoussoukro include the Kossou Dam. There is also the PDCI-RDA House, which is a political building. The schools of the Félix Houphouët-Boigny National Polytechnic Institute are also here. Other notable buildings are the Town Hall, the Protestant Temple, the Mosque, and the Palace of Hosts.

The Yamoussoukro International Airport is also in the city. In 1995, it had about 600 passengers and 36 flights. It is one of only two airports in Africa that could handle the Concorde airplane.

Places of Worship

Yamoussoukro has many places where people go to worship. Most of these are Christian churches. These include the Roman Catholic Diocese of Yamoussoukro (part of the Catholic Church), the United Methodist Church Ivory Coast, and Baptist churches. There are also Muslim mosques.

Street vendors surrounding a bus in Yamoussoukro

Yamoussoukro is home to the largest Christian church in the world. It is called The Basilica of Our Lady of Peace. Pope John Paul II officially opened it on September 10, 1990.

Transportation

The city is served by the Yamoussoukro International Airport.

Economy

The main ways people make a living in Yamoussoukro are through fishing, cutting down trees for wood, and making perfumes.

Climate

Yamoussoukro has a tropical wet and dry climate. This means it has a long wet season from March to October. It also has a shorter dry season that lasts for the other four months. Like many cities in West Africa, Yamoussoukro is affected by the harmattan. This is a dry, dusty wind that causes the city's dry season.

Even with a long wet season, Yamoussoukro does not get as much rain as Abidjan. On average, Yamoussoukro receives about 1,130 millimeters (44 inches) of rain each year.

Education

The Institut National Polytechnique Félix Houphouët-Boigny is an important school. It was started in 1996.

Sports

Yamoussoukro has hosted big sports events. In 2019, it held the 2019 World Draughts Championship for the game of draughts. It is also home to the Ivory Coast Open tennis tournament.

The city has two football teams: SOA and ASC Ouragahio. They both play at the Yamoussoukro Stadium. Another team, FC Bibo, plays in the nearby area of Kossou.

The basketball team for SOA plays in the country's top league.

Yamoussoukro was planned to host some group stage games for the AFCON 2023 football tournament. These games were moved to January 2024 because of weather conditions.

See also

In Spanish: Yamusukro para niños