Abidjan City
Abidjan, Manhattan of the tropics.
Abidjan is a city on the southern Atlantic coast of Côte d’Ivoire, in West Africa. It is the country’s major urban center, with skyscrapers rising above the Ébrié Lagoon. It is among the most populous French-speaking cities in Africa; it is recognized as one of the few areas in Africa where French (colloquial Abidjan French) is truly a native tongue. Abidjan is also the largest city in the country and the center of its economic activity. It has officially been designated as the “economic capital” of the country.
Abidjan is composed of northern Abidjan and southern Abidjan. Each has ten formal boroughs or communes, each being run by a mayor. The Northern part has all the modern amenities you want, such as large supermarkets, electronics stores, designer brands, Burger King and KFC, luxury hotels, fancy restaurants, European cars, etc. There is a lot of business here which obviously leads to a lot of money floating around. The other side of the city – people living in high-density housing, selling snacks on the street for 50 cents, hustling every day to get by – obviously exists too. This is the side of the city most people live on. The city is connected by three bridges. Most people, even locals, get around by taxi or private car.
The traditional language of the city was Ebrié. Since independence, the official language in Abidjan and throughout Côte d’Ivoire has been French where the most commonly spoken form of French in Abidjan is a colloquial dialect known as français de Treichville or français de Moussa which differs from standard French in pronunciation and in some of its vocabulary. Another form of spoken French in Abidjan is Nouchi, a highly informal variety used as adolescent slang.
Abidjan experiences a tropical wet and dry climate. The long rainy season from March to July and a short rainy season from September to December, and three dry months (January, February, and August).
Economy-wise, there are several offshore oil wells in operation (Côte d’Ivoire is an oil-producing country), which leads to the presence of chemical industry with oil refineries and an oil port. It also works on stones and precious metals for exportation. The city also has a large wood processing plant at the port by the river. It exports natural mahogany, peeled wood, plywood, and chipboard for the past two centuries. The West African CFA franc is the currency used in the city of Abidjan. It is the currency of eight independent states in West Africa: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Togo. They commonly refer to it as céfa, franc. Read more
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