Yamoussoukro
Yamoussoukro is the capital city of Côte d'Ivoire (The Ivory Coast). About 200,000 people live in this city. Yamoussoukro became the capital in 1983. Abidjan was the capital before that.
Yamoussoukro | |
|---|---|
 Location within Côte d'Ivoire | |
| Coordinates: 06°49′00″N 05°17′00″W | |
| Country | Côte d'Ivoire |
| Region | Lacs |
| Department | Yamoussoukro |
| Government | |
| • Governor Augustin Abdoulaye Thiam Houphouët | Augustin Abdoulaye Thiam Houphouët |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3,500 km2 (1,350 sq mi) |
| Population (2005) | |
| • Total | 200,659 |
| • Density | 148.5/km2 (385/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC |
History of Yamoussoukro
Before the Second World War, Yamoussoukro was a small city. It was mainly made up of farms. In 1964, the president of Côte d'Ivoire decided to make Yamoussoukro the capital because it was where he grew up. In 1983, Yamoussoukro became the capital of Ivory Coast. In 1990, the Pope opened the biggest church in the world. It is called Basilica of Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro. In 2004, Yamoussoukro's airport was attacked by France because airplanes from that airport had killed 9 people from France.
Important things in Yamoussoukro
Yamoussoukro is famous for the biggest church in the world, The Basilica of Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro. Also, it is very tall.
