Yamoussoukro has been the new administrative and political capital since 1983, the city is about 230km (143 miles) north of Abidjan. The town has a lively market, an international-standard golf course and several buildings of architectural interest, including the Palace and Plantations of the President and the Mosque. Also of architectural interest but, above all, of statistical interest, is the Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-la-Paix. Fractionally smaller than St Peter’s in Rome, it incorporates a greater area of stained glass than the total area of stained glass in France. Roman Catholicism is a minority religion in Côte d’Ivoire (some say that the Cathedral could accommodate every Roman Catholic in the country several times over). Yamoussoukro was the birthplace of Félix Houphouët-Boigny, who was Côte d’Ivoire’s President for 33 years. The cathedral was paid for almost entirely out of his own pocket. The Abokouamekro Game Reserve is about an hour outside Yamoussoukro.

Sponsored
links



Tickets ads