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The Ivory coast, or as it's officially known, the Republic of Cote d', Ivoire, is a country located in West Africa. Geographically, it's a small nation known for its agricultural production. Despite its small size, the Ivory coast is one of the most populous countries in West Africa, with a population of 31.5 million people and roughly 78 different languages that are spoken. Despite recent political upheaval, it's become one of the economic bright points in Africa. Learn more about the Ivory coast, its fascinating history and what makes the country unique on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. This episode is sponsored by Quints. I've been telling you about Quints for quite a while now, but perhaps it still hasn't sunk in for some of you just how affordable Quince can be. I went to their website and checked out several prices. A woman's Mongolian cashmere tee, which cost up to $175 from other retailers, is available for just $44.90 on Quince. 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Drop by drop, Fiji Water is filtered through volcanic rock 1600 miles away from the nearest continent in all its pollution protected and preserved naturally from external elements. In this process, it collects a unique profile of electrolytes and minerals, resulting in more than double the electrolytes as the other top two premium bottled water brands, giving Fiji Water its smooth taste. Fiji Water's electrolytes are 100% natural and this water even has a perfectly balanced pH of 7.7. I've recently been trying to reduce my consumption of diet soda and I've found Fiji water to be a great alternative. Visit your local retailer to pick up some Fiji water today for your next backyard party, beach day hike, or even your home. Fiji water is earth's finest water Any discussion of the Ivory coast should start with its geography. The Ivory coast is located in western sub Saharan Africa. It's bordered by guinea and Liberia to the west, Ghana in the east, Burkina Faso and Mali in the north, and the Atlantic Ocean in the south. The majority of the land is agricultural, with about 65% of the country being dedicated to farming. Its biggest crops are yams, cassava and rice, with its biggest export being cacao, of which it is the world's largest producer. Despite the emphasis on agriculture, Cote d' Ivoire is the most biodiverse country in West Africa with over 1200 animal species and 4700 different types of plants. The majority of the country is one large plateau with its lowest point being in the south at sea level and it slowly rising to a its highest point in the north at 1,752 meters or about 5,750ft. The southern part of the country is covered in tropical rainforest, transitioning into savannah in the center. Because of the large amount of rainforest, the Ivory coast has a large timber industry. However, the country is considered to also have one of the fastest deforestation rates in the world. The earliest recorded history about the Ivory coast comes from writings from North Africa which conducted trade with the Romans about 2,000 years ago. However, information is very limited beyond the fact that this region existed. From what we do know, the Ivory coast was part of the Trans Saharan trade route which helped make the region both a commercial center and form the Sudanic empires which included both the Ghana Empire and the Mali Empire. Sudanic in this case refers to the Western Sudan, which should not be confused with the modern nation of Sudan. This is the region of West Africa which is part of the Sahel. The modern day Ivory coast was influenced in part of the various Sudanic empires which was a vehicle for neighboring states and religions to enter the country, specifically Islam. As time passed, the Sudanic empires started declining and new empires began to form. There's a lot I'm glossing over here that will be covered in future episodes on West African empires In the early modern period before European colonization, the Ivory coast was home to five different states. One of these was the Kong Empire. The Kong Empire was established in the 18th century by Sekou Watara and was mostly located in the northeast of the Ivory coast and modern day Burkina Faso. Ghana and Mali the empire was Islamic and it was considered to be a center for Islamic studies within West Africa. The empire itself was decentralized and weak as its foundation was built on military alliances with most power based on trade and mercantilism. Another key nation was the Kingdom of Guiamin, which was also a major Islamic state. Guiamin held significant power over different regions within modern day Cote d'. Ivoire, as it was considered to be the crossroads between different linguistic areas. Guillamen helped foster diplomacy, trade and cultural exchange between them. And because of this, the kingdom became a hub of Islamic learning, with people from all around West Africa moving to Gyaman to study. Another major kingdom was Balai, which had a more centralized power structure compared to the previous two states. The Baulei people formed the state after fleeing what is modern day Ghana. This kingdom still has major remnants within the Ivory coast today and is one of the largest ethnic groups in the country. The first recorded voyage into West Africa by Europeans was in 1482 by the Portuguese. The French later developed a greater interest in the Ivory coast in the 19th century, which began with French naval officers making deals with local kings and tribes for protection. The French established trading companies and sent out explorers and missionaries, allowing their sphere of influence over the region to grow, albeit rather slowly. But this presence led to more treaties being made with local tribes which allowed the French to set up forts and trading posts in exchange for fees being paid to the local chiefs. The Franco Prussian War of 1871 caused issues with French colonization as the French had to defend the homeland from the Prussian threat. It led to most of their soldiers being recalled from West Africa and including those in the Ivory Coast. This left the territory in the hands of merchants who continued to try to establish more claims in the region. After the Franco Prussian War, France returned to their ports in West Africa and accelerated their expeditions further inland. While doing this, the French made more treaties with tribes furthering their influence in the region. By 1893, the Ivory coast had formally become a French colony after the British officially recognized the area as being under French rule. The French named Captain Louis Gustave Banier as governor. As governor, he helped make territorial agreements with both Britain and Liberia, creating the modern day eastern and western boundaries of the country. The northern boundary wasn't actually established until 1947 as the French sought to annex parts of present day Burkina Faso and Mali into the colony for administrative purposes. The French wanted to use the colony for agriculture and it quickly became a major producer of cacao, palm oil and coffee. This brought many European settlers to the region which was unique compared to the rest of west and Central Africa. Most of these settlers were bureaucrats who also quickly became plantation owners and adopted a forced labor system. Additionally, the military worked to make new trading posts and forts across the country. Not surprisingly, colonial rule didn't go over well with the local population. Many of the indigenous people resisted the French, including those in tribes who signed treaties with them. The most notable resistance came from the Wasulu Empire. This empire only existed for 20 years in the late 19th century and was mostly located in Mali and Guinea, but had expanded into Sierra Leone and the Ivory Coast. The empire posted a significant threat to the French due to its large army, which was equipped with firearms. Both the French and the Wasulu engaged in fierce battles multiple times until the French ultimately came out on top of the One of the major issues the native people of the region had with the French was a head tax that the French had placed on them. For the native people, the French were violating their earlier treaties as they had initially been paying the native Ivorians for the territory, not taking money from them. Another issue many Ivorians had problems with was the French colonial policy of assimilation and association. Assimilation was implemented because the French considered their own culture superior, leading them to impose French laws, customs and language language on the colony. As for the policy of association, they aimed to affirm French superiority by enacting laws based on their position. With this, they allowed the people of the Ivory coast to retain some of their own culture, provided it didn't harm French interests. This resulted in the majority of native Ivorians being classified as subjects of the French, not citizens of the French Republic. As subjects, they would have no political rights and would be forced into positions in mines, on plantations, doing public work or serving in the military. A significant era of reform came for the Ivory coast after World War II, as the Ivorians had remained loyal to France during the war, the people were rewarded. This led to governmental reforms, including the right to organize politically, the abolition of forced labor and the granting of French citizenship to everyone in the country. However, despite remaining loyal During World War II, the Ivorians still struggled with the French colonial system. Despite being granted more freedoms, the Ivorians were still discriminated against and this led to greater calls for independence. The father of Ivorian independence is considered to be Felix Hufet Bonny. Hufett Bonny formed the country's first agricultural trade union. This union was for cacao farmers who were angry that the colony favored plantation owners rather than the workers. The movement gained significant popularity, propelling Hufette Bonny to prominence as he was elected to the French Parliament within the first year of the Union's Estab. Hufette Bonny then used this connection to foster a relationship with the French government and in return was appointed as a minister within the government. The French relationship with West Africa fundamentally changed in 1956 when the overseas Reform act was passed. This act granted the colonies within West Africa their own territorial governments and eliminated any remaining voting restrictions. Ivorians used these new freedoms to hold an independence referendum. This passed and the Ivorians drafted a new constitution and declared their independence from France on August 7, 1960. The first elected president was, not surprisingly, Felix Hufette Bogny. The Ivory coast kept good relationships with the French and joined the greater French speaking world. This helped them become an important ally and trade partner to their former colonizers. President Hufette Bonny worked to boost agricultural production by giving farmers better prices. This allowed the Ivory coast to attract immigrants, further boosting production and to become a powerhouse within West Africa. 40% of the region's exports all came from the Ivory Coast. This led to the growth of important industries such as coffee and cacao, becoming one of the world's largest producers of coffee and the world's largest producer of cacao. This can be attributed to maintaining their relationship with the French, as many other former colonies forced Europeans out of their territory. The Ivorians did the opposite, welcoming Europeans in the French community. Moving to the Ivory coast was mostly managers, advisors and teachers and these expats helped contribute to the country's economic development. The economic rise of the Ivory coast became known as the Ivorian Miracle and the country had an annual growth rate of 10% for 20 years. However, Hufet Bonyi's rule was not all sunshine and rainbows. During his presidential reign, the Ivory coast was a one party state with the suppression of all other political parties. Nonetheless, he was still widely popular as the economy was doing well and his vision for peace and education appealed to the masses. However, after decades in power, an economic recession in the 1980s combined with a drought led to massive civilian unrest. This was followed by Hufette Bogny's death in 1993, leading the country into a period of uncertainty. A new president was elected in 1993, Henri Conan Bedier. Bedier was coming into power with workers strikes and student protests which forced a new multi party government to be installed. Bedier attempted to tighten his power by imprisoning many of his political opponents. He also established an ethnic policy that worked to exclude people originally from foreign countries from the Ivory coast began to caught up to him in 1999 when the military staged a couple. This forced him to flee to France and left the Ivory coast up for grabs. The 2000 presidential election led to Lorne Gabagbo being elected. This election was marked with violent protests as the laws forbade non citizens from running and anyone of non Ivorian ethnicity was no longer a citizen. This led to the First Ivorian Civil War from 2002 to 2007. The war saw the government of the Ivory coast, backed by France, fight against the Force Nouvelle des Cotevoires, or the New Forces. The war started with an attempted coup by the New Forces. The coup failed, but the rebels did manage to take control over the northern part of the country which mostly held a lower class Muslim population. Throughout the war there were many attempts to negotiate peace which eventually resulted in the iwagadougou agreement of 2007. This deal made the rebel leader Guillaume Soro the Prime minister while keeping Gbagbo as president. However, the north still felt that many of its issues were unresolved and this brings US to the second Ivorian civil war. This war was fought from 2010 to 2011 between President Gabagbo's central government and the new forces backed by his main political rival Alyssane Wettera. This time France backed the new forces and Wettera. This was because the popular election within the Ivory coast had said that Gabagbo had lost, but he was refusing to cede power. Though the war was short, there were brutal massacres committed by both sides, including one where 1,000 civilians were killed. The war ended when pro Wedara forces captured Gabagbo, placed him under arrest, leading to Wederer being sworn in as president. Wederer has maintained his position as president of the Ivory coast to the present day. After the two civil wars, the country's been working on economic recovery and ethnic reintegration programs, and this has given the Ivory coast one of the fastest growing economies in all of Africa, as well as a modicum of political stability. Despite the two civil wars, the Ivory coast has arguably been better off than its neighbors since independence. This isn't to say that things are perfect, only that many countries in West Africa have had it much worse. The executive producer of Everything Everywhere Daily is Charles Daniel. The associate producers are Austin Otkin and Cameron Kieffer. Research and writing for this episode was provided by Olivia Ashe. My big thanks go to everyone who supports the show over on Patreon. Your support helps make this podcast possible and I also want to remind everyone about the community groups on Facebook and Discord this is where everything happens that's outside of the show. 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