Côte d'Ivoire

The nation is officially the République de Côte d'Ivoire or Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, although it has historically been called the Ivory Coast in English. The region had played an important role in both the Ghana and Mali Empires, but in the early 18th century the localized Kong Empire took hold in the northeast and remained in power until 1895. Between 1843 and 1844 several treaties were signed with local kings creating French protectorates of their traditional territories. As greater numbers of Europeans moved into the region, more and more territory came under French control. Côte d'Ivoire was made a French colony in 1893, having been given its name (Ivory Coast) by merchants who found the region a rich source for ivory. Additional crops, such as coffee, cocoa, palm oil and bananas were cultivated by French settlers in the coastal regions, who often utilized forced labor. Further inland, meanwhile, French military contingents moved to subdue the indigenous people who resisted French encroachment. The most formidable of these was the Wassoulou Empire established by Samori Ture, which had a well-equipped army of its own. Not until his capture in 1898 were the French successful in bringing Wassoulou land into their domain.

Between 1904 and 1958, Côte d'Ivoire was considered part of the greater Federation of French West Africa, with the standard practice of assimilation emphasizing French language, institutions, laws, and customs, and creating an elite class of classically educated Africans. Although all inhabitants of the Federation were considered French subjects, most were not citizens and had no political rights, although they could be drafted into the military or forced to labor for French enterprises.