Yamoussoukro

/yah'meuh s'ooh"kroh/, n.

a city in and the capital of the Ivory Coast, in the S central part. 120,000.

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Town (pop., 1995 est.: 110,000), capital designate of Côte d'Ivoire.

From 1960 to 1993 it served as the country's "second capital" because it was the birthplace, home, and unofficial headquarters of Pres. Félix Houphouë t-Boigny. It was designated the official capital in 1983 and shares some of the functions of the former national capital, Abidjan. Fishing and forestry are important to its economy. It is the site of the basilica of Notre-Dame de la Paix, the world's largest Christian church, an almost exact replica of St. Peter's in Rome.

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▪ Côte d’Ivoire

      town and capital (de jure), south-central Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), located about 170 miles (274 km) northwest of the country's de facto capital, Abidjan. Although Yamoussoukro was officially named the new national capital in 1983, the transfer of government functions proceeded slowly, and Abidjan remained the de facto capital into the 21st century.

      For more than three decades after Côte d'Ivoire achieved independence in 1960, Yamoussoukro served as the country's “second capital” because it was the birthplace, home, and unofficial headquarters of President Félix Houphouët-Boigny (Houphouët-Boigny, Félix), Côte d'Ivoire's head of state from 1960 to 1993. The town housed the assembly hall of the Democratic Party of Côte d'Ivoire (Parti Démocratique de la Côte d'Ivoire), the country's only political party until 1990. Yamoussoukro became a major urban centre largely because of Houphouët-Boigny's influence, with a dense infrastructure of roads and public utilities. The fishing, forestry, and perfume industries play important roles in the town's economy. Sites of cultural importance in Yamoussoukro include the Yamoussoukro Basilica, which is modeled after St. Peter's in Rome, a large mosque, other churches, and secondary schools. Pop. (2003 est.) 185,600.

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