Today we head to The Ivory Coast or Côte d'Ivoire and we’re in emergency blog writing mode. I have exactly 22 minutes to complete this blog before I miss a day of blog writing.
My first ever memory of the Ivory Coast sticks clearly in my memory. I was around 15 and in an English class at school, and I remember an argument between two of my classmates about whether the Côte d'Ivoire or the Ivory Coast was in fact a country. At the time I was sceptical.
It turns out my scepticism was very misplaced. The Ivory Coast is in fact a country of 26 million people on the South coast of Western Africa. The Ivory Coast is after the prevalent trade of ivory when first coming into contact with European traders.
The Ivory Coast is also the world's largest exporter of cocoa beans, and its flag looks suspiciously like a mirror image of the Irish flag.
I have time for one last fact before the midnight deadline - the Ivory Coast is home to the world’s largest church, the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace. Despite its Renaissance architecture, the church is modern and was only completed in 1989. It was built partly to memorialise the current president of the Ivory Coast, President Houphouët-Boigny. Yes, it was basically a vanity project. The pope (John Paul II) still agreed to open it though. Who can’t resist a monstrously big church?
Anyway, it’s time for bed. Until tomorrow.
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