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Obverse of 1966 Ivory Coast 10 Francs
Obverse of 1966 Ivory Coast Silver 10 Francs
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Reverse of 1966 Ivory Coast 10 Francs
Reverse of 1966 Ivory Coast Silver 10 Francs
A Brief History of Côte d'Ivoire
Also known as the Ivory Coast, the government of the Côte d'Ivoire insists that its official name in French should exist in all languages, although it is still commonly referred to by its translated English name. Côte d'Ivoire is a former French colony in Western Africa, its capital is Yamoussoukro (pronounced 'Yam-so-kro').

Pre-Colonial History
Côte d'Ivoire as it exists today is a French Colonial construct, and prior to the arrival of the French, the area which composes this country was inhabited by various different tribes and nation states, including parts of the Kong Empire, Gyaaman, and the Baoule and Anyi peoples, amongst several others.

French Colonisation
France first established a mission in the area in 1637; however, no serious attempt at colonisation was made until the middle of the 19th Century, when France began to establish military garrisons in order to protect their trading interests in the area (including the export of ivory, from which the country gained its name).
France's loss of the Franco-Russian War of 1870-71 caused interest in French colonisation recede for a while, only to resurge again during the 1880s as European nations engaged in the 'Scramble for Africa'. During this period, France resumed direct control of the coastal trading settlements and to launch military expeditions into the interior.
As the French moved inland, they encountered strong resistance from Samori Toure, founder of the Wassoulou Empire. With the aid of modern firearms purchased from the British, Toure held the French off for nearly 20 years, even inflicting several military defeats on them. However, the French possessed modern artillery, which Toure had no answer to in set-piece engagements and eventually, in 1898 Toure was captured and exiled by the French.
In 1904, The Ivory Coast was formally incorporated as a colony within the Federation of French West Africa, in which it remained until 1958, two years before independence.
Côte d'Ivoire declared for Vichy France following the French defeat in 1940, but transferred its allegiance to Free France in 1943.

Independence
Following the Second World War, France fundamentally reassessed its relationship with its colonies, and granted French citizenship to those who had previously been French subjects. However, calls for independence still began to grow, and in 1960, Côte d'Ivoire became independent.

Houphouët-Boigny Administration
Felix Houphouët-Boigny became Côte d'Ivoire's first President, and was to rule for the next 33 years. Initially, the newly independent nation enjoyed explosive growth as Houphouët-Boigny studiously avoided ethnic conflict and hokey Marxist anti-colonial policies in order to attract foreign investment and technically skilled immigrants (in the years following independence, the number of French nationals actually increased). Côte d'Ivoire became one of the world's leading exporters of palm oil, coffee and pineapples, with timber and sugar also being important components of the Ivoirian economy.
However, as Houphouët-Boigny grew older, corruption and dissatisfaction with his one-party rule increased, and he was forced by public pressure to agree to multiparty elections in 1990. However, he remained in power until his death from prostate cancer in 1993.

Henrie Bedie
Houphouët-Boigny's anointed successor, Henri Bedie carried on where his predecessor had left off, however, the political and economic situation soon deteriorated. He played on ethnic 'Ivoirian' nationalism in order to exclude political opponents such as Alassane Ouattara (whose fathers was of Burkina Faso ancestry), which alienated many other Ivoirians of outside ethnic origin.
A military coup in 1999, headed by Robert Guie deposed Bedie from power.

Laurent Gbago
Robert Guie held elections the following year, in which he claimed victory, however, accusations of corruption and manipulation gained traction, and Guie's opponent, Laurent Gbago came to power on the back of these protests.
However, Gbago maintained his predecessor's tactics of using Ivoirian ethnic chauvinism to block his opponents from power. Eventually, dissatisfaction with his rule increased until; in 2002 a rebellion erupted in the north against his rule. The rebellion failed in its objective to oust Gbago, but the conflict, known as the First Ivoirian Civil War, lasted until 2007, resulting in thousands of deaths and UN and French military intervention. A 2007 peace treaty brought a temporary respite to the fighting. However, fighting broke out again in 2010 when Gbago refused to accept Allassane Ouattara's victory in the presidential election.
Gbago ignored French and international pressure to step down, and maintained his grip until April 2011, when he was captured by French Special Forces and handed over to The Hague to be put on trial for various crimes against humanity.
Ouattara is the current incumbent president of Côte d'Ivoire.

Coinage of the Côte d'Ivoire
The Côte d'Ivoire has no coinage of its own. Instead, it is one of 8 countries within a currency zone that uses the Western CFA Franc (introduced in 1945 following the devaluation of the French Franc). The countries within this currency zone include Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Sénégal and Togo. Coins struck for use in circulation include 1, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 200, 250, 500 franc pieces. The centime 1/100 subdivision only exists in theory.

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Côte d'Ivoire Coins



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