What is the official language of the Ivory Coast?
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French, the official language, is taught in schools and serves as a lingua franca in the country. An estimated 70 languages are spoken in Ivory Coast. One of the most common is Dyula, which acts as a trade language, as well as a language commonly spoken by the Muslim population.
Ivory Coast
423135#2
Ivory Coast's national anthem is "L'Abidjanaise". French is the official language taught and spoken by Ivorians but many Ivorians have their own ethnicie tribe's language.
Music of Ivory Coast
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The official language is French, with local indigenous languages also widely used, including Baoulé, Dioula, Dan, Anyin, and Cebaara Senufo. In total there are around 78 languages spoken in Ivory Coast. There are large populations of Muslims, Christians (primarily Roman Catholics) and various indigenous religions.
Ivory Coast
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The coastline of the modern state is not quite coterminous with what the 15th- and 16th-century merchants knew as the "Teeth" or "Ivory" coast, which was considered to stretch from Cape Palmas to Cape Three Points and which is thus now divided between the modern states of Ghana and Ivory Coast (with a minute portion of Liberia). It retained the name through French rule and independence in 1960. The name had long since been translated literally into other languages, which the post-independence government considered increasingly troublesome whenever its international dealings extended beyond the Francophone sphere. Therefore, in April 1986, the government declared that Côte d'Ivoire (or, more fully, République de Côte d'Ivoire) would be its formal name for the purposes of diplomatic protocol, and since then officially refuses to recognize or accept any translation from French to another language in its international dealings.
Ivory Coast
5399032#1
The official language, French, was introduced during the colonial period. This language is taught in schools and serves as a lingua franca in the country.
Languages of Ivory Coast
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French is official, and there are 81 living indigenous languages, and two that are now extinct (Tonjon and Beti) . The Dioula dialect of Bambara is the most widely spoken one. Other language groups include the Gur languages, the Senufo languages, the Kru languages (including the Bété languages, Dida, Nyabwa, Wè, and Western Krahn), and the Kwa languages (Baoulé and Anyin are the most used).
Demographics of Ivory Coast
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Ivory Coast () is a multilingual country with an estimated 78 languages currently spoken.
Languages of Ivory Coast
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Since independence, the official language throughout Ivory Coast has been French. The lingua franca, spoken and understood by the majority of the population, is Dioula, but the vernacular of the region is Baoulé. The French actually spoken in the region, as in Abidjan, is commonly called "Ivorian Popular French" or "French Moussa" that is distinct from standard French pronunciation, and that makes it almost unintelligible to non-Ivorians.
Daoukro
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French is the sole official language of the Ivory Coast. In Abidjan, largest city of the country, 57.6% of the inhabitants over 15 can read and write French, and another 11% can speak it but not write it. The French language is seen as essential by a large majority, especially for dealing with the government and in education. Two thirds of respondents report feeling Francophone. French plays an important role in all areas of public and private life across the whole country. French is increasingly seen as an Ivorian language, and a local variety distinct from standard French has emerged ().
Geographical distribution of French speakers
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Ethnic groups of Ivory Coast include Akan 42.1%, Voltaic or Gur speakers 17.6%, Northern Mandes 16.5%, Krous 11%, Southern Mandes 10%, other 2.8% (includes 30,000 Lebanese and 45,000 French) (2004). The immigrant community makes up over 20% of a population of over 6 million. An estimated 65 native languages are spoken in the country. Dyula acts as a trade language and is commonly spoken by Muslims.
Music of Ivory Coast