Grand-Bassam

Grand-Bassam is a town in south-eastern Ivory Coast, lying east of Abidjan. It was the French colonial capital city from 1893 to 1896, when the administration was transferred to Bingerville after a bout of yellow fever.[4] The town remained a key seaport until the growth of Abidjan from the 1930s.

Grand-Bassam
Town, sub-prefecture, and commune
Colonial house in Grand-Bassam
Grand-Bassam
Location in Ivory Coast
Coordinates: 5°12′N 3°44′W[1]
Country Ivory Coast
DistrictComoé
RegionSud-Comoé
DepartmentGrand-Bassam
Population
 (2014)[2]
 • Total84,028
Time zoneUTC+0 (GMT)
Official nameHistoric Town of Grand-Bassam
CriteriaCultural: (iii), (iv)
Reference1322rev
Inscription2012 (36th session)
Area109.89 ha (0.4243 sq mi)
Buffer zone552.39 ha (2.1328 sq mi)
Official nameGrand Bassam
Designated18 October 2005
Reference no.1583[3]

Grand-Bassam is a sub-prefecture of and the seat of Grand-Bassam Department; it is also a commune. The town has the aura of a ghost town, since large sections have been abandoned for decades. In 1896, the French capital was moved to Bingerville, and commercial shipping gradually declined until it virtually ceased in the 1930s. In 1960, with independence, all remaining administrative offices were transferred to Abidjan, and for many years Grand-Bassam was inhabited only by squatters. Beginning in the late 1970s, the town began to revive as a tourist destination and craft centre.

The town is divided by the Ébrié Lagoon into two halves: Ancien Bassam is the former French settlement, facing the Gulf of Guinea. It is home to the grander colonial buildings, some of which have been restored. The district is also home to a cathedral and the Ivory Coast National Museum of Costume. Nouveau Bassam, linked to Ancien Bassam by a bridge, lies on the inland, northern side of the lagoon. It grew from the African servants' quarters and is now the main commercial centre of the town.

The town is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand-Bassam. The diocese's cathedral is the Cathédrale Sacré Cœur in Grand-Bassam.

In 2012, it was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In March 2016, the town was targeted in an Islamist mass shooting which killed 19 people.[5][6]

In 2014, the population of the sub-prefecture of Grand-Bassam was 84,028.[7]

Villages

The eight villages of the sub-prefecture of Grand-Bassam and their population in 2014 were:[7]

  • Azuretti (1 168)
  • Ebrah (805)
  • Gbamblé (341)
  • Grand-Bassam (74 671)
  • Modeste (1 981)
  • Mondoukou (1 400)
  • Vitré 1 (2 482)
  • Vitré 2 (1 180)
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References
  1. "Ivory Coast Cities Longitude & Latitude". Sphereinfo.com. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 19 November 2010.
  2. "Côte d'Ivoire". Geohive.com. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  3. "Grand Bassam". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  4. Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Historic Town of Grand-Bassam". Whc.unesco.org. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
  5. Tran, Mark; Duval Smith, Alex (13 March 2016). "'At Least 16 Dead' After Gunmen Open Fire in Ivory Coast Resort". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  6. https://www.mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSKCN0YH2NN
  7. "RGPH 2014, Répertoire des localités, Région Sud-Comoé" (PDF). ins.ci. Retrieved 5 August 2019.

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