GeoOracle #135: Abidjan
26 October 2026 · City · Difficulty 2 of 5
How it opened
I stand at the crossroads where West Africa's pulse beats strongest, a city reborn from colonial ambitions into a sprawling metropolis of millions.
The five clues
- 01Where French tongues outnumber all others in a vast region, I am the sovereign of their speech.
- 02I lie on the coast of a nation known for its ivory trade, separated from the capital by political redesign.
- 03Founded in 1898 as a colonial port, I grew to eclipse my nation's inland seat of power.
- 04One in five citizens of my country calls me home—6.3 million souls making me Africa's sixth largest city.
- 05I am the most populous French-speaking city in West Africa, located in Ivory Coast, and was once this nation's capital.
The answer
Abidjan
Ivory Coast · Africa
About this place
Founded in 1898 as a colonial trading post, this city transformed into West Africa's industrial powerhouse and cultural heart. With a population of 6.3 million—representing over a fifth of Ivory Coast's entire population—it claims the title of Africa's sixth-largest city proper. Though officially superseded by Yamoussoukro as capital, it remains the nation's economic and cultural engine, a vibrant crossroads where urbanization and French heritage intertwine.
Fact sheet
- Country
- Ivory Coast
- Continent
- Africa
- Coordinates
- 5.336, -4.027
- Population
- 5,616,633
- Founded
- 1898
Related puzzles
Other finished puzzles close to this one: same country, nearby, same continent or the same kind of place.