Discover Abidjan : Abidjan districts

Built around the Ebrié Lagoon, Abidjan is huge: it's the ^7th largest city in Africa, with 6.4 million inhabitants. Visitors generally only see a small part of the city. Le Plateau is the historic business and administrative district, with its famous towers silhouetted against the city skyline. Cocody to the east, stretching as far as Bingerville, is a chic, leafy residential area with luxury villas and lively micro-neighborhoods. Marcory, to the south of the Plateau, is divided between Zone 4, where restaurants, bars and clubs are concentrated, and Biétry, the lagoon area dotted with luxury hotels. To the west of Marcory, Treichville is the historic port. On the outskirts are Adjamé to the north, with its huge market and bus station; Koumassi, close to Marcory in village mode; and Port Bouët, near the airport and industries to the south. Finally, the working-class districts of Yopougon to the west and Abobo to the north stretch into infinity.

Abidjan connait des problèmes liés au tri des déchets en raison de sa population qui augmente. shutterstock - Agre guy thony roger.jpg

The Plateau, the business district

This is where most of Abidjan's political, economic and financial life is concentrated. Its tall towers crowned with neon signs have earned it the nickname "Manhattan of the tropics". Shortly after independence, Houphouët himself gave the signal for the renovation and strategic development of this colonial district. During the day, the streets are transformed into small open-air markets, crowded with businessmen in a hurry, locals on their way to administrative offices, beggars, "naman djosseurs" watching over the parking lots, street vendors, all jostling around the kiosks, newsagents and open-air canteens. Traffic is extremely difficult. However, in the evenings and on Sundays, the trend is reversed: the Plateau is deserted of all feverish bustle and becomes ghostly.

To the west are the port's warehouses, administrative buildings: the presidency of the Republic, the ministerial block, the town hall, the treasury, the courthouse, the prefecture, the National Assembly... and the cité administrative.

To the east, the vast majority of residences, shops, shopping malls, bank headquarters, office buildings and official bodies are concentrated in a sort of triangular block bordered by the boulevard lagunaire (boulevard Charles de Gaulle) which leads to Cocody.

Cocody, chic and shocking

Home to embassies and luxury residences, the "Cocodyen" core includes lively micro-neighborhoods: Deux Plateaux, Angré and Riviera, ideal for staying in luxury hotels and guest houses with gardens and swimming pools. But also, and above all, for going out, dining, drinking with Abidjan's golden youth, shopping or visiting art galleries. The eastern part, less central, greener and bordering the lagoon, boasts tourist resorts nestled in the greenery, such as the Ivoire Golf Club. Cocody also boasts a number of Ebrié villages in its center, including the famous Blockauss district, at the foot of the Hôtel Ivoire tower.

Marcory, between lagoon and zone 4

Located on a peninsula in the center of the lagoon, this district, linked by bridges to the Plateau to the north and Port-Bouet to the south, is home to the wealthy classes of Ivorians, Lebanese and French. Marcory Residential boasts sumptuous mansions, as does Cocody on the other side of the lagoon, while Marcory Poto-Poto is made up of mid-range housing. The village of Biétry concentrates luxury hotels on the edge of the lagoon. The commune of Marcory is particularly popular with Abidjanites and tourists alike for its Zone 4, with its multitude of trendy restaurants, bars and clubs.

Treichville, cosmopolitan and port

Adjacent to the west of Marcory on the island of Petit Bassam, Treichville is one of Abidjan's most emblematic port districts. Its population, originating from West African countries, has earned it the nickname of "cité N'zassa" ("cité du brassage" in Agni). Treichville has retained its industrial character, with factories, warehouses and wholesale outlets, and has been home to African railway workers since 1910. Treichville-centre is home to a checkerboard of tiny streets. Popular by day and wild by night, Treichville abounds with markets, discotheques and maquis, but the atmosphere is very underworld, and it's best to get around by cab.

Adjamé, commercial crossroads and train station

From time immemorial, Adjamé has been home to rural residents moving to Abidjan. It is the district of the bus stations and the city's major food and wholesale market. Seen from afar, Adjamé resembles a patchwork of corrugated iron roofs spread over several levels, hiding a labyrinthine network of courtyards and dirt alleyways, bustling with garages, tailors and vendors of all kinds, amidst colorful stalls. Apart from a few Lebanese who have their own businesses here, you won't come across many foreigners, and a minimum of caution is called for if you decide to visit the big market, the main tourist attraction of this commune: prefer to go with a local or a guide.

Yopougon, a huge residential area

Located to the west of Abidjan, this district has become Abidjan's major sprawl zone, with social housing close to factories and warehouses. It is now home to an estimated one-third of Abidjan's population. A veritable city within a city, "Yop City", "Poy la belle" or "Poy", was until recently best known for its famous Rue Princesse, whose reputation extended far beyond Abidjan's borders. Razed in 2011, during a crusade against insalubrity known as "Operation Clean City", it has now been reopened and once again beats to the boiling hot tempo of coupé-décalé nights in the popular maquis where many singers perform.

Abobo, the most popular district

This commune, as large as Yopougon, lies to the northeast of Abidjan. Long cut off from the rest of the city, Abobo was integrated in 1978 with the construction of the expressway and infrastructure (dispensaries, markets, maternity wards). Abobo is renowned for taking in Abidjan's most destitute. Like Adjamé, Abobo took in the "déguerpis" from the center, then served as a refuge for poor migrants, and in the 1970s, for all those who couldn't find housing in Yopougon. Abobo is home to the country's first railway station, linking Abidjan with Burkina Faso. The district now boasts a new museum, the MuCAT.

Port-Bouët, the airport and industrial district

Previously called Petit Bassam, it extends along the coast, after the Vridi canal. It developed with the port activity from 1930. Then the wharf workers moved to Treichville and were replaced by those of the Félix Houphouët-Boigny airport. Today, 75% of the country's industries are concentrated in factories and warehouses, including numerous hydrocarbon refineries. The center has retained its village feel, however, with a lighthouse, beaches, restaurants and bushes, and a large livestock market.

Koumassi and Attécoubé, village districts

Koumassi is attached to Marcory. Built on mangroves and plantations, this social and industrial housing zone is divided into several residential areas, from the very poor to the very rich. Here, the city becomes a village once again, with palm-lined alleyways and market stalls.

Attécoubé, close to Adjamé, stretches over steep terrain around the Banco bay. First witness to the export of mahogany logs, framirés, niangons, sambas and sipos aboard ships bound for Europe, today this district is most famous for being home to the 3,000-hectare Parc national du Banco, a sample of classified primary forest enclosed within the metropolis.