Successively under Dutch, Portuguese, British and then French influence, this former trading post under French colonization owes its name, according to a first version, to the "Union Jack", the flag of the United Kingdom which was first planted there. But another legend attributes its name to an English trader, "Big Jack", who would have settled there to trade with the native populations. He would have exchanged clothes and liquors for palm oil, then one of the main resources of the region. The original location of Grand-Jack still exists, 5 km from the present city, in the village of Bobo Ladja.A destination long shunned by the Abidjanese, who described it as a "ghost town," Jacqueville seems well on its way to experiencing dazzling development since the inauguration in March 2015 of the Philippe Gréroire Yacé Bridge - named after a famous Ivorian politician, a fellow fighter of President Félix Houphouët-Boigny and the first president of the National Assembly, who was born in Jacqueville in 1920 - which now puts it an hour and a half's drive from Abidjan. Since 608 m of steel and concrete link it to Abidjan, Jacqueville has emerged from the situation of isolation in which it was placed when the Vridi canal was dug in 1950. Until then, access to this city-presqu'ile was made with the help of an old capricious ferry that crossed the Ebrié Lagoon every day from Songon to reach N'Djem, the first village of the commune. This small village could only be discovered after a laborious journey. The opportunity to buy some trinkets at the small market of the landing stage while waiting for the arrival of the well named "Vié père" Known for being one of the great oil and gas areas of Côte d'Ivoire, the "country of the 3A" (like Alladians, Ahizis and Akouris, the three historical communities of the commune) should soon be able to add tourism to its economic resources. Its strategic position between the lagoon, the lake and the ocean makes it a paradise on earth, and more and more Abidjanese city dwellers are coming to enjoy its sites every weekend, which are still relatively unspoiled by pollution. Financially more accessible than Assinie or Boulay Island, Jacqueville attracts middle-class Ivorians who come to have a good time in the maquis-dancings and other "open air spaces". Previously a peaceful town with wild and deserted beaches and rare bushes, the former sleeping beauty is now a courted princess. On the 15 km of coastline of the town, from about twenty before the inauguration of the bridge, there are now over 200 establishments! Feast on local or European culinary specialties, stagger to the sets of the DJs who set the mood in the square, attend the performances of Zouglou artists while the children play in the pool or on the playground, flirt on the beaches ... Abidjanese do not sulk their pleasure.

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Forêt de palmiers, Jacqueville. BOULENGER Xavier - Shutterstock.com
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