COTE D'IVOIRE (IVORY COAST)
More than 14 millions inhabitants with a considerable members of immigrants (40% from Liberia, Burkina Faso, Benin, Mali, Ghana…) who are relegated to subaltern jobs or little trade. More than any other country in west Africa, the hierarchy between the ethnies is very remarkable. We cannot enumerate all the 60 ethnies who people the country but we can retain that they can be classed in four big groups, arrived in dispersed order (simultaneous sometimes) since a distant time difficult to establish. Diagrammatically, these are the group and their geographic implantation area:

The Voltaïques: From whom the Sénoufo and Lobi are descended occupy a region delimited at west of Boundiali, the frontier of Mali and Burkina even to north of Férkéssédougou and south of Korogho in the same way as from Katiola to the frontier of Ghana even to the park of the east of the Comoé. At their arrival in the region about 10th century, the Sénoufo and the Lobi have been settled apparently without difficulties. Their social system is structured into castes and the operation rely on the “Poro” education of initiation reserved to the men which unroll into many periods of 7 years during the life.

The Mandé: (or the Mandingues such as the Malinké Bambara, Foula, Dan…) spilt in west Africa, they were come in successive billows with different mentalities since the 16th century. Their predilection zone is the quarter north of the country. Odienné, Touba, Man, Danané the proximity of Guinea and region of Kong situated between the frontier of Burkina Faso and the approaches of the park of Comoé (west side).

The Baoulé: one of the most important ethnic group is in the sane group with the Akan who are new advents.

The Krou: Occupy a little quarter is the south-west of the country and extend even to Liberia.