Côte d'Ivoire

Unlike the migratory colonisation of the New World, Africa's colonisation was driven, like the Opium Wars in China, by an opening up of trade. While many countries in the Americas have populations that predominantly descend from Europe, the biggest group of descendants of Europe in any country is South Africa, and that is less than 10% of the population. The coast of West Africa was named by Europeans after the various trades... Pepper, Grain, Gold, Slaves and Ivory. This trade had existed since Roman times via Saharan routes connecting with North African Berber traders. By the 11th century, the Sudanic Empires had embraced Islam and this spread South. The Europeans only joined in later.

In 1886, in order to meet the goal of 'Effective Occupation' to gain the recognition of sovereignty by other European powers, France started asserting direct control deeper into the interior of Côte d'Ivoire. Assuming French culture was superior, French policy took the approach of assimilation and association to deal with culture clashes. Those identified as elites were assimilated and granted the right to apply for French citizenship. Those who remained associates were subjects of France with no political rights.

Côte d'Ivoire is now the world's largest exporter of Cocoa Beans