Abengourou

Abengourou, town, eastern Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), on the road from Abidjan (the national capital) to Ghana. The major trading centre for a productive forest region, it is also the residence of the Anyi (Agni) paramount chief, who is the present king of Indénié (an Anyi kingdom founded in the mid-18th century). The king’s official residence (built 1882) is decorated with Indénié relics and tapestries. Abengourou has an agricultural–vocational-training institute and research station for coffee and cocoa, the region’s major crops, which are sent to Abidjan (100 miles [161 km] south-southwest) for export. The town is the seat of a Roman Catholic bishop, several schools, and one of the largest hospitals in the interior. Pop. (latest est.) 58,974.