Bouaké

Bouaké, city, central Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast). It lies on the road and railroad from Abidjan (the national capital) to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta). Bouaké was established as a French military post in 1899; it became an autonomous municipality in 1969. The city is the nation’s second largest community and the commercial and transportation hub of the interior. Cotton, tobacco, sisal, and rice are processed there; the nearby Gonfreville Establishment is the oldest (1922) and largest textile mill in the country. Bouaké has been the chief trade centre for the rice, yams, and livestock raised by the Baule (Baoule) people since the completion of the railway in 1912. The city is also a collecting point for various goods that are sent to Abidjan, 238 miles (383 km) south-southeast, for export. Bouaké has textile and veterinary research institutes and is also the seat of a Roman Catholic bishop. Masks, bronzes, Senufo (Senoufo) or Dahomean fabrics, and various other objects are marketed in Bouaké. Pop. (2005 est.) 573,700.