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Abidjan

Côte d'Ivoire's economic engine is strapped between lagoons and waterways, overlooking the crested waves of the Atlantic. At first glimpse, you wonder if these shiny skyscrapers can really be West Africa, but once you walk around Abidjan's neighborhoods, local life comes alive and the city's vibrant tropical mood is revealed.

Abidjan, Ivory Coast / Côte d'Ivoire: completed in 1961, the presidential palace of Abidjan was designed by the French architect Pierre Dufau, and paid by the French Republic - Plateau district.

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