Côte d'Ivoire

Côte d'Ivoire, officially named the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire is a country in West Africa, sometimes known in English as the Ivory Coast. Before its independence in 1960, Côte d'Ivoire had been a French protectorate since 1843 and then a French colony since 1893.
The name Côte d'Ivoire originates from a part of the coastline whose main export was Ivory. The name had been used since the 15th and 16th century by French colonizers to identify the greatest economic interest in the area.
Côte d'Ivoire was then the name that was successively maintained throughout French rule. The name is still currently used in its francophone version, Côte d'Ivoire, rather than through translations such as "The Ivory Coast" and the official language of Côte d'Ivoire is still French.
The correct pronunciation of ​Côte d'Ivoire is Koht dee-vwahr.
The "ô" in Côte is pronounced like the "o" in the word "story" and the "t" must be properly emphasized, like in the audio pronunciation. The "d'I" in "d'Ivoire" is pronounced as a single syllable and it is pronounced with a double long "e", as in "ee". The "oi" in "Ivoire" is pronounced with a "wah" sound in French. The following "r" is technically pronounced with a guttural "r"; however, this can be difficult for non-native speakers to pronounce. So, it is sufficient to pronounce the "r" with very little emphasis to achieve a good pronunciation.

Places

French