Autonomous District of Denguélé

The capital of the Autonomous District of Denguélé is the town of Odienné. It is located in the north-west of Côte d’Ivoire, surrounded by the Savanes and Woroba Autonomous Districts, Mali and Guinea. It covers an area of 20,600 km2. It is divided between the Folon and Kabadougou regions and is populated mainly by Malinke. The District’s main source of wealth is agriculture, notably cotton production for export.

After the gently rolling plains of Senoufo country, the Denguélé Autonomous District is surprisingly rugged. The track from Boundiali to the Malinké capital in the north winds its way between numerous hills, which here take on the appearance of mountains.

Odienné, the capital of the District, is at the crossroads of two main roads: one runs from Man to Bamako (Mali) via Touba and Bougouni, and the other, almost perpendicular to the first, links Korhogo to Guinea via Boundiali. These roads were the backbone of a flourishing caravan trade, exchanging products from the Sahel for those from the forest. As a result, the town became an important sub-regional market, where its traders were active, and a centre for repackaging kola nuts from the south.