IVORY COAST / Côte d'Ivoire ( République de Côte d'Ivoire )

Ivory Coast, also The Ivory Coast and formally Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country located on the south coast of West Africa. Ivory Coast's political capital is Yamoussoukro in the centre of the country, while its economic capital and largest city is the port city of Abidjan. It borders Guinea to the northwest, Liberia to the west, Mali to the northwest, Burkina Faso to the northeast, Ghana to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea (Atlantic Ocean) to the south. The official language of the republic is French, with local indigenous languages also being widely used that include Baoulé, Dioula, Dan, Anyin, and Cebaara Senufo. In total, there are around 78 different languages spoken in Ivory Coast.

Originally, Portuguese and French merchant-explorers in the 15th and 16th centuries divided the west coast of Africa, very roughly, into four "coasts" reflecting local economies. The coast that the French named the Côte d'Ivoire and the Portuguese named the Costa Do Marfim —both, literally, mean "Coast of Ivory"— lay between what was known as the Guiné de Cabo Verde, so-called "Upper Guinea" at Cap-Vert, and Lower Guinea. There was also a Pepper Coast, also known as the "Grain Coast" (present-day Liberia), a "Gold Coast" (Ghana), and a "Slave Coast" (Togo, Benin and Nigeria). Like those, the name "Ivory Coast" reflected the major trade that occurred on that particular stretch of the coast: the export of ivory. Ivory Coast's capital, Yamoussoukro, is home to the largest church building in the world, the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro. The postal service is a Crown corporation that delivers mail (letters, maps, documents) and goods (packages and parcels), along with transferring money. It has 197 offices throughout the territory, 56 distribution centers in rural areas, two postal sorting centers, two centers of parcels, and a philatelic center. 

The postal service has existed in Côte d'Ivoire since the nineteenth century. The postal service is the traditional means of communication in this country, but alternative methods of communication and transportation provided by private companies have developed rapidly in recent years. The French established trading posts during several time periods, but the first post office, at San Pédro, dates from 1847, with Grand Bassam, Jacqueville, and Assinie getting offices in 1890. The first use of postage stamps was at Assinie from 1862, where the French Colonies general issues were available. The cancellation was an "ASI" in a lozenge of dots. The colony received its own stamps in November 1892, just a few months prior to formal establishment. As typical for French colonies of the time, these were of the Navigation and Commerce design, with 13 values ranging from 1 centime to 1 franc. Four of the values were reissued with color changes in 1900, and several were surcharged in 1904 and again in 1912.

On 1 October 1959, the first issue of the new republic went on sale. The three values depicted an elephant, and were inscribed "République de Côte d'Ivoire". A stamp in December depicted the country's first president, Félix Houphouët-Boigny. The first definitive series of the republic, in 1960, depicted masks from various tribes.

.