In what year did Yamoussoukro become Côte d'Ivoire's legal capital? Yamoussoukro became Côte d'Ivoire's legal capital in 1983.
President Félix Houphouët-Boigny transferred the legal capital from Abidjan to Yamoussoukro in 1983. Yamoussoukro was his birthplace and political stronghold, and the move reflected an effort to promote development away from the coastal economic powerhouse. The inland city had been known as N'Gokro before being renamed Yamoussoukro in honour of Queen Yamousso.
The capital change was legally significant but only partly administrative. Abidjan remained the country's largest city, principal port, financial hub, and the location of many government functions. This is why references may describe Yamoussoukro as the political or ceremonial capital while still emphasizing Abidjan's practical importance.
Yamoussoukro is especially famous for the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, completed in the early 1990s and modeled partly on St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. Its enormous scale symbolizes Houphouët-Boigny's ambitious vision for the city. A common mistake is to answer 1960, the year Côte d'Ivoire became independent, or 1991, a date associated with other African capital changes; the legal transfer occurred in 1983.