document_title: Ivory Coast

question_text: why did they call it the ivory coast

question_tokens: why did they call it the ivory coast

text: Ivory Coast

text: Names[edit]

text: Originally, Portuguese and French merchant-explorers in the 15th and 16th centuries divided the west coast of Africa, very roughly, into five "coasts" reflecting local economies. The coast that the French named the Côte d'Ivoire and the Portuguese named the Costa do Marfim—both, literally, being "Ivory Coast"—lay between what was known as the Guiné de Cabo Verde, so-called "Upper Guinea" at Cap-Vert, and Lower Guinea.[10][11] There was also a Pepper Coast also known as the "Grain Coast", a "Gold Coast", and a "Slave Coast". Like those, the name "Ivory Coast" reflected the major trade that occurred on that particular stretch of the coast, the export of ivory.[12][10][13][14][15]

text: Other names for the coast of ivory included the Côte de Dents,[n 1] literally "Coast of Teeth", again reflecting the trade in ivory;[17][18][12][11][15][19] the Côte de Quaqua, after the people whom the Dutch named the Quaqua (alternatively Kwa Kwa);[18][10][16] the Coast of the Five and Six Stripes, after a type of cotton fabric also traded there;[18] and the Côte du Vent[n 2], the Windward Coast, after perennial local off-shore weather conditions.[12][10] One can find the name Cote de(s) Dents regularly used in older works.[18] It was used in Duckett's Dictionnaire (Duckett 1853) and by Nicolas Villault de Bellefond, for examples, although Antoine François Prévost used Côte d'Ivoire.[19] In the 19th century, usage switched to Côte d'Ivoire.[18]

text: The coastline of the modern state is not quite coterminous with what the 15th- and 16th-century merchants knew as the "Teeth" or "Ivory" coast, which was considered to stretch from Cape Palmas to Cape Three Points and which is thus now divided between the modern states of Ghana and Ivory Coast (with a minute portion of Liberia).[17][13][19][16] It retained the name through French rule and independence in 1960.[20] The name had long since been translated literally into other languages,[n 3] which the post-independence government considered to be increasingly troublesome whenever its international dealings extended beyond the Francophone sphere. Therefore, in April 1986, the government declared Côte d'Ivoire (or, more fully, République de Côte d'Ivoire[22]) to be its formal name for the purposes of diplomatic protocol, and officially refuses to recognize or accept any translation from French to another language in its international dealings.[21][23][24]

text: Despite the Ivorian government's request, the English translation "Ivory Coast" (often "the Ivory Coast") is still frequently used in English, by various media outlets and publications.[n 4][n 5]

text: History[edit]

text: Land migration[edit]

text: The first human presence in Ivory Coast has been difficult to determine because human remains have not been well preserved in the country's humid climate. However, the presence of newly found weapon and tool fragments (specifically, polished axes cut through shale and remnants of cooking and fishing) has been interpreted as a possible indication of a large human presence during the Upper Paleolithic period (15,000 to 10,000 BC),[33] or at the minimum, the Neolithic period.[34]

text: The earliest known inhabitants of Ivory Coast have left traces scattered throughout the territory. Historians believe that they were all either displaced or absorbed by the ancestors of the present indigenous inhabitants, who migrated south into the area before the 16th century. Such groups included the Ehotilé (Aboisso), Kotrowou (Fresco), Zéhiri (Grand Lahou), Ega and Diès (Divo).[35]

text: Pre-Islamic and Islamic periods[edit]

text: The first recorded history is found in the chronicles of North African (Berber) traders, who, from early Roman times, conducted a caravan trade across the Sahara in salt, slaves, gold, and other goods. The southern terminals of the trans-Saharan trade routes were located on the edge of the desert, and from there supplemental trade extended as far south as the edge of the rain forest. The more important terminals—Djenné, Gao, and Timbuctu—grew into major commercial centres around which the great Sudanic empires developed.

text: By controlling the trade routes with their powerful military forces, these empires were able to dominate neighbouring states. The Sudanic empires also became centres of Islamic education. Islam had been introduced in the western Sudan (today's Mali) by Muslim Berber traders from North Africa; it spread rapidly after the conversion of many important rulers. From the 11th century, by which time the rulers of the Sudanic empires had embraced Islam, it spread south into the northern areas of contemporary Ivory Coast.

text: The Ghana empire, the earliest of the Sudanic empires, flourished in present-day eastern Mauritania from the fourth to the 13th centuries. At the peak of its power in the 11th century, its realms extended from the Atlantic Ocean to Timbuctu. After the decline of Ghana, the Mali Empire grew into a powerful Muslim state, which reached its apogee in the early part of the 14th century. The territory of the Mali Empire in Ivory Coast was limited to the north-west corner around Odienné.

text: Its slow decline starting at the end of the 14th century followed internal discord and revolts by vassal states, one of which, Songhai, flourished as an empire between the 14th and 16th centuries. Songhai was also weakened by internal discord, which led to factional warfare. This discord spurred most of the migrations of peoples southward toward the forest belt. The dense rain forest, covering the southern half of the country, created barriers to the large-scale political organizations that had arisen in the north. Inhabitants lived in villages or clusters of villages; their contacts with the outside world were filtered through long-distance traders. Villagers subsisted on agriculture and hunting.

text: Pre-European era[edit]

text: Five important states flourished in Ivory Coast during the pre-European era. The Muslim Kong Empire was established by the Joola in the early 18th century in the north-central region inhabited by the Sénoufo, who had fled Islamization under the Mali Empire. Although Kong became a prosperous center of agriculture, trade, and crafts, ethnic diversity and religious discord gradually weakened the kingdom. The city of Kong was destroyed in 1895 by Samori Ture.

text: The Abron kingdom of Gyaaman was established in the 17th century by an Akan group, the Abron, who had fled the developing Ashanti confederation of Asanteman in what is present-day Ghana. From their settlement south of Bondoukou, the Abron gradually extended their hegemony over the Dyula people in Bondoukou, who were recent émigrés from the market city of Begho. Bondoukou developed into a major center of commerce and Islam. The kingdom's Quranic scholars attracted students from all parts of West Africa. In the mid-17th century in east-central Ivory Coast, other Akan groups fleeing the Asante established a Baoulé kingdom at Sakasso and two Agni kingdoms, Indénié and Sanwi.

text: The Baoulé, like the Ashanti, developed a highly centralized political and administrative structure under three successive rulers. It finally split into smaller chiefdoms. Despite the breakup of their kingdom, the Baoulé strongly resisted French subjugation. The descendants of the rulers of the Agni kingdoms tried to retain their separate identity long after Ivory Coast's independence; as late as 1969, the Sanwi attempted to break away from Ivory Coast and form an independent kingdom.[36] The current king of Sanwi is Nana Amon Ndoufou V (since 2002).

text: Establishment of French rule[edit]

text: Compared to neighboring Ghana, Ivory Coast though practicing slavery and slave raiding suffered little from the slave trade as such. European slaving and merchant ships preferred other areas along the coast with better harbors to trade with local slave owners. The earliest recorded European voyage to West Africa was made by the Portuguese in 1482. The first West African French settlement, Saint Louis, was founded in the mid-17th century in Senegal, while at about the same time, the Dutch ceded to the French a settlement at Goree Island, off Dakar. A French mission was established in 1637 Assinie near the border with the Gold Coast (now Ghana). The Europeans suppressed the local practice of slavery at this time, and forbade the trade to their merchants.

text: Assinie's survival was precarious, however; the French were not firmly established in Ivory Coast until the mid-19th century. In 1843–4, French admiral Bouët-Willaumez signed treaties with the kings of the Grand Bassam and Assinie regions, making their territories a French protectorate. French explorers, missionaries, trading companies, and soldiers gradually extended the area under French control inland from the lagoon region. Pacification was not accomplished until 1915.

text: Activity along the coast stimulated European interest in the interior, especially along the two great rivers, the Senegal and the Niger. Concerted French exploration of West Africa began in the mid-19th century, but moved slowly, based more on individual initiative than on government policy. In the 1840s, the French concluded a series of treaties with local West African chiefs that enabled the French to build fortified posts along the Gulf of Guinea to serve as permanent trading centres.

text: The first posts in Ivory Coast included one at Assinie and another at Grand Bassam, which became the colony's first capital. The treaties provided for French sovereignty within the posts, and for trading privileges in exchange for fees or coutumes paid annually to the local chiefs for the use of the land. The arrangement was not entirely satisfactory to the French, because trade was limited and misunderstandings over treaty obligations often arose. Nevertheless, the French government maintained the treaties, hoping to expand trade.

text: France also wanted to maintain a presence in the region to stem the increasing influence of the British along the Gulf of Guinea coast. The French built naval bases to keep out non-French traders and began a systematic pacification of the interior to stop raids on their settlements. (They accomplished this only after a long war in the 1890s against Mandinka tribesmen, mostly from Gambia. However, raids by the Baoulé and other eastern tribes continued until 1917).[citation needed]

text: The defeat of France in the Franco-Prussian War in 1871 and the subsequent annexation by Germany of the French province of Alsace-Lorraine caused the French government to abandon its colonial ambitions and withdraw its military garrisons from its French West African trading posts, leaving them in the care of resident merchants. The trading post at Grand Bassam in Ivory Coast was left in the care of a shipper from Marseille, Arthur Verdier, who in 1878 was named Resident of the Establishment of Ivory Coast.[36]

text: In 1886, to support its claims of effective occupation, France again assumed direct control of its West African coastal trading posts and embarked on an accelerated program of exploration in the interior. In 1887, Lieutenant Louis Gustave Binger began a two-year journey that traversed parts of Ivory Coast's interior. By the end of the journey, he had concluded four treaties establishing French protectorates in Ivory Coast. Also in 1887, Verdier's agent, Marcel Treich-Laplène, negotiated five additional agreements that extended French influence from the headwaters of the Niger River Basin through Ivory Coast.

text: French colonial era[edit]

text: By the end of the 1880s, France had established what came through for control over the coastal regions of Ivory Coast, and in 1889 Britain recognized French sovereignty in the area. That same year, France named Trench-Laplène titular governor of the territory. In 1893, Ivory Coast was made a French colony, and then Captain Binger was appointed governor. Agreements with Liberia in 1892 and with Britain in 1893 determined the eastern and western boundaries of the colony, but the northern boundary was not fixed until 1947 because of efforts by the French government to attach parts of Upper Volta (present-day Burkina Faso) and French Sudan (present-day Mali) to Ivory Coast for economic and administrative reasons.

text: France's main goal was to stimulate the production of exports. Coffee, cocoa, and palm oil crops were soon planted along the coast. Ivory Coast stood out as the only West African country with a sizeable population of settlers; elsewhere in West and Central Africa, the French and British were largely bureaucrats. As a result, French citizens owned one-third of the cocoa, coffee, and banana plantations and adopted the local forced-labor system.

text: Throughout the early years of French rule, French military contingents were sent inland to establish new posts. Some of the native population and former slave-owning class resisted French civilization and settlement. Among those offering greatest resistance was Samori Ture, who in the 1880s and 1890s was conquering his neighbors, re-establishing slavery and founding the Wassoulou Empire, which extended over large parts of present-day Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Ivory Coast. Samori Ture's large, well-equipped army, which could manufacture and repair its own firearms, attracted some support throughout the region from chiefs who sought to play the two sides off against each other. The French responded to Samori Ture's expansion and conquest with military pressure. French campaigns against Samori Ture, which were met with greater resistance than usual in tribal warfare, intensified in the mid-1890s until he was captured in 1898 and his empire dissolved.

text: France's imposition of a head tax in 1900 to support the colony in a public works program provoked unexpected protests. Many Ivoirians viewed the tax as a violation of the terms of the protectorate treaties because they imagined that France was demanding the equivalent of a coutume from the local kings, rather than the reverse. Many of the population, especially in the interior, considered the tax a humiliating symbol of submission.[37] In 1905, the French officially abolished slavery in most of French West Africa.[38]

text: From 1904 to 1958, Ivory Coast was a constituent unit of the Federation of French West Africa. It was a colony and an overseas territory under the Third Republic. In World War I, France organized regiments from Ivory Coast to fight in France, and colony resources were rationed from 1917–1919. Some 150,000 men from Ivory Coast died in World War I. Until the period following World War II, governmental affairs in French West Africa were administered from Paris. France's policy in West Africa was reflected mainly in its philosophy of "association", meaning that all Africans in Ivory Coast were officially French "subjects", but without rights to representation in Africa or France.

text: French colonial policy incorporated concepts of assimilation and association. Based on an assumption of the superiority of French culture over all others, in practice the assimilation policy meant the extension of French language, institutions, laws, and customs to the colonies. The policy of association also affirmed the superiority of the French in the colonies, but it entailed different institutions and systems of laws for the colonizer and the colonized. Under this policy, the Africans in Ivory Coast were allowed to preserve their own customs insofar as they were compatible with French interests, such as the recent abolition of the slave trade.

text: An indigenous elite trained in French administrative practice formed an intermediary group between the French and the Africans. Assimilation was practiced in Ivory Coast to the extent that after 1930, a small number of Westernized Ivoirians were granted the right to apply for French citizenship. Most Ivoirians, however, were classified as French subjects and were governed under the principle of association.[39] As subjects of France, natives outside the above-mentioned civilized elite had no political rights until they entered it. They were drafted for work in mines, on plantations, as porters, and on public projects as part of their tax responsibility. They were expected to serve in the military and were subject to the indigénat, a separate system of law.[40]

text: In World War II, the Vichy regime remained in control until 1942, when British troops invaded without much resistance. Winston Churchill gave power back to members of General Charles de Gaulle's provisional government. By 1943, the Allies had returned French West Africa to the French. The Brazzaville Conference of 1944, the first Constituent Assembly of the Fourth Republic in 1946, and France's gratitude for African loyalty during World War II, led to far-reaching governmental reforms in 1946. French citizenship was granted to all African "subjects", the right to organize politically was recognized, and various forms of forced labor were abolished.

text: Until 1958, governors appointed in Paris administered the colony of Ivory Coast, using a system of direct, centralized administration that left little room for Ivoirian participation in policy making. Whereas British colonial administration adopted divide-and-rule policies elsewhere, applying ideas of assimilation only to the educated elite, the French were interested in ensuring that the small but influential elite was sufficiently satisfied with the status quo to refrain from any anti-French sentiment. Although strongly opposed to the practices of association, educated Ivoirians believed that they would achieve equality with their French peers through assimilation rather than through complete independence from France. After the assimilation doctrine was implemented entirely through the postwar reforms, though, Ivoirian leaders realized that even assimilation implied the superiority of the French over the Ivoirians. Some of them thought that discrimination and political inequality would end only with independence; others thought the problem of the division between the tribal culture and modernity would continue.[41]

text: Independence[edit]

text: Félix Houphouët-Boigny, the son of a Baoulé chief, became Ivory Coast's father of independence. In 1944, he formed the country's first agricultural trade union for African cocoa farmers like himself. Angered that colonial policy favoured French plantation owners, they united to recruit migrant workers for their own farms. Houphouët-Boigny soon rose to prominence and within a year was elected to the French Parliament in Paris. A year later, the French abolished forced labour. Houphouët-Boigny established a strong relationship with the French government, expressing a belief that the Ivory Coast would benefit from the relationship, which it did for many years. France appointed him as a minister, the first African to become a minister in a European government.

text: A turning point in relations with France was reached with the 1956 Overseas Reform Act (Loi Cadre), which transferred a number of powers from Paris to elected territorial governments in French West Africa and also removed the remaining voting inequalities. In 1958, Ivory Coast became an autonomous member of the French Community, which had replaced the French Union.

text: At the time of Ivory Coast's independence (1960), the country was easily French West Africa's most prosperous, contributing over 40% of the region's total exports. When Houphouët-Boigny became the first president, his government gave farmers good prices for their products to further stimulate production. This was further boosted by a significant immigration of workers from surrounding countries. Coffee production increased significantly, catapulting Ivory Coast into third place in world output (behind Brazil and Colombia). By 1979, the country was the world's leading producer of cocoa.

text: It also became Africa's leading exporter of pineapples and palm oil. French technicians contributed to the "Ivoirian miracle". In other African nations, the people drove out the Europeans following independence, but in Ivory Coast, they poured in. The French community grew from only 30,000 prior to independence to 60,000 in 1980, most of them teachers, managers, and advisors.[42] For 20 years, the economy maintained an annual growth rate of nearly 10%—the highest of Africa's non-oil-exporting countries.

text: Houphouët-Boigny administration[edit]

text: Houphouët-Boigny's one-party rule was not amenable to political competition. Laurent Gbagbo, who would become the president of Ivory Coast in 2000, had to flee the country in the 1980s, as he incurred the ire of Houphouët-Boigny when Gbagbo founded the Front Populaire Ivoirien.[43] Houphouët-Boigny banked on his broad appeal to the population who continually elected him. He was also criticized for his emphasis on developing large-scale projects.

text: Many felt the millions of dollars spent transforming his home village, Yamoussoukro, into the new political capital were wasted; others supported his vision to develop a centre for peace, education, and religion in the heart of the country. In the early 1980s, the world recession and a local drought sent shock waves through the Ivoirian economy. Due to the overcutting of timber and collapsing sugar prices, the country's external debt increased three-fold. Crime rose dramatically in Abidjan.[citation needed]

text: In 1990, hundreds of civil servants went on strike, joined by students protesting institutional corruption. The unrest forced the government to support multiparty democracy. Houphouët-Boigny became increasingly feeble, and died in 1993. He favoured Henri Konan Bédié as his successor.

text: Bédié administration[edit]

text: In October 1995, Bédié overwhelmingly won re-election against a fragmented and disorganised opposition. He tightened his hold over political life, jailing several hundred opposition supporters. In contrast, the economic outlook improved, at least superficially, with decreasing inflation and an attempt to remove foreign debt.

text: Unlike Houphouët-Boigny, who was very careful in avoiding any ethnic conflict and left access to administrative positions open to immigrants from neighbouring countries, Bedié emphasized the concept of "Ivority" (Ivoirité) to exclude his rival Alassane Ouattara, who had two northern Ivorian parents, from running for future presidential election. As people originating from foreign countries are a large part of the Ivoirian population, this policy excluded many people from Ivoirian nationality, and the relationship between various ethnic groups became strained, which resulted in two civil wars in the following decades.

text: 1999 military coup[edit]

text: Similarly, Bedié excluded many potential opponents from the army. In late 1999, a group of dissatisfied officers staged a military coup, putting General Robert Guéï in power. Bedié fled into exile in France. The new leadership reduced crime and corruption, and the generals pressed for austerity and campaigned in the streets for a less wasteful society.

text: Gbagbo administration[edit]

text: A presidential election was held in October 2000 in which Laurent Gbagbo vied with Guéï, but it was peaceful. The lead-up to the election was marked by military and civil unrest. Following a public uprising that resulted in around 180 deaths, Guéï was swiftly replaced by Gbagbo. Alassane Ouattara was disqualified by the country's Supreme Court, due to his alleged Burkinabé nationality. The existing and later reformed constitution [under Guéï] did not allow noncitizens to run for the presidency. This sparked violent protests in which his supporters, mainly from the country's north, battled riot police in the capital, Yamoussoukro.

text: Ivorian Civil War[edit]

text: In the early hours of 19 September 2002, while the President was in Italy, an armed uprising occurred. Troops who were to be demobilised mutinied, launching attacks in several cities. The battle for the main gendarmerie barracks in Abidjan lasted until mid-morning, but by lunchtime, the government forces had secured the main city, Abidjan. They had lost control of the north of the country, and the rebel forces made their stronghold in the northern city of Bouaké.

text: The rebels threatened to move on Abidjan again, and France deployed troops from its base in the country to stop the rebel advance. The French said they were protecting their own citizens from danger, but their deployment also helped government forces. That the French were helping either side was not established as a fact; but each side accused the French of supporting the opposite side. Whether French actions improved or worsened the situation in the long term is disputed.

text: What exactly happened that night is disputed. The government claimed that former president Robert Guéï led a coup attempt, and state TV showed pictures of his dead body in the street; counter-claims stated that he and 15 others had been murdered at his home, and his body had been moved to the streets to incriminate him. Alassane Ouattara took refuge in the German embassy; his home had been burned down.

text: President Gbagbo cut short his trip to Italy and on his return stated, in a television address, that some of the rebels were hiding in the shanty towns where foreign migrant workers lived. Gendarmes and vigilantes bulldozed and burned homes by the thousands, attacking the residents.

text: An early ceasefire with the rebels, which had the backing of much of the northern populace, proved short-lived, and fighting over the prime cocoa-growing areas resumed. France sent in troops to maintain the cease-fire boundaries,[44] and militias, including warlords and fighters from Liberia and Sierra Leone, took advantage of the crisis to seize parts of the west.

text: 2002 Unity Government[edit]

text: In January 2003, Gbagbo and rebel leaders signed accords creating a "government of national unity". Curfews were lifted, and French troops patrolled the western border of the country. The unity government was unstable, and central problems remained, with neither side achieving its goals. In March 2004, 120 people were killed in an opposition rally, and subsequent mob violence led to the evacuation of foreign nationals. A later report concluded the killings were planned.

text: Though UN peacekeepers were deployed to maintain a "Zone of Confidence", relations between Gbagbo and the opposition continued to deteriorate.

text: Early in November 2004, after the peace agreement had effectively collapsed following the rebels' refusal to disarm, Gbagbo ordered airstrikes against the rebels. During one of these airstrikes in Bouaké, on 6 November 2004, French soldiers were hit, and nine were killed; the Ivorian government said it was a mistake, but the French claimed it was deliberate. They responded by destroying most Ivoirian military aircraft (two Su-25 planes and five helicopters), and violent retaliatory riots against the French broke out in Abidjan.[45]

text: Gbagbo's original mandate as president expired on 30 October 2005, but due to the lack of disarmament, holding an election was deemed impossible, so his term in office was extended for a maximum of one year, according to a plan worked out by the African Union; this plan was endorsed by the United Nations Security Council.[46] With the late-October deadline approaching in 2006, the election was regarded as very unlikely to be held by that point, and the opposition and the rebels rejected the possibility of another term extension for Gbagbo.[47] The UN Security Council endorsed another one-year extension of Gbagbo's term on 1 November 2006; however, the resolution provided for the strengthening of Prime Minister Charles Konan Banny's powers. Gbagbo said the next day that elements of the resolution deemed to be constitutional violations would not be applied.[48]

text: A peace accord between the government and the rebels, or New Forces, was signed on 4 March 2007, and subsequently Guillaume Soro, leader of the New Forces, became prime minister. These events were seen by some observers as substantially strengthening Gbagbo's position.[49]

text: According to UNICEF, at the end of the Civil War, the water and sanitation situation was greatly damaged. Communities across the country required repairs to their water supply infrastructure. [50]

text: 2010 election[edit]

text:
Alassane Ouattara
President since 2010
Daniel Kablan Duncan
Prime Minister from 2012 to 2017

text: The presidential elections that should have been organized in 2005 were postponed until November 2010. The preliminary results announced independently by the president of the Electoral Commission from the headquarters of Allasane due to concern about fraud in that commission. They showed a loss for Gbagbo in favour of his rival, former prime minister Alassane Ouattara.[51]

text: The ruling FPI contested the results before the Constitutional Council, charging massive fraud in the northern departments controlled by the rebels of the New Forces. These charges were contradicted by United Nations observers (unlike African Union observers). The report of the results led to severe tension and violent incidents. The Constitutional Council, which consisted of Gbagbo supporters, declared the results of seven northern departments unlawful and that Gbagbo had won the elections with 51% of the vote – instead of Ouattara winning with 54%, as reported by the Electoral Commission.[51]

text: After the inauguration of Gbagbo, Ouattara—who was recognized as the winner by most countries and the United Nations—organized an alternative inauguration. These events raised fears of a resurgence of the civil war; thousands of refugees fled the country.[51]

text: The African Union sent Thabo Mbeki, former President of South Africa, to mediate the conflict. The United Nations Security Council adopted a common resolution recognising Alassane Ouattara as winner of the elections, based on the position of the Economic Community of West African States, which suspended Ivory Coast from all its decision-making bodies[52] while the African Union also suspended the country's membership.[53]

text: In 2010, a colonel of the Ivory Coast armed forces, Nguessan Yao, was arrested in New York in a year-long U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation charged with procuring and illegal export of weapons and munitions: 4,000 9 mm handguns, 200,000 rounds of ammunition, and 50,000 tear-gas grenades, in violation of a UN embargo. Several other Ivory Coast officers were released based on their diplomatic passports. His accomplice, Michael Barry Shor, an international trader, was located in Virginia.[54]

text: 2011 Civil War[edit]

text: The 2010 presidential election led to the 2010–2011 Ivorian crisis and the Second Ivorian Civil War. International organizations reported numerous human-rights violations by both sides. In the city of Duékoué, hundreds of people were killed. In nearby Bloléquin, dozens were killed.[55] UN and French forces took military action against Gbagbo.[56] Gbagbo was taken into custody after a raid into his residence on 11 April 2011. The country was severely damaged by the war, and observers say it will be a challenge for Ouattara to rebuild the economy and reunite Ivorians.[57]

text: Geography[edit]

text: Ivory Coast is a country of western sub-Saharan Africa. It borders Liberia and Guinea in the west, Mali and Burkina Faso in the north, Ghana in the east, and the Gulf of Guinea (Atlantic Ocean) in the south. The country lies between latitudes 4° and 11°N, and longitudes 2° and 9°W. Around 64.8% of the land is agricultural land, Arable land taking up 9.1%, permanent pasture with 41.5%, and permanent crops occupying 14.2%. Water pollution is amongst one of the biggest issues that the country is currently facing.[58]

text: Administrative divisions[edit]

text: Since 2011, Ivory Coast has been administratively organised into 12 districts plus two district-level autonomous cities. The districts are divided into 31 regions; the regions are divided into 108 departments; and the departments are divided into 510 sub-prefectures.[59] In some instances, multiple villages are organised into communes. The autonomous districts are not divided into regions, but they do contain departments, sub-prefectures, and communes.

text: Since 2011, governors for the 12 non-autonomous districts have not been appointed, and as a result these districts have not yet begun to function as governmental entities.

text: The following is the list of districts, district capitals and each district's regions:

text:
Map no.
District
District capital
Regions
Region seat
Population[60]

1
Abidjan
(District Autonome d'Abidjan)
4,707,404

2
Bas-Sassandra
(District du Bas-Sassandra)
San-Pédro
Gbôklé
Sassandra
400,798

Nawa
Soubré
1,053,084

San-Pédro
San-Pédro
826,666

3
Comoé
(District du Comoé)
Abengourou
Indénié-Djuablin
Abengourou
560,432

Sud-Comoé
Aboisso
642,620

4
Denguélé
(District du Denguélé)
Odienné
Folon
Minignan
96,415

Kabadougou
Odienné
193,364

5
Gôh-Djiboua
(District du Gôh-Djiboua)
Gagnoa
Gôh
Gagnoa
876,117

Lôh-Djiboua
Divo
729,169

6
Lacs
(District des Lacs)
Dimbokro
Bélier Region
Yamoussoukro[61]
346,768

Iffou
Daoukro
311,642

Moronou
Bongouanou
352,616

N'Zi
Dimbokro
247,578

7
Lagunes
(District des Lagunes)
Dabou
Agnéby-Tiassa
Agboville
606,852

Grands-Ponts
Dabou
356,495

La Mé
Adzopé
514,700

8
Montagnes
(District des Montagnes)
Man
Cavally
Guiglo
459,964

Guémon
Duékoué
919,392

Tonkpi
Man
992,564

9
Sassandra-Marahoué
(District du Sassandra-Marahoué)
Daloa
Haut-Sassandra
Daloa
1,430,960

Marahoué
Bouaflé
862,344

10
Savanes
(District des Savanes)
Korhogo
Bagoué
Boundiali
375,687

Poro
Korhogo
763,852

Tchologo
Ferkessédougou
467,958

11
Vallée du Bandama
(District de la Vallée du Bandama)
Bouaké
Gbêkê
Bouaké
1,010,849

Hambol
Katiola
429,977

12
Woroba
(District du Woroba)
Séguéla
Béré
Mankono
389,758

Bafing
Touba
183,047

Worodougou
Séguéla
272,334

13
Yamoussoukro
(District Autonome du Yamoussoukro)
355,573

14
Zanzan
(District du Zanzan)
Bondoukou
Bounkani
Bouna
267,167

Gontougo
Bondoukou
667,185

text: Environment[edit]

text: This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (May 2017)

text: Politics[edit]

text: The government is divided into three branches: the executive power, the legislative power, and the judicial power. In the legislative branch, Guillaume Soro directs the 2016 National Assembly and the 225 members. They are elected for five-year terms.

text: Since 1983, Ivory Coast's capital has been Yamoussoukro, while Abidjan is the administrative center. Most countries maintain their embassies in Abidjan. The Ivoirian population has suffered because of the ongoing civil war. International human-rights organizations have noted problems with the treatment of captive non-combatants by both sides and the re-emergence of child slavery in cocoa production.[62]

text: Although most of the fighting ended by late 2004, the country remained split in two, with the north controlled by the New Forces. A new presidential election was expected to be held in October 2005, and an agreement was reached among the rival parties in March 2007 to proceed with this, but it continued to be postponed until November 2010 due to delays in its preparation.

text: Elections were finally held in 2010. The first round of elections was held peacefully, and widely hailed as free and fair. Runoffs were held 28 November 2010, after being delayed one week from the original date of 21 November. Laurent Gbagbo as president ran against former Prime Minister Alassane Ouattara.[63]

text: On 2 December, the Electoral Commission declared that Ouattara had won the election by a margin of 54% to 46%. In response, the Gbagbo-aligned Constitutional Council rejected the declaration, and the government announced that country's borders had been sealed. An Ivorian military spokesman said, "The air, land, and sea border of the country are closed to all movement of people and goods."[64]

text: Foreign relations[edit]

text: In Africa, Ivorian diplomacy favors step-by-step economic and political cooperation. In 1959, Ivory Coast formed the Council of the Entente with Dahomey (Benin), Upper Volta (Burkina Faso), Niger and Togo; in 1965, the African and Malagasy Common Organization (OCAM); in 1972, the Economic Community of West Africa (CEAO). The last mentioned organisation changing to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in 1975. A founding member of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in 1963 and then of the African Union in 2000, Ivory Coast defends respect for state sovereignty and peaceful cooperation between African countries.

text: Worldwide, Ivorian diplomacy is committed to fair economic and trade relations, including the fair the trade of agricultural products and the promotion of peaceful relations with all countries. Ivory Coast thus maintains diplomatic relations with international organizations and countries all around the world. In particular, it has signed United Nations treaties such as the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, the 1967 Protocol, and the 1969 Convention Governing Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa. Ivory Coast is a member of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, African Union, La Francophonie, Latin Union, Economic Community of West African States, and South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone.

text: Ivory Coast have partnered with nations of the Sub-Saharan region in strengthening water and sanitation infrastructure. This has been done mainly with the help of organizations such as UNICEF and Nestle.[66]

text: In 2015, the United Nations engineered the Sustainable Development Goals (replacing the Millennium Development Goals). They focus on health, education, poverty, hunger, climate change, water sanitation, and hygiene. A major focus was clean water and salinisation. Experts working on this field have designed the WASH concept. WASH focuses on safe drinkable water, hygiene, and proper sanitation. The group has had a major impact on the sub-Saharan region of Africa, particularly the Ivory Coast. By 2030, they plan to have universal and equal access to safe and affordable drinking water.[67]

text: Military[edit]

text: As of 2012[update], major equipment items reported by the Ivory Coast Army included 10 T-55 tanks (marked as potentially unserviceable), five AMX-13 light tanks, 34 reconnaissance vehicles, 10 BMP-½ armoured infantry fighting vehicles, 41 wheeled APCs, and 36+ artillery pieces.[68]

text: In 2012, the Ivory Coast Airforce consisted of one Mil Mi-24 attack helicopter and three SA330L Puma transports (marked as potentially unserviceable).[69]

text: Economy[edit]

text: Ivory Coast has, for the region, a relatively high income per capita (US$1014.4 in 2013) and plays a key role in transit trade for neighboring, landlocked countries. The country is the largest economy in the West African Economic and Monetary Union, constituting 40% of the monetary union’s total GDP. The country is the world's largest exporter of cocoa beans, and the fourth-largest exporter of goods, in general, in sub-Saharan Africa (following South Africa, Nigeria, and Angola).[70]

text: In 2009, the cocoa-bean farmers earned $2.53 billion for cocoa exports and were expected to produce 630,000 metric tons in 2013.[71][72] According to the Hershey Company, the price of cocoa beans is expected to rise dramatically in upcoming years.[73] The Ivory Coast also has 100,000 rubber farmers who earned a total of $105 million in 2012.[74][75]

text: The maintenance of close ties to France since independence in 1960, diversification of agriculture for export, and encouragement of foreign investment have been factors in the economic growth of Ivory Coast. In recent years, Ivory Coast has been subject to greater competition and falling prices in the global marketplace for its primary agricultural crops: coffee and cocoa. That, compounded with high internal corruption, makes life difficult for the grower, those exporting into foreign markets, and the labor force, inasmuch as instances of indentured labor have been reported in the cocoa and coffee production in every edition of the U.S. Department of Labor's List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor since 2009.[76]

text: South Africa and North Africa aside, most African economies have not grown faster since independence. One possible reason for this might be the taxation on export agriculture. Ivory Coast, Nigeria, and Kenya were exceptions as their rulers were themselves large cash-crop producers, and the newly independent countries desisted from imposing penal rates of taxation of export agriculture, with the result that their economies were doing well.[77]

text: Society[edit]

text: Demographics[edit]

text: The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998,[78] and was estimated to be 20,617,068 in 2009,[1] and 23,919,000 in July 2014.[79] Ivory Coast's first national census in 1975 counted 6.7 million inhabitants.[80]

text: According to 2012 government survey, the fertility rate was 5.0 children born per woman, with 3.7 in urban areas and 6.3 in rural areas.[81]

text: Languages[edit]

text: French, the official language, is taught in schools and serves as a lingua franca in the country. An estimated 65 languages are spoken in Ivory Coast. One of the most common is the Dyula language, which acts as a trade language, as well as a language commonly spoken by the Muslim population.

text: Employment[edit]

text: Around 7.5 million people of Ivory Coast made up the work force in 2009. The work force took a hit, especially in the private sector, during the early 2000s due to the numerous economic crises since 1999. Furthermore, these crises caused companies to close and move locations, especially in Ivory Coast's tourism industry, transit and banking companies. Job markets decreasing posed as a huge issue in Ivory Coast society as unemployment rates grew. Unemployment rates raised to 9.4% in 2012.[82]

text: Solutions proposed to decrease unemployment included diversifying jobs in small trade. This division of work encouraged farmers and the agricultural sector. Self-employment policy, established by the Ivorian government, allowed for very strong growth in the field with an increase of 142% in seven years from 1995.[83] Despite efforts like this to decrease unemployment, it still remains as a social problem.

text: Ethnic groups[edit]

text: Ethnic groups include Akan (42.1%), Voltaiques or Gur (17.6%), Northern Mandés (16.5%), Krous (11%), Southern Mandés (10%), and others (2.8%, including 30,000 Lebanese and 45,000 French; 2004). About 77% of the population is considered Ivorian.

text: Since Ivory Coast has established itself as one of the most successful West African nations, about 20% of the population (about 3.4 million) consists of workers from neighbouring Liberia, Burkina Faso, and Guinea.

text: About 4% of the population is of non-African ancestry. Many are French,[84] Lebanese,[85] Vietnamese and Spanish citizens, as well as Protestant missionaries from the United States and Canada. In November 2004, around 10,000 French and other foreign nationals evacuated Ivory Coast due to attacks from progovernment youth militias.[86] Aside from French nationals, native-born descendants of French settlers who arrived during the country's colonial period are present.

text: Largest cities[edit]

text:
v
t
e

Largest cities or towns in Ivory Coast
geohive.com

Rank
Name
District
Pop.

Abidjan
1
Abidjan
Abidjan
4 395 243

2
Bouaké
Vallée du Bandama
536 189

3
Daloa
Sassandra-Marahoué
319 427

4
Korhogo
Savanes
286 071

5
Yamoussoukro
Yamoussoukro
281 735

6
San-Pédro
Bas-Sassandra
261 616

7
Gagnoa
Gôh-Djiboua
213 918

8
Man
Montagnes
188 704

9
Duékoué
Montagnes
185 344

10
Divo
Bas-Sassandra
179 455

text: Religion[edit]

text:
Religion in Ivory Coast, 2008 census[87]

Religion

Percent

Islam

39%

Christianity

33%

Folk religion

12%

Other

16%

text: Religion in Ivory Coast remains very heterogeneous, with Islam (almost all Sunni Muslims, with some Ahmadi Muslims[88]) and Christianity (mostly Roman Catholic with smaller numbers of Protestants, primarily Methodists) being the major religions. Muslims dominate the north, while Christians dominate the south. In 2009, according to U.S. Department of State estimates, Christians and Muslims each made up 35 to 40% of the population, while an estimated 25% of the population practiced traditional (animist) religions.[89]

text: Ivory Coast's capital, Yamoussoukro, is home to the largest church building[n 6] in the world, the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro.

text: Judaism is rare in the Ivory Coast currently, but Jews can still be found scattered throughout the country. The Jewish people had a larger presence in the late 20th century before a mass Jewish immigration in which Jews from the Ivory Coast and all over the world left their native countries for Israel. Despite this, the Jewish population is beginning to re-emerge in the Ivory Coast.[citation needed]

text: Health[edit]

text: Life expectancy at birth was 41 for males in 2004; for females it was 47.[90] Infant mortality was 118 of 1000 live births.[90] Twelve physicians are available per 100,000 people.[90] About a quarter of the population lives below the international poverty line of US$1.25 a day.[91] About 36% of women have undergone female genital mutilation.[92] According to 2010 estimates, Ivory Coast has the 27th-highest maternal mortality rate in the world.[93] The HIV/AIDS rate was 19th-highest in the world, estimated in 2012 at 3.20% among adults aged 15–49 years.[94]

text: Education[edit]

text: A large part of the adult population, in particular women, are illiterate. Many children between 6 and 10 years are not enrolled in school.[95] The majority of students in secondary education are male. At the end of secondary education, students can sit the baccalauréat examination.

text: The country has a number of universities, such as the Université de Cocody in Abidjan and the Université de Bouaké in Bouaké. In 2012, there were 57,541 students enrolled at post-secondary diploma level, 23,008 students studying for a bachelor's or master's degree and 269 PhD students. Enrolment in tertiary education suffered during the political crisis, dropping from 9.03% to 4.46% of the 18-25-year cohort between 2009 and 2012.[96]

text: Science and technology[edit]

text: According to the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Ivory Coast devotes about 0.13% of GDP to GERD. Apart from low investment, other challenges include inadequate scientific equipment, the fragmentation of research organizations and a failure to exploit and protect research results.[96]

text: The share of the National Development Plan for 2012–2015 that is devoted to scientific research remains modest. Within the section on greater wealth creation and social equity (63.8% of the total budget for the Plan), just 1.2% is allocated to scientific research. Twenty-four national research programmes group public and private research and training institutions around a common research theme. These programmes correspond to eight priority sectors for 2012–2015, namely: health, raw materials, agriculture, culture, environment, governance, mining and energy; and technology.[96]

text: Culture[edit]

text: Music[edit]

text: Each of the ethnic groups in Ivory Coast has its own music genres, most showing strong vocal polyphony. Talking drums are also common, especially among the Appolo, and polyrhythms, another African characteristic, are found throughout Ivory Coast and are especially common in the southwest.

text: Popular music genres from Ivory Coast include zoblazo, zouglou, and Coupé-Décalé. A few Ivorian artists who have known international success are Magic Système, Alpha Blondy, Meiway, Dobet Gnahore, Tiken Dja Fakoly, and Christina Goh from Ivorian descent.

text: Media[edit]

text: Sport[edit]

text: The country has been the host for several major African sporting events, with the most recent being the 2013 African Basketball Championship. In the past, the country hosted the 1984 Africa Cup of Nations, in which its football team finished fifth, and the 1985 African Basketball Championship, where its basketball team won the gold medal.

text: Ivory Coast won an Olympic silver medal for men's 400-metre in the 1984 games, where it competed as "Côte d'Ivoire".

text: The most popular sport in Ivory Coast is association football. The national football team has played in the World Cup three times, in Germany 2006, in South Africa 2010, and Brazil in 2014. The woman's football team played in the 2015 Women's World Cup in Canada. Ivory Coast notable footballers are Didier Drogba, Yaya Touré, Eric Bailly and Gervinho. Rugby union is also popular, and the national rugby union team qualified to play at the Rugby World Cup in South Africa in 1995. Ivory Coast also won two Africa Cups one 1992 and the other 2015.

text: Cuisine[edit]

text: The traditional cuisine of Ivory Coast is very similar to that of neighboring countries in West Africa in its reliance on grains and tubers. Cassava and plantains are significant parts of Ivorian cuisine. A type of corn paste called aitiu is used to prepare corn balls, and peanuts are widely used in many dishes. Attiéké is a popular side dish in Ivory Coast made with grated cassava and is a vegetable-based couscous. A common street food is alloco, which is ripe banana fried in palm oil, spiced with steamed onions and chili and eaten alone or with grilled fish. Chicken is commonly consumed and has a unique flavor due to its lean, low-fat mass in this region. Seafood includes tuna, sardines, shrimp, and bonito, which is similar to tuna. Mafé is a common dish consisting of meat in a peanut sauce.[97]

text: Slow-simmered stews with various ingredients are another common food staple in Ivory Coast.[97] Kedjenou is a dish consisting of chicken and vegetables that are slow-cooked in a sealed pot with little or no added liquid, which concentrates the flavors of the chicken and vegetables and tenderizes the chicken.[97] It is usually cooked in a pottery jar called a canary, over a slight fire, or cooked in an oven.[97] Bangui is a local palm wine.

text: Ivorians have a particular kind of small, open-air restaurant called a maquis, which is unique to the region. A maquis normally features braised chicken and fish covered in onions and tomatoes, served with attiéké or kedjenou.


document_title: A Series of Unfortunate Events (TV series)

question_text: who plays the narrator in a series of unfortunate events

root

text: Premise[edit]

text: When a mysterious fire kills their parents, the Baudelaire children are placed into the care of their distant relative Count Olaf, an actor who is determined to claim the family fortune for himself. Following Olaf's failed attempt, the Baudelaires set out to elude Olaf and uncover the mystery behind a secret society from their parents' past.

tag: p

text: Cast[edit]

text: Main[edit]

text:
Neil Patrick Harris as Count Olaf,[5] an actor determined to claim the Baudelaire fortune for himself. He possesses a spyglass with the structure of an eye similar to his tattoo on his left ankle.
Patrick Warburton as Lemony Snicket,[6] the narrator tasked with explaining the events during the lives of the Baudelaires.
Malina Weissman as Violet Baudelaire,[7] the eldest Baudelaire sibling and inventor talented in mechanics.
Louis Hynes as Klaus Baudelaire,[7] the middle Baudelaire child interested in literature and books.
K. Todd Freeman as Arthur Poe,[8] the family banker of the Baudelaire parents, who is in charge of placing the Baudelaires in the care of a suitable guardian.
Presley Smith as Sunny Baudelaire,[9] the infant child of the Baudelaires with unnaturally strong teeth. Tara Strong provides the quasi-nonsensical lines of Sunny.[10]

tag: ul

text: Recurring[edit]

text:
Will Arnett as Father,[11][12] a man who is trying to return home to his three children.
Cobie Smulders as Mother,[12] a woman who is trying to return home to her three children.
Usman Ally as the Hook-Handed Man,[13] a member of Count Olaf's theatre troupe.
Matty Cardarople as the Henchperson Of Indeterminate Gender,[13] another member of Count Olaf's theatre troupe.
Cleo King as Eleanora Poe, Arthur Poe's wife and the editor-in-chief of The Daily Punctilio.
John DeSantis as the Bald Man,[14] large bald-headed man who is another member of Count Olaf's theatre troupe.
Jacqueline and Joyce Robbins as the White-Faced Women,[13] two elderly twins who are members of Count Olaf's theatre troupe.
Sara Canning as Jacquelyn, Mr. Poe's standoffish assistant and a member of the Baudelaire family's secret society. She possesses a spyglass.

text: Guest[edit]

text: Introduced in season 1[edit]

text:
Joan Cusack as Justice Strauss,[15] a judge and Count Olaf's neighbor who helps the Baudelaires and is hopeful to adopt them.
Luke Camilleri as Gustav Sebald,[13] a member of the Baudelaire family's secret society and Monty's former assistant.
Aasif Mandvi as Montgomery "Uncle Monty" Montgomery,[16] a distant relative of the Baudelaires and enthusiastic herpetologist who claims to have spent his childhood with their late parents. He is a member of the Baudelaire family's secret society and possesses a spyglass.
Patrick Keating as Town Father, an actor in various films displayed within the series.
Alfre Woodard as Aunt Josephine Anwhistle,[17] a distant relative of the Baudelaires who has many rational and irrational fears and a love of grammar, and is a member of the Baudelaire family's secret society.
Patrick Breen as Larry, a waiter at the Anxious Clown restaurant who is a member of the Baudelaire family's secret society.
Rob Labelle as a taxi driver in Lake Lachrymose
Keith Blackman Dallas as Evander, a truck driver for Lucky Smells Lumbermill
Don Johnson as Sir,[18] the owner of Lucky Smells Lumbermill.
Catherine O'Hara as Georgina Orwell,[19] an optometrist and Count Olaf's ex-girlfriend who hypnotizes the Lucky Smells Lumbermill workers so they never leave, also causing them to believe the Baudelaire parents set fire to Paltryville. O'Hara previously portrayed Justice Strauss in the 2004 film adaptation.
Rhys Darby as Charles,[11] Sir's partner.
Dylan Kingwell as Duncan and Quigley Quagmire[20]
Avi Lake as Isadora Quagmire[20]
Timothy Webber as Jimmy, a worker at Lucky Smells Lumbermill.
Chris Gauthier as Phil, an optimistic worker who befriends the Baudelaires during their stay at the Lucky Smells Lumbermill.
Loretta Walsh as Norma Rae, a worker at Lucky Smells Lumbermill.
Trent Redekop as Cesar, a worker at Lucky Smells Lumbermill.

text: Daniel Handler cameos as a fish head salesperson in Lake Lachrymose.

text: Introduced in season 2[edit]

text:
Roger Bart as Nero, the vice principal of Prufrock Preparatory School.[21]
Lucy Punch as Esmé Squalor, the wife of Jerome Squalor and potential love interest for Count Olaf.[21]
Tony Hale as Jerome Squalor, the husband of Esmé Squalor.[21]
Nathan Fillion as Jacques Snicket, the brother of Lemony Snicket.[21]
Sara Rue as a librarian.[21]

text: Episodes[edit]

text: Season 1 (2017)[edit]

text: The first season adapts the first four books of the novel series: The Bad Beginning, The Reptile Room, The Wide Window and The Miserable Mill.[22]

text:
No.
overall
No. in
season
Title
Directed by
Written by
Original release date

1
1
"The Bad Beginning: Part One"[a]
Barry Sonnenfeld
Daniel Handler
January 13, 2017 (2017-01-13)

Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire receive the news that their parents have perished in a house fire. While exploring the ruins, Klaus finds a broken spyglass with an insignia of an eye embedded on the front. Shortly afterwards, they are sent to live with their distant relative Count Olaf, who forces them into servitude. One night, the siblings prepare puttanesca for Olaf's theatre troupe only for him to demand roast beef upon arriving home. The children state that they were never asked to prepare roast beef, angering Olaf and prompting him to slap Klaus across the face when he protests about the sleeping arrangements. Meanwhile, a mother and father are held against their will by a mysterious captor.

2
2
"The Bad Beginning: Part Two"[a]
Barry Sonnenfeld
Daniel Handler
January 13, 2017 (2017-01-13)

The Baudelaires attempt to convince family banker Mr. Poe of Olaf's actions only to be sent away when Poe dismisses their claims. When Olaf gives Violet the starring role in his latest theatrical production, which ends with the two main characters being married, the siblings realize that Olaf intends to acquire their fortune by marrying Violet for real. Klaus confronts Olaf, who threatens to kill Sunny if Violet doesn't follow through with his plans. At the very last minute, however, Violet signs the marriage certificate with her left hand, invalidating the proceedings due to the fact that she is right-handed. Mr. Poe's mysterious secretary Jacquelyn reveals they were intended to be put in the care of their distant relative Montgomery. Meanwhile, Jacquelyn's ally Gustav is mysteriously drowned, after being hit by a dart.

3
3
"The Reptile Room: Part One"
Mark Palansky
Daniel Handler
January 13, 2017 (2017-01-13)

The Baudelaires are sent to live with their herpetologist uncle Monty Montgomery, who has recently come across a reptile he calls the "Incredibly Deadly Viper". While attempting to learn more about Montgomery, Klaus discovers that the hedge maze in Montgomery's garden is exactly the same shape as the tattoo on Olaf's ankle. Olaf poses as Montgomery's new assistant Stephano and attempts to kidnap the Baudelaires, but Monty assures the Baudelaires that he recognizes Stephano as a threat. The four arrive at a movie theatre, where Monty deciphers a code sent for him through the subtitles of the film, using a spyglass identical to Klaus' - the message instructs him to bring the children to Peru. He fires Stephano shortly afterwards, believing him to be a spy sent to steal his research.

4
4
"The Reptile Room: Part Two"
Mark Palansky
Emily Fox
January 13, 2017 (2017-01-13)

Immediately after dismissing "Stephano", Montgomery notices that the door to his Reptile Room is ajar and investigates only to be attacked by an unseen figure. The next day, the Baudelaires discover Olaf standing next to Montgomery's corpse. Olaf threatens to kill Sunny unless the siblings accompany him to Peru, but is prevented from carrying out his plan when Mr. Poe accidentally crashes into their car when they are trying to leave. Olaf's theatre troupe then arrives disguised as police, and claim Monty's death was committed by the Incredibly Deadly Viper, despite Monty's claim of it being 'the most friendly reptile in the entire animal kingdom'. While searching for proof of the snake's innocence, Klaus discovers a statue in Monty's hedgemaze, and a photograph of Monty, both of them carrying spyglasses identical to Klaus'. Violet proves Olaf to be the murderer - however, he escapes via the hedge maze with Klaus' spyglass. While pursuing him, the Baudelaires are encountered by Jacquelyn, who was posing as the statue. She tells them to seek answers on the spyglasses from their Aunt Josephine while she hunts down Olaf via underground passageways.

5
5
"The Wide Window: Part One"
Barry Sonnenfeld
Daniel Handler
January 13, 2017 (2017-01-13)

Mr. Poe takes the Baudelaires to live with their Aunt Josephine, an irrationally afraid woman who lives in a dilapidated house overlooking Lake Lachrymose. She refuses to answer questions about their parents, so the siblings pursue answers themselves around her house, and discover their parents were members of a secret organization, with spyglasses being used as useful devices. They are also shocked to find out that Josephine was once fierce and formidable, but lapsed into fear after the death of her husband. Olaf, who has followed the Baudelaires, disguises himself as a sailor named Captain Sham before pretending to fall in love with Josephine. Despite the siblings' warnings, Josephine accepts his invitation to take her out for a fried egg sandwich. Later that night, the siblings discover that Josephine has jumped out the library's bay window and left a note informing them that "Captain Sham" is their new guardian.

6
6
"The Wide Window: Part Two"
Barry Sonnenfeld
Daniel Handler
January 13, 2017 (2017-01-13)

As Mr. Poe prepares to hand the Baudelaires over to "Captain Sham", the siblings discover the note has several grammatical errors, something Josephine would never do since she was obsessed with proper grammar. Mr. Poe takes the children to a restaurant and prepares to complete the transfer, but allows the siblings to leave after Larry, a waiter secretly a member of their parents' organization, triggers their allergy to peppermint. After returning to the house, the siblings decipher Josephine's suicide note and discover she is still alive moments before a hurricane sends the house teetering over the cliff. Escaping with a photograph of their parents standing in front of a lumber mill, the siblings find Josephine at a nearby cave only to be confronted by Olaf, who abandons Josephine to be eaten alive by the leeches that inhabit Lake Lachrymose. Upon returning to shore, Olaf escapes after being unmasked in front of Mr. Poe while the Baudelaires sneak away and set out to find the lumber mill in the photograph.

7
7
"The Miserable Mill: Part One"
Bo Welch
Joe Tracz
January 13, 2017 (2017-01-13)

Upon arriving at the Lucky Smells Lumber Mill, the Baudelaires are forced to work by the owner Sir, who blames their parents for starting a fire that destroyed the entire town. While investigating the workers' unnaturally happy behavior, Klaus' glasses are broken by the Hook-Handed Man posing as Foreman Flacutono and he visits optometrist Georgina Orwell, who puts him into a hypnotic trance. Later that day, the siblings learn that two visitors are waiting to see them. Believing that their parents are still alive, the three are shocked to instead find Orwell and her receptionist "Shirley St. Ives", who is a poorly-disguised Olaf. Meanwhile, the mother and father who were previously held captive are revealed to be the parents of the Quagmire siblings, with whom they are reunited.

8
8
"The Miserable Mill: Part Two"
Bo Welch
Tatiana Suarez-Pico
January 13, 2017 (2017-01-13)

When Klaus mishandles one of the mill machines due to his hypnosis, Sir threatens to send the Baudelaires to "Shirley". The three investigate Orwell and 'Shirley' and discover the entire mill is under hypnotic trance to never leave, prompting the Baudelaires to return to the mill and save them. Orwell then orders Klaus to tie Sir's aide Charles to a log and send it through a buzz saw as she watches. At the last minute, Violet frees the mill workers from Orwell's hypnotic spell. Klaus snaps out of his trance, stopping him from harming Charles. The workers storm the mill, causing Orwell to fall into the furnace and die. Sir takes his leave amongst the worker riot while Count Olaf and the Hook-Handed Man get away. Charles reveals the truth about the Baudelaires' role in the town where they actually helped to fight the fire. The three siblings are reunited with Mr. Poe, and Jacquelyn sends Klaus the broken spyglass that Olaf stole from him. Poe sends the three siblings to boarding school which two of the three Quagmire siblings are also sent to, due to their house being burnt down by an unknown woman. The Quagmires' parents are revealed to be members of the organization. The final scene shows the Baudelaires, Lemony Snicket, Count Olaf, and Mr. Poe singing the song "That's Not How the Story Goes."

tag: table

text: Season 2[edit]

text: The second season is intended to adapt books five through nine of the novel series: The Austere Academy, The Ersatz Elevator, The Vile Village, The Hostile Hospital, and The Carnivorous Carnival.[25]

text:
No.
overall
No. in
season
Title
Directed by
Written by
Original release date

9
1
"The Austere Academy: Part One"[26]
Barry Sonnenfeld
TBA
2018 (2018)[21]

10
2
"The Austere Academy: Part Two"[26]
Barry Sonnenfeld
TBA
2018 (2018)[21]

text: Loni Peristere and Jonathan Teplitzky will direct episodes in the season.[27]

text: Season 3[edit]

text: The third season plans to adapt the final four books of the novel series: The Slippery Slope, The Grim Grotto, The Penultimate Peril and The End.[25]

text: Production[edit]

text: Development[edit]

text: The thirteen A Series of Unfortunate Events novels, written by Daniel Handler under the pen name Lemony Snicket from 1999 to 2006, achieved success in young adult fiction around the same time as the Harry Potter novels. As such, the Snicket books had been optioned to be filmed before they were published.[28] This led to the development of a 2004 feature film, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, which covered the narratives of the first three novels in the series. Barry Sonnenfeld, who has expressed his love for the series, was originally slated to direct the feature film, and had hired Handler to write the screenplay.[29] About 10 months into production, shortly after the casting of Jim Carrey as Olaf, there was a "big crisis", according to Handler, which caused producer Scott Rudin to walk away and Sonnenfeld left the production under unclear terms.[28] With the film's completion in flux, its producing studios Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks fired Handler. While the film was eventually completed and released, sequels which would adapt the other novels in the series became unlikely due to "corporate shakeups" within DreamWorks, according to Handler, and the child actors that portrayed the Baudelaire children grew too old to star in a sequel.[29]

text: In November 2014, Netflix, in association with Paramount Television, announced its plans to adapt the novels into an original television series, with the author of the series, Daniel Handler, serving as executive producer.[30]

text: In September 2015, it was announced that Barry Sonnenfeld and Mark Hudis had agreed to helm the series. Hudis would serve as showrunner, Sonnenfeld as director, and both as executive producers,[31] with Handler writing some of the scripts along with working with the series' writing team.[25] However, in January 2016, Netflix announced that Hudis had left the project, with a replacement showrunner not named at the time.[5]

text: The first season consists of eight episodes,[6] with two episodes adapting each of the first four books of the series.[22] Handler considered this more in line with how he had written the books in the manner of a serialized melodrama, citing The Perils of Pauline as one of his influences in writing the book series.[32] In January 2017, Handler revealed that he was writing the series' second season, to consist of ten episodes adapting the fifth through ninth books of the series. A third season would adapt the remaining novels of the series, which Handler hoped "to get the go-ahead to do" since "given how quickly young actors age and change, we're trying to film everything as quickly as possible."[25] In March 2017, Netflix revealed the series had been renewed for a second season by releasing a video on their social media pointing to a viral marketing website, where a letter written by Snicket revealed the decision.[33] A month later, the series was "quietly" renewed for a third season.[34]

text: Casting[edit]

text: On December 3, 2015, an open casting call was announced for the roles of Violet and Klaus Baudelaire.[35] In January 2016, Netflix announced that Neil Patrick Harris had been cast as Count Olaf and Malina Weissman and Louis Hynes were cast as Violet and Klaus.[5][7] Handler had first considered Harris for the role of Olaf after seeing him perform the opening number "It's Not Just for Gays Anymore", at the 65th Tony Awards in 2011, noting "I just immediately saw someone who could pull off a million things at once" as was necessary for the character of Olaf, who utilizes various disguises and accents in his quest to steal the Baudelaire fortune.[36]

text: In March 2016, K. Todd Freeman was cast as Mr. Poe,[8] followed shortly after by the casting of Patrick Warburton as Lemony Snicket,[6] and Aasif Mandvi as Uncle Monty.[16] In September 2016, it was revealed that Dylan Kingwell and Avi Lake were cast as the Quagmire siblings, Duncan and Isadora, respectively.[20] In November 2016, Handler revealed Catherine O'Hara, Don Johnson, and Alfre Woodard had been cast as Dr. Georgina Orwell,[19] Sir,[18] and Aunt Josephine, respectively;[17] O'Hara had previously portrayed Justice Strauss in the 2004 film adaptation of A Series of Unfortunate Events.[19] It was also revealed that Presley Smith would play Sunny Baudelaire,[9] whose quasi-nonsensical lines are voiced by Tara Strong,[10] and Rhys Darby would play Charles, Sir's partner.[11]

text: Filming[edit]

text: Production began in May 2016 in Vancouver, British Columbia,[37][38] and in August 2016 several cast members expressed through social media that filming had finished.[39] Filming for the second season began in April 2017.[40]

text: One aspect of the series of books that the production team wanted to be captured in the series was the notion of a lack of specific time period or geography for the settings; Handler stated that he wrote enough for establishing set pieces, but purposely left more specific details vague "in order for young readers to fill in the blanks themselves". Sonnenfeld wanted to capture that same sense of ambiguous time and place, and he and his team worked to try to define a set of subjective rules of what elements could be included. Sonnenfeld brought on Bo Welch, production designer for Edward Scissorhands, which Handler considered to capture the same sense of a "familiar but completely imaginary" suburban setting he had in mind for his books. While the production team used computer-generated imagery where needed, they attempted to avoid this use where possible, such as by using large painted backdrops, by key scenic artist John E. Wilcox, rather than employing green screen filming.[32]

text: Music[edit]

text: In April 2016, Nick Urata was initially reported to be composing music for the series.[41] Once the series was released, it was revealed that Urata collaborated with Daniel Handler to compose the main title theme, as well as various original songs that appear throughout the series, with Handler contributing the lyrics. The original score was composed by James Newton Howard, with his frequent collaborators Sven Faulconer and Chris Bacon filling in to score certain episodes.[42]

text: Visual effects[edit]

text: Zoic Studios created visual effects for the series, including the effects for many of Sunny Baudelaire's actions.[43] Tippett Studio also did work on the series, including the effects for the destruction of Josephine's house, landscape shots of Lake Lachrymose and some of the more movement heavy Sunny Baudelaire shots.[44]

text: Release[edit]

text: All eight episodes of A Series of Unfortunate Events were released worldwide on Netflix on January 13, 2017,[15] in Ultra HD 4K.[45] The second season is scheduled to be released in early 2018.[21]

text: Marketing[edit]

text: On July 5, 2015 a video titled "An Unfortunate Teaser" was uploaded to YouTube by a user named "Eleanora Poe". Netflix quickly released a statement saying "This was not released from Netflix." Media outlets were almost unanimous in agreement that the trailer was fan-made.[46][47][48][49] However, Caitlin Petrakovitz of CNET argued that the trailer may be real and that Netflix's carefully worded denial was a marketing campaign, noting the user name "Eleanora Poe" being the same as a character from the series, and that a vinyl record seen in the trailer was of The Gothic Archies, a band who provided the theme music for the audio books of A Series of Unfortunate Events.[50] The trailer was later revealed to be a spec promo, similar to a spec script, by an independent commercial director, whom Netflix contracted to make a title sequence for the series after the video's popularity, though they did not go ahead with the concept.[51]

text: In October 2016, Netflix released the first teaser trailer for A Series of Unfortunate Events, where Warburton narrates the events of the series as Lemony Snicket.[15] A trailer, featuring footage from the series and Neil Patrick Harris's character, Count Olaf, was released by Netflix in November 2016,[52] followed shortly by the first full trailer.[9] The second trailer was released in December 2016,[53] followed by a "holiday-themed" trailer from Count Olaf leading fans to a viral marketing website for the fictional Valorous Farms Dairy, which featured four holiday e-cards for download.[54]

text: Reception[edit]

text: Audience viewership[edit]

text: As Netflix does not reveal subscriber viewership numbers for any of their original series, Symphony Technology Group compiled data for the first season based on people using software on their devices that measure television viewing by detecting a program's sound. According to Symphony, 3.755 million viewers age 18-49 were watching an episode of A Series of Unfortunate Events over the average minute in its first weekend of release.[55]

text: Critical response[edit]

text: The first season of A Series of Unfortunate Events received critical acclaim. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gives the season an approval rating of 94% based on 50 reviews, with an average rating of 8.1/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Enjoyably dark, A Series of Unfortunate Events matches the source material's narrative as well as its tone, leaving viewers with a wonderfully weird, dry, gothic comedy."[56] On Metacritic the season has a score of 81 out of 100, based on 23 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[57]

text: Erik Adams of The A.V. Club awarded the season a B and praised it for treating "mature themes like grief, loss, and disappointment with sardonic honesty." Adams compared the program positively to the Adam West Batman series, calling it "kids stuff with adult sophistication, driven by two-part stories, outrageous visuals, and the scenery-chewing of big-name guest stars".[58] Ben Travers of Indiewire gave the series an A-, saying that it "proves as inspirational and endearing as it claims to be forlorn and heartbreaking". Brian Lowry of CNN praised the showrunners for "infusing the show with a lemony-fresh feel, conjuring a series similar to the fantastical tone of Pushing Daisies. Lowry wrote that "the show proves a good deal of fun" and that "Harris dives into his over-the-top character with considerable gusto". He also argued that the series improved upon the 2004 film.[59]

text: Several critics praised the television series as a better adaptation of the books than the 2004 feature film, which starred Jim Carrey as Count Olaf. Kelly Lawler of USA Today felt the television format gave the stories more room to develop, the addition of Warburton as the fourth wall-breaking Snicket helped to convey some of the wordplay humor used in the books, and Harris's portrayal of Olaf was "much more dynamic, and creepier" than Carrey's version.[60] The Verge's Chaim Gartenburg said that the show follows the books much more faithfully than the film, and "nails down the tone that made the stories so special".[61] Los Angeles Times writer Robert Lloyd felt that the backgrounds of Sonnenfeld and Welch made them "the right people for this job, set in a milieu that is hard to fix in time, except to say it is not now", in capturing the tones of the book compared to the feature film.[62]

text: Nick Allen of RogerEbert.com, on the other hand, gave the series a negative review, calling it "an unfunny parody of sadness" that is "never as clever as it wants to be" and would only appeal to fans of the books.[63] Caroline Framke of Vox Media praised the series for its unique and weird visuals, but found the show's tone, pacing and performances to be haphazard and considered the show to be "literally, a series of unfortunate events".[64]

text: Awards and nominations[edit]

text:
Year
Award
Category
Nominee
Result
Ref

2017
Leo Awards
Best Visual Effects in a Dramatic Series
Luis Alejandro Guevara, Bob Habros, Cale Jacox, Ron Simonson, Jeffrey De Guzman
Nominated
[65]

Best Make-Up in a Dramatic Series
Rita Ciccozzi, Krista Seller, Tanya Hudson, Gitte Axen
Won

Best Hairstyling in a Dramatic Series
Julie Mchaffie, Dianne Holme, Jenine Lehfeldt
Won

Best Guest Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series
Sara Canning
Nominated

Saturn Awards
Best New Media Television Series
A Series of Unfortunate Events
Nominated
[66]

Creative Arts Emmy Awards
Outstanding Music Composition for a Series
James Newton Howard
Nominated
[67]

Gold Derby TV Awards
Comedy Actor
Neil Patrick Harris
Nominated
[68]

text: Notes[edit]

text: ^ Jump up to: a b Netflix and critics name the first two episodes as "The Bad Beginning", following the title of the book, while the episode itself displays the name of "A Bad Beginning" after the opening credits.[23][24]

tag: ol


document_title: Why did the chicken cross the road?

question_text: where did the chicken cross the road joke originated

text: Why did the chicken cross the road?

text: History[edit]

text: The riddle appeared in an 1847 edition of The Knickerbocker, a New York City monthly magazine:[1]

text: There are 'quips and quillets' which seem actual conundrums, but yet are none. Of such is this: 'Why does a chicken cross the street?['] Are you 'out of town?' Do you 'give it up?' Well, then: 'Because it wants to get on the other side!'

text: The joke had become widespread by the 1890s,[citation needed] when a pun variant version appeared in the magazine Potter's American Monthly:[2]

text: Why should not a chicken cross the road? It would be a fowl proceeding.

text: Variations[edit]

text: There are many riddles that assume a familiarity with this well-known riddle and its answer, for example by supplying a different answer, such as "it was too far to walk around".[3] One class of variations enlists a creature other than the chicken to cross the road, in order to refer back to the original riddle. For example, a turkey or duck crosses "because it was the chicken's day off," and a dinosaur "because chickens didn't exist yet." Some variants are both puns and references to the original, such as "Why did the duck cross the road?" "To prove he's no chicken".

text: Other variations replace side with another word often to form a pun. Some examples are "Why did the chicken cross the playground? To get to the other slide" or "Why did the whale cross the ocean? To get to the other tide." A mathematical version asks, "Why did the chicken cross the Möbius strip?" "To get to the same side." Alternatively, the punchline can be regarded as the chicken "getting to the other side" as a euphemism for death, and crossing the road being its method of suicide.[citation needed]

text: Another class of variations, designed for written rather than oral transmission, employs parody by pretending to have notable individuals or institutions give characteristic answers to the question posed by the riddle.[4] As with the lightbulb joke, variants on these themes are widespread.


document_title: Eric Steinberg

question_text: who plays emily's dad on pretty little liars

question_tokens: who plays emily 's dad on pretty little liars

text: Eric Steinberg

text: This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (March 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text:
Eric Steinberg

Born
(1969-08-26) August 26, 1969 (age 48)
Washington, D.C.

Occupation
Film, television actor

text: Eric D. Steinberg (born August 26, 1969 in Washington, D.C.) is an American actor who played the role of Emily Fields' father in the Freeform hit series Pretty Little Liars.

text: Steinberg attended the University of Vermont and the University of Kent in England prior to receiving an acting fellowship at the University of California at Irvine.

text: Roles[edit]

text:
Lab Rats: Elite Force - Rodissius (2 episodes, 2016)
Second Chance - Cory (1 episode, 2016)
Supergirl - Commander Gor (2 episodes, 2015)
Satisfaction (1 episode, 2014)
Anger Management - Dr. Woo (1 episode, 2014)
Mortal Kombat Legacy - Bi-Han/Sub Zero (2013-)
The Mentalist - Jon (One episode, 2012)
Torchwood - Zheng Yibao (One episode, 2011)
Days of Our Lives - Dr. Lee (2010–2011)
Pretty Little Liars - Wayne Fields (2010-14)
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles - Alex Akagi (November 2008)
The Unit - General Raja (One episode, 2007)
Without A Trace - Ray Greene (One episode, 2007)
The Young and the Restless - Ji Min Kim (September 2006 - September 2007)
Day Break - Danny Yan, "Slim" boy (2 episodes, 2006–2007)
Stargate SG-1 - Netan (5 episodes, 2006–2007)
Numb3rs - ATF Agent Rho (1 episode, 2006)
Nip/Tuck - Dr. Mugavi (1 episode, 2006)
24 - Agent Davis (1 episode, 2006)
NCIS - Marcos Siazon (Season 3 Episode 8)
Charmed - The Dogan (2005 )
CSI: Miami - Daniel Vance (2005)
Largo - Nick Ramirez (2000)
V.I.P. - One Wedding and Val's Funeral - Prince Jordan (1998)
Martin - Mr. Ho (One episode 1997)
Star Trek: First Contact - Lieutenant Paul Porter (1996)
Babylon 5 - Samuel (One episode 1996)
Dog Watch - Bench (1996)
Rage Of Vengeance - Sunghi (1993)
JAG - Tony Yoshigawa