GRAND-BASSAM

city, southeastern Cte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast). It lies at the mouth of the Komo (Como) River at the eastern entrance to the bri Lagoon. The site of a French trading post in the late 17th century and a military garrison established in 1843 among the Abure (Aboure) and Mbato peoples, it became the first capital (1893-1900) of the Cte d'Ivoire colony. Once an important Atlantic port (1901-50) for mahogany export, the city is still a major collecting point for timber, rubber, fish, pineapples, cocoa, coffee, bananas, and palm oil and kernels. Grand-Bassam was the site of the first Roman Catholic mission school (1895) in Cte d'Ivoire. Pop. (1975) 27,273.