Assinie

Assinie lies on a lagoon-lined coast east of the great Ivorian forests, where waterways meet the Gulf of Guinea. Its position and connections with inland communities attracted European traders seeking gold and ivory. French missionaries and merchants settled there in 1687, and a French fort known as Saint-Louis was occupied in the early eighteenth century. The post was abandoned after only a few years, while local rulers and traders continued to shape exchange along the coast.