Ivory Coast

Ivory Coast stamps for sale at Io Collezionista. The name of the former French colony, independent since 1960, comes from the terminology adopted by western navigators, French and Portuguese, of the 15th and 16th centuries to identify the territories facing the Gulf of Guinea. The division into areas followed a relatively simple rule, based on the main trade good of the zone: so were born the Gold Coast and the Slave, Grain, Pepper and Ivory Coasts. In fact, until the 19th century the last of these was accompanied by other names such as the Tooth Coast, again a reference to ivory, the Quaqua Coast, a Dutch name, the Coast of the Five and Six Stripes, referring to a particular kind of cotton produced there, and the Windward Coast, for the strong winds that frequently struck the shore.