Sassandra is a town in southern Ivory Coast. It is a sub-prefecture of and the seat of Sassandra Department. It is also a commune and the seat of Gbôklé Region in Bas-Sassandra District.

Sassandra
A beach in Sassandra
A beach in Sassandra
Sassandra is located in Ivory Coast
Sassandra
Sassandra
Location in Ivory Coast
Coordinates: 4°57′N 6°5′W / 4.950°N 6.083°W / 4.950; -6.083
Country Ivory Coast
DistrictBas-Sassandra
RegionGbôklé
DepartmentSassandra
Area
 • Total
836 km2 (323 sq mi)
Population
 (2021 census)[2]
 • Total
87,945
 • Density110/km2 (270/sq mi)
 • Town
26,608[1]
 (2014 census)
Time zoneUTC+0 (GMT)

Sassandra lies on the Gulf of Guinea at the mouth of the Sassandra River. The town was founded by the Portuguese as Santo André and was later run by the British, then the French as a seaport for timber. The town declined in the 1960s after San Pédro's port was completed. Sassandra's main industry is now fishing.

Sassandra is known for its beaches and lighthouse, while the Gaoulou National Park lies nearby. It is served by Sassandra Airport.

In 2021, the population of the sub-prefecture of Sassandra was 87,945.[2]

Villages

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The thirty eight villages of the sub-prefecture of Sassandra and their population in 2014 are:[3]

  1. Arokpa (363)
  2. Bassa (492)
  3. Batélébré 1 (94)
  4. Brodjé (431)
  5. Cocoplage (296)
  6. Dabéda (169)
  7. Gaoulou (12 184)
  8. Gapé (318)
  9. Grand-Dréwin (747)
  10. Kadrokpa (1 683)
  11. Lébléko (151)
  12. Lékidou (63)
  13. Misséhi (292)
  14. Niani (839)
  15. Niézéko (222)
  16. Sassandra (26 608)
  17. Siampaho Pk6 (855)
  18. Vodiéko (286)
  19. Akakro (863)
  20. Dagbégo 1 (1 025)
  21. Dagbégo 2 (2 042)
  22. Gloplou Pk20 (496)
  23. Godé (180)
  24. Goviadou (39)
  25. Guédio-Guédio (720)
  26. Kadrokpa 2 (2 911)
  27. Latéko (233)
  28. Lipoyo (1 079)
  29. Lohiri-Néyau (326)
  30. Lossan Kouamékro (2 313)
  31. Louga (889)
  32. Niabably Pk 26 (3 323)
  33. Niabayo (89)
  34. Niéga (328)
  35. Pauly-Brousse (6 530)
  36. Pauly-Chantier (623)
  37. Pauly-Plage (162)
  38. Sialloukro (2 957)

Climate

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Sassandra has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw) with year-round very high humidity and extreme heat discomfort. Sassandra sees two rainy seasons: the main rains occur from April to July, with a second shorter and lighter rain period from October to December. There are two very distinct dry seasons: a foggy, cloudy, slightly cooler dry season in August and September and a longer dry period dominated by the harmattan wind from the Sahara between mid-December and mid-March, resulting in clearer skies than during any other part of the year.

Climate data for Sassandra (1961–1990)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 30.1
(86.2)
30.1
(86.2)
31.0
(87.8)
30.9
(87.6)
29.8
(85.6)
27.9
(82.2)
27.1
(80.8)
26.5
(79.7)
27.5
(81.5)
28.5
(83.3)
29.6
(85.3)
29.5
(85.1)
29.0
(84.2)
Daily mean °C (°F) 26.1
(79.0)
26.9
(80.4)
27.0
(80.6)
26.5
(79.7)
26.5
(79.7)
25.4
(77.7)
24.5
(76.1)
24.2
(75.6)
24.6
(76.3)
25.5
(77.9)
26.2
(79.2)
26.1
(79.0)
25.8
(78.4)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 22.3
(72.1)
23.0
(73.4)
23.2
(73.8)
23.4
(74.1)
23.1
(73.6)
22.0
(71.6)
22.7
(72.9)
22.0
(71.6)
22.0
(71.6)
22.4
(72.3)
22.8
(73.0)
22.6
(72.7)
22.6
(72.7)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 15.8
(0.62)
35.7
(1.41)
52.6
(2.07)
96.9
(3.81)
235.1
(9.26)
529.1
(20.83)
191.4
(7.54)
32.1
(1.26)
43.6
(1.72)
84.5
(3.33)
119.6
(4.71)
72.8
(2.87)
1,509.2
(59.43)
Mean monthly sunshine hours 208.3 192.4 211.4 218.3 182.5 112.1 128.8 123.8 154.4 216.0 224.2 206.2 2,178.4
Source: NOAA[4]
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  1. ^ Citypopulation.de Population of cities & localities in Ivory Coast
  2. ^ a b Citypopulation.de Population of the regions and sub-prefectures of Ivory Coast
  3. ^ Citypopulation.de Population of the localities in the sub-prefecture of Sassandra
  4. ^ "Sassandra–Aero Climate Normals 1961-1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved December 21, 2015.