A giant basilica in the capital of Côte d'Ivoire
Yamoussoukro, the home town of the country's first president, Félix Houphouët-Boigny, became the official capital in 1983. Its wide boulevards lead to the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, modelled on St Peter's in Rome and one of the largest churches in the world, with vast stained-glass windows. The Félix Houphouët-Boigny Foundation and the presidential palace, whose lakes are home to crocodiles, are other landmarks. The city is a straightforward stop between Abidjan and the country's north.