Le Plateau, Abidjan

Le Plateau is the central business district of Abidjan, occupying a peninsula between the lagoons and often called the Manhattan of West Africa for its cluster of high-rise towers. Built up rapidly from the mid-twentieth century, it houses government ministries, bank headquarters and the tallest buildings in the country. Wide boulevards, modernist office blocks and landscaped plazas define its skyline, best seen from across the Ébrié Lagoon. The area concentrates much of Ivorian financial power in a compact grid.