During Medieval times, the region that is now Ivory Coast was at the centre of several major African trade routes, linking the empires which then existed in Ghana and Mali. European traders had been present in the region since the 15th century, but it was not until the 19th that the French undertook a determined penetration of the region.
The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998, and was estimated to be 20,617,068 in 2009, and 23,919,000 in July 2014.Ivory Coast's first national census in 1975 counted 6.7 million inhabitants.
Festivals in the Ivory Coast are often a celebration of cultural traditions. With a good number of the population adhering to the Muslim faith, religious events related to Islamic beliefs are widely observed. Ivoirians also celebrate different kinds of historic holidays, many of which are characterized by festive parades and colorful performances.