SASSANDRA, APOSTOLIC VICARIATE of. - It is situated in the south-western part of the Ivory Coast. It was erected as an apostolic vicariate on 9 Apr. 1940, with territory detached from the apostolic vicariate of the Ivory Coast, which was simultaneously given its present name of Abidjan. It is entrusted to the Society of African Missions.
It has an area of 112,000 sq. km., for the most part covered by forests. The population is approximately 700,000 inhabitants, divided into 18 tribes, all animist, with their own languages. Muslim merchants seek to make converts and have already gained about 60,000 adherents. They constitute a real danger because they are supported by the great commercial houses and often also by the authorities. Almost everywhere Baoulé is spoken. The mission is divided into 17 districts, which comprise the principal stations, and 121 secondary stations. Catholics number 24,451; catechumens, 9,494; Protestants, 8,062. There are 31 missionaries, four of them indigenous; 14 nuns; and 124 catechists. There are 60 elementary schools, 17 secondary schools, and 1 teacher-training school; 4 dispensaries and 4 orphanages. Ancestral customs and economic difficulties make the progress of religion very slow.