Kong (Ouattara or Wattara) Empire

Abstract

Kong, also known as Ouattara or Wattara Empire, was situated in present-day Côte d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso. At its height in the 1730s, the empire stretched from the fringes of Asante, nearly to Jenné in the north, and westward to the Bamana Kingdoms, becoming the largest kingdom thus far south of the Niger River. Kong became an Islamic center as well as a commercial center. The state prospered, with the various groups and classes living in relative harmony.