Elfenbenskysten.

From elfenben + -s- + kysten, literally “the ivory coast”. The alternative spelling Elfenbeinskysten instead contains the synonymous Bokmål form elfenbein (“ivory”). The name belongs to a historical European naming tradition in which stretches of the West African coast were named after important commodities traded there. It refers to the historical trade in ivory along this part of the coast. Compare Portuguese Costa do Marfim (“Ivory Coast”) and French Côte d'Ivoire (“Ivory Coast”). The precise language from which the Norwegian formation was immediately modelled is uncertain. The first element elfenben (“ivory”) is from German Elfenbein, ultimately from Old High German helfantbein (“elephant bone”). The second element kysten (“the coast”) is the definite singular of kyst (“coast”), from German Küste, from Old French coste, ultimately from Latin costa (“side, rib”). The name initially designated a stretch of the West African coast. It was subsequently applied to the French colony established in 1893 and was retained by the independent state in 1960. Parallel formations include Danish Elfenbenskysten, Swedish Elfenbenskusten, German Elfenbeinküste, Dutch Ivoorkust, French Côte d'Ivoire and English Ivory Coast.