Map of Côte d'Ivoire | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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Background: Close ties to France since independence in 1960 diversification of agriculture for export and encouragement of foreign investment have made Cote d'Ivoire the most prosperous of the tropical African states. About 20% of the population are workers from neighboring countries.


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Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Ghana and Liberia

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area
Total: 322,460 km²
Land: 318,000 km²
Comparative: slightly larger than New Mexico

Land boundaries: Total 3,110 km, Burkina 584 km, Ghana 668 km, Guinea 610 km, Liberia 716 km, Mali 532 km

Coastline: 515 km

Maritime claims
Continental shelf: 200 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: Tropical along coast, semiarid in far north; three seasons_warm and dry (November to March), hot and dry (March to May), hot and wet (June to October)

Terrain: Mostly flat to undulating plains; mountains in northwest

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Extremes highest point: Mont Nimba 1,752 m

Natural resources:

Land use
Arable land: 9%
Permanent crops: 4%
Permanent pastures: 9%
Forests and woodland: 26%
Other: 52%

Irrigated land: 620 km² (1989 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography


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Population:
Growth rate:

Nationality
Noun: Ivorian(s)
Adjective: Ivorian

Ethnic groups:

Languages: French (official), 60 native dialects; Dioula is the most widely spoken

Religions:

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years:
15-64 years:
65 years and over:

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate:

Birth rate:

Death rate:

Net migration rate: 2.43 migrant(s)/1000 population (1996 est.)
Note: Since 1989, over 350,000 refugees have fled to Cote d'Ivoire to escape the civil war in Liberia

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: deforestation (most of the country's forests_once the largest in West Africa_have been cleared by the timber industry); water pollution from sewage and industrial and agricultural effluents
Current issues Natural hazards: coast has heavy surf and no natural harbors; during the rainy season torrential flooding is possible
International agreements: party to_Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83; signed, but not ratified_Desertification

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.06 male(s)/female
All ages:

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 46.73 years (1996 est.), 48.87 years (1995 est.)
Male: 46.23 years (1996 est.), 46.52 years (1995 est.)
Female: 47.25 years (1996 est.), 51.29 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate:

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over that can read and write (1995 est.)
Total population: 40.1%
Male: 49.9%
Female: 30%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Cote d'Ivoire
Conventional short form: Cote d'Ivoire
Local long form: Republique de Cote d'Ivoire
Local short form: Cote d'Ivoire
Former: Ivory Coast

Government type: Republic; multiparty presidential regime established 1960

Capital: Yamoussoukro
Note: Although Yamoussoukro has been the capital since 1983, Abidjan remains the administrative center; foreign governments, maintain presence in Abidjan

Administrative divisions: 50 departments (departements, singular_departement; Abengourou, Abidjan, Aboisso, Adzope, Agboville, Agnibilekrou, Bangolo, Beoumi, Biankouma, Bondoukou, Bongouanou, Bouafle, Bouake, Bouna, Boundiali, Dabakala, Daloa, Danane, Daoukro, Dimbokro, Divo, Duekoue, Ferkessedougou, Gagnoa, Grand-Lahou, Guiglo, Issia, Katiola, Korhogo, Lakota, Man, Mankono, Mbahiakro, Odienne, Oume, Sakassou, San-Pedro, Sassandra, Seguela, Sinfra, Soubre, Tabou, Tanda, Tingrela, Tiassale, Touba, Toumodi, Vavoua, Yamoussoukro, Zuenoula

Dependent areas

Independence: 7 August 1960 (from France)

National holiday: National Day, 7 December

Constitution: 3 November 1960; has been amended numerous times, last time November 1990

Legal system: Based on French civil law system and customary law; judicial review in the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Henri Konan BEDIE (since 7 December 1993) served the remainder of the term of former President Felix HOUPHOUET-BOIGNY, who died in office after continuous service from November 1960; President BEDIE was elected with 96% of the vote at the last election on 22 October 1995 (next election October 2000); the president is elected for a five-year term by popular vote
Head of government: Prime Minister Daniel Kablan DUNCAN (since 10 December 1993), appointed by the president
Cabinet: Council of Ministers; appointed by the prime minister

Legislative branch: Unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale):Elections last held 27 November 1995 (next to be held November 2000; results_percent of vote by party NA; seats_(175 total) PDCI 147, RDR 14, FPI 10, unfilled 4; note_of the unfilled seats, elections for 3 were postponed because of violence in the electoral districts and 1 seat remains contested

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UPU, WADB, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation

Flag description: Three equal vertical bands of orange (hoist side), white, and green; similar to the flag of Ireland, which is longer and has the colors reversed_green (hoist side), white, and orange; also similar to the flag of Italy, which is green (hoist side), white, and red; design was based on the flag of France

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Cote d'Ivoire is among the world's largest producers and exporters of coffee, cocoa beans, and palm-kernel oil. Consequently, the economy is highly sensitive to fluctuations in international prices for coffee and cocoa and to weather conditions. Despite attempts by the government to diversify, the economy is still largely dependent on agriculture and related industries. After several years of lagging performance, the Ivorian economy began a comeback in 1994, due to improved prices for cocoa and coffee, growth in nontraditional primary exports such as pineapples and rubber, trade and banking liberalization, offshore oil and gas discoveries, and generous external financing and debt rescheduling by multilateral lenders and France. The 50% devaluation of Franc Zone currencies on 12 January 1994 caused a one-time jump in the inflation rate to 32% for 1994, but this rate fell to perhaps 10% in 1995, in part as the economy adjusted to the devaluation. Moreover, government adherence to donor-mandated reforms led to a budget surplus in 1994. Real growth of GDP in 1994 was 1.7%, a significant improvement following several years of negative growth. In 1995 growth picked up to 5%.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate:

Real gdp per capita:

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: Most important sector, contributing one-third to GDP and 80% to exports; cash crops include coffee, cocoa beans, timber, bananas, palm kernels, rubber; food crops_corn, rice, manioc, sweet potatoes; not self-sufficient in bread grain and dairy products

Industries:

Industrial production growth rate: Growth rate 0% (1993 est.), accounts for 20% of GDP, including petroleum

Labor force: 5.718 million
By occupation: over 85% of population engaged in agriculture
By occupation forestry livestock raising: about 11% of labor force are wage earners
Note: nearly half in agriculture and the remainder in government, industry, commerce and professions

Unemployment rate: 14% (1985)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $1.9 billion
Expenditures: $3.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $408 million (1993)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: Calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports:
Commodities:
Partners:

Imports
Total value:
Commodities:
Partners:

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external:

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1_500.56 (January 1996), 499.15 (1995), 555.20 (1994), 283.16 (1993), 264.69 (1992), 282.11 (1991), 272.26 (1990)
Note: Beginning 12 January 1994, the CFA franc was devalued to CFAF 100 per French franc from CFAF 50 at which it had been fixed since 1948


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Electricity
Capacity: 1,170,000 kW
Production: 1.8 billion kWh
Consumption per capita: 123 kWh (1993)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones

Telephone system: 87,700 telephones; well-developed by African standards but operating well below capacity
Domestic: open-wire lines and radio relay microwave links
International: 2 INTELSAT (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) earth stations; 2 coaxial submarine cables

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $140 million, 1.4% of GDP (1993)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 35
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 6
With paved runways under 914 m: 10
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 12 (1995 est.)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: 980 km navigable rivers, canals, and numerous coastal lagoons

Merchant marine
Total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 27,726 GRT/34,711 DWT
Ships by type: container 2, oil tanker 1 (1995 est.)

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: Illicit producer of cannabis; mostly for local consumption; some international drug trade; transshipment point for Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin to Europe and occasionally to the U.S.