Map of Côte d'Ivoire | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide19891990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023 | More stats

top of page


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. On 25 December 1999 a military coup - the first ever in Cote d'Ivoire's history - overthrew the government. The new regime has promised to return the country to democratic rule in 2000.


top of page


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

Geographic coordinates: 8 00 N 5 00 W

Map reference: Africa

Area
Comparative: slightly larger than New Mexico

Land boundaries

Coastline: 515 km

Maritime claims

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

Natural resources: petroleum diamonds manganese iron ore cobalt bauxite copper hydropower

Land use

Irrigated land: 680 km² (1993 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: coast has heavy surf and no natural harbors; during the rainy season torrential flooding is possible

Geography


top of page


Population: 15,980,950
Growth rate: 2.58% (2000 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality

Ethnic groups: Baoule 23% Bete 18% Senoufou 15% Malinke 11% Agni Africans from other countries (mostly Burkinabe and Malians about 3 million) non-Africans 130,000 to 330,000 (French 30,000 and Lebanese 100,000 to 300,000)

Languages: French (official) 60 native dialects with Dioula the most widely spoken

Religions: Muslim 60% Christian 22% indigenous 18% (some of these are also numbered among the Christians and Muslims)

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 2.58% (2000 est.)

Birth rate: 40.78 births/1000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate: 16.57 deaths/1000 population (2000 est.)

Net migration rate: 1.6 migrant(s)/1000 population (2000 est.)

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

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 95.06 deaths/1000 live births (2000 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

Total fertility rate: 5.8 children born/woman (2000 est.)

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

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


top of page


Country name

Government type: republic; multiparty presidential regime established 1960

Capital: Yamoussoukro

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 August

Constitution: 3 November 1960; has been amended numerous times last time July 1998

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

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (175 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)

Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party of Cote d'Ivoire or PDCI [Jean Konan BANNY acting head]; Ivorian Popular Front or FPI [Laurent GBAGBO]; Ivorian Worker's Party or PIT [Francis WODIE]; Rally of the Republicans or RDR [Henriette DAGRI-DIABATE]; over 20 smaller parties

International organization participation: ACP AfDB CCC ECA ECOWAS Entente FAO FZ G-24 G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC ICFTU ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Intelsat Interpol IOC ISO (correspondent) ITU NAM OAU OPCW UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UPU WADB WADB (regional) WAEMU 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


top of page


Economy overview: Cote d'Ivoire is among the world's largest producers and exporters of coffee cocoa beans and palm oil. Consequently the economy is highly sensitive to fluctuations in international prices for these products and to weather conditions. Despite attempts by the government to diversify the economy it is still largely dependent on agriculture and related activities which engage roughly 68% of the population. After several years of lagging performance the Ivorian economy began a comeback in 1994 due to the devaluation of the CFA franc and improved prices for cocoa and coffee growth in nontraditional primary exports such as pineapples and rubber limited 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 26% in 1994 but the rate fell sharply in 1996-99. Moreover government adherence to donor-mandated reforms led to a jump in growth to 5% annually in 1996-99. Growth may slow in 2000 because of the difficulty of meeting the conditions of international donors continued low prices of key exports and post-coup instability.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 5% (1999 est.)

Real gdp per capita ppp

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: coffee cocoa beans bananas palm kernels corn rice manioc (tapioca) sweet potatoes sugar cotton rubber; timber

Industries: foodstuffs beverages; wood products oil refining automobile assembly textiles fertilizer construction materials electricity

Industrial production growth rate: 15% (1998 est.)

Labor force: NA

Unemployment rate: NA%

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget

Public debt

Taxes and other revenues

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Current account balance

Inflation rate consumer prices: 2.5% (1999 est.)

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: $3.9 billion (f.o.b. 1999 est.)
Commodities: cocoa 37% coffee tropical woods petroleum cotton bananas pineapples palm oil cotton fish (1998)
Partners: France 17% Netherlands 12% US 9% Italy 6% (1998)

Imports: $2.6 billion (f.o.b. 1999 est.)
Commodities: food consumer goods; capital goods fuel transport equipment
Partners: France 29% US 5% Italy 5% Germany 5% (1998)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $16.8 billion (1998 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: CFA francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 647.25 (January 2000) 615.70 (1999) 589.95 (1998) 583.67 (1997) 511.55 (1996) 499.15 (1995)


top of page


Electricity access

Electricity production: 3.36 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity consumption: 3.165 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity exports: 0 kWh (1998)

Electricity imports: 40 million kWh (1998)

Electricity installed generating capacity

Electricity transmission distribution losses

Electricity generation sources

Petroleum

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


top of page


Telephones fixed lines

Telephones mobile cellular: more than 60,000 (December 1998)

Telephone system: well-developed by African standards but operating well below capacity

Broadcast media

Internet country code

Internet users

Broadband fixed subscriptions


top of page


Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $94 million (FY96)
Percent of gdp: 1% (FY96)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


top of page


National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 36 (1999 est.)

Airports with paved runways

Airports with unpaved runways

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: 980 km navigable rivers canals and numerous coastal lagoons

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


top of page


Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis mostly for local consumption; minor transshipment point for Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin to Europe and occasionally to the US and for Latin American cocaine destined for Europe