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.

Map reference: Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World

Area
Total area total: 322,460 km²
Land: 318,000 km²

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-m depth
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

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

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

Irrigated land: 620 km² (1989 est.)

Natural hazards: coast has heavy surf and no natural harbors

Population: 14,295,501 (July 1994 est.)
Growth rate: 3.44% (1994 est.)

Nationality: noun:Ivorian(s)

Ethnic groups: Baoule 23%, Bete 18%, Senoufou 15%, Malinke 11%, Agni, foreign Africans (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 Dioula is the most widely spoken

Religions: indigenous 25%, Muslim 60%, Christian 12%

Population growth rate: 3.44% (1994 est.)

Birth rate: 46.52 births/1000 population (1994 est.)

Death rate: 15.01 deaths/1000 population (1994 est.)

Net migration rate: 2.86 migrant(s)/1000 population (1994 est.)

Environment
Current issues: deforestation; water pollution from sewage and industrial and agricultural effluents

Infant mortality rate: 95 deaths/1000 live births (1994 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 48.92 years
Male: 46.75 years
Female: 51.16 years (1994 est.)

Total fertility rate: 6.67 children born/woman (1994 est.)

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Total population: 54%
Male: 67%
Female: 40%

Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Cote d'Ivoire
Conventional short form:
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, including the United States, maintain presence in Abidjan

Administrative divisions: 50 departments (departements, singular - departement; Abengourou, Abidjan, Aboisso, Adzope, Agboville, Agnibilckrou, 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

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

Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Henri Konan BEDIE (since 7 December 1993) constitutional successor who will serve during the remainder of the term of former President Felix HOUPHOUET-BOIGNY who died in office after continuous service from November 1960 (next election October 1995)
Head of government: Prime Minister Kablan Daniel DUNCAN (since 10 December 1993)

Legislative branch: Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary Gendarmerie, Republican Guard, Military Fire Group
National Assembly Assemblee Nationale: elections last held 25 November 1990 (next to be held November 1995); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (175 total) PDCI 163, FPI 9, PIT 1, independents 2

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)

International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEAO, ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-24, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Hume A. HORAN
From the us chancery: 2,424 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
From the us telephone: [225] 21-09-79 or 21-46-72
From the us embassy: 5 Rue Jesse Owens, Abidjan
From the us mailing address: 01 B. P. 1712, Abidjan
From the us FAX: [225] 22-32-59

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

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. The agricultural sector accounts for over one-third of GDP and about 80% of export earnings and employs about 85% of the labor force. A collapse of world cocoa and coffee prices in 1986 threw the economy into a recession, from which the country has yet to fully recover. Continuing weak prices for commodity exports, a bloated public-sector wage bill, and a large foreign debt will continue to constrain economic development, this despite the 50% currency devaluation in January 1994 designed to restore international price competitiveness. A large, non-competitive import-substitution sector continues to thrive under steep tariff and import quota barriers.

Real gdp growth rate: NA

Real gdp per capita: $1,500 (1993 est.)

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: foodstuffs, wood processing, oil refinery, automobile assembly, textiles, fertilizer, beverage

Industrial production growth rate: 6% (1990; accounts for 11% of GDP

Labor force: 5.718 million
Note:

Unemployment rate: 14% (1985)

Budget: revenues:$2.3 billion

Fiscal year: calendar year

Exports: $2.8 billion (f.o.b., 1990)
Commodities: cocoa 30%, coffee 20%, tropical woods 11%, petroleum, cotton, bananas, pineapples, palm oil, cotton
Partners: France, FRG, Netherlands, US, Belgium, Spain (1985)

Imports: $1.6 billion (f.o.b., 1990)
Commodities: food, capital goods, consumer goods, fuel
Partners: France 29%, other EC 29%, Nigeria 16%, US 4%, Japan 3% (1989)

Debt external: $17.3 billion (1993 est.)

Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 592.05 (January 1994), 283.16 (1993), 264.69 (1992), 282.11 (1991), 272.26 (1990), 319.01 (1989)
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

Electricity
Capacity: 1,210,000 kW
Production: 1.97 billion kWh
Consumption per capita: 150 kWh (1991)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: exchange rate conversion - $200 million, 2.3% of GDP (1988)

Airports: 41
Usable: 37
With permanentsurface runways: 7
With runways over 3659 m: 0
With runways 2440-3659 m: 3
With runways 1220-2439 m: 15

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

Merchant marine: 8 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 92,828 GRT/ 134,606 DWT, bulk 1, chemical tanker 1, container 2, oil tanker 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 3

Disputes international: none

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 US