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.

Geographic coordinates: 8 00 N, 5 00 W

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 322,460 km²
Land: 318,000 km²
Water: 4,460 km²
Comparative: slightly larger than New Mexico

Land boundaries
Total: 3,110 km
Border countries: (5) Burkina Faso 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: Gulf of Guinea 0 m
Extremes highest point: Mont Nimba 1,752 m

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

Land use
Arable land: 8%
Permanent crops: 4%
Permanent pastures: 41%
Forests and woodland: 22%
Other: 25% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 680 km² (1993 est.)

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

Population: 14,986,218 (July 1997 est.)
Growth rate: 2.35% (1997 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Ivorian(s)
Adjective: Ivorian

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 with Dioula the most widely spoken

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

Age structure
0-14 years: 47% (male 3,537,190; female 3,496,749)
15-64 years: 51% (male 3,927,687; female 3,700,468)
65 years and over: 2% (male 165,544; female 158,580) (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.35% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 42.43 births/1000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 17.11 deaths/1000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: -1.85 migrant(s)/1000 population (1997 est.)
Note: since 1989, over 350,000 refugees have fled to Cote d'Ivoire to escape the civil war in Liberia

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

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.04 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 99.7 deaths/1000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 44.81 years
Male: 43.63 years
Female: 46.03 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 6.06 children born/woman (1997 est.)

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

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, including the US, maintain official presences 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

Independence: 7 August 1960 (from France)

National holiday: National Day, 7 August

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); note - succeeded to the presidency following the death of President Felix HOUPHOUET-BOIGNY, who had served continuously since November 1960
Head of government: Prime Minister Daniel Kablan DUNCAN (since 10 December 1993)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister
Elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 22 October 1995 (next to be held October 2000); prime minister appointed by the president
Election results: Henri Konan BEDIE elected president; percent of vote - Henri Konan BEDIE 96%

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (175 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)
Elections: elections last held 27 November 1995 (next to be held November 2000)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PDCI 150, RDR 13, FPI 12

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)

International organization participation: ACCT, 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, ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Koffi Moise KOUMOUE-KOFFI
In the us chancery: 2,424 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 797-0300
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Lannon WALKER
From the us embassy: 5 Rue Jesse Owens, Abidjan
From the us mailing address: 01 B. P. 1712, Abidjan
From the us telephone: [225] 21 09 79
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, it is still largely dependent on agriculture and related activities, which engage roughly 85% of the population. 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, 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 32% for 1994, but this rate fell to 8% by 1996, in part as the economy adjusted to the devaluation. Moreover, government adherence to donor-mandated reforms led to a jump in growth rates - 6.5% in GDP in 1996.

Real gdp growth rate: 6.5% (1996 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,620 (1996 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 31%
Industry: 20%
Services: 49% (1994 est.)

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: 9% (first half of 1996)

Labor force: NA

Unemployment rate: NA%

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

Fiscal year: calendar year

Exports
Total value: $3.7 billion (f.o.b., 1995)
Commodities: cocoa 36%, coffee 22%; tropical woods 4%, petroleum, cotton, bananas, pineapples, palm oil, cotton, fish
Partners: France 18%, Germany 11%, Italy 8%, Burkina Faso, Mali, US, UK, Netherlands

Imports
Total value: $2.4 billion (f.o.b., 1995)
Commodities: food, consumer goods; capital goods, fuel, transport equipment
Partners: France 32%, Nigeria 20%, US 6.7%, Germany, Italy, Ghana

Debt external: $16.7 billion (1994)

Exchange rates: CFA francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 541.69 (January 1997), 511.55 (1996), 499.15 (1995), 555.20 (1994), 283.16 (1993), 264.69 (1992)
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: 1.17 million kW (1994)
Production: 1.86 billion kWh (1994)
Consumption per capita: 118 kWh (1995 est.)

Telephones: 87,700 (1987 est.)

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

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $140 million (1993)
Percent of gdp: 1.4% (1993)

Airports: 34 (1996 est.)
With paved runways total: 17
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 4
With paved runways under 914 m: 10 (1996 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 17
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 6
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 11 (1996 est.)

Railways
Total: 660 km
Narrow gauge: 660 km 1.000-meter gauge; 25 km double track (1995 est.)

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

Merchant marine: total:1 oil tanker (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,200 GRT/2,181 DWT (1996 est.)

Disputes international: none

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