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  Cote d'Ivoire  
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This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005


Map of Cote d'Ivoire



Legend: DefinitionDefinition Field ListingField Listing Rank OrderRank Order
   Introduction    Cote d'Ivoire Top of Page
Background:
Definition Field Listing
Close ties to France since independence in 1960, the development of cocoa production for export, and foreign investment made Cote d'Ivoire one of the most prosperous of the tropical African states, but did not protect it from political turmoil. On 25 December 1999, a military coup - the first ever in Cote d'Ivoire's history - overthrew the government led by President Henri Konan BEDIE. Junta leader Robert GUEI held elections in late 2000, but excluded prominent opposition leader Alassane OUATTARA, blatantly rigged the polling results, and declared himself winner. Popular protest forced GUEI to step aside and brought runner-up Laurent GBAGBO into power. Ivorian dissidents and disaffected members of the military launched a failed coup attempt in September 2002. Rebel forces claimed the northern half of the country and in January 2003 were granted ministerial positions in a unity government under the auspices of the Linas-Marcoussis Peace Accord. President GBAGBO and rebel forces resumed implementation of the peace accord in December 2003 after a three-month stalemate, but issues that sparked the civil war, such as land reform and grounds for nationality remain unresolved. The central government has yet to exert control over the northern regions and tensions remain high between GBAGBO and rebel leaders. Several thousand French and West African troops remain in Cote d'Ivoire to maintain peace and facilitate the disarmament, demobilization, and rehabilitation process.
   Geography    Cote d'Ivoire Top of Page
Location:
Definition Field Listing
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Ghana and Liberia
Geographic coordinates:
Definition Field Listing
8 00 N, 5 00 W
Map references:
Definition Field Listing
Africa
Area:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 322,460 sq km
land: 318,000 sq km
water: 4,460 sq km
Area - comparative:
Definition Field Listing
slightly larger than New Mexico
Land boundaries:
Definition Field Listing
total: 3,110 km
border countries: Burkina Faso 584 km, Ghana 668 km, Guinea 610 km, Liberia 716 km, Mali 532 km
Coastline:
Definition Field Listing
515 km
Maritime claims:
Definition Field Listing
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm
Climate:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
mostly flat to undulating plains; mountains in northwest
Elevation extremes:
Definition Field Listing
lowest point: Gulf of Guinea 0 m
highest point: Mont Nimba 1,752 m
Natural resources:
Definition Field Listing
petroleum, natural gas, diamonds, manganese, iron ore, cobalt, bauxite, copper, gold, nickel, tantalum, silica sand, clay, cocoa beans, coffee, palm oil, hydropower
Land use:
Definition Field Listing
arable land: 9.75%
permanent crops: 13.84%
other: 76.41% (2001)
Irrigated land:
Definition Field Listing
730 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
Definition Field Listing
coast has heavy surf and no natural harbors; during the rainy season torrential flooding is possible
Environment - current issues:
Definition Field Listing
deforestation (most of the country's forests - once the largest in West Africa - have been heavily logged); water pollution from sewage and industrial and agricultural effluents
Environment - international agreements:
Definition Field Listing
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
Definition Field Listing
most of the inhabitants live along the sandy coastal region; apart from the capital area, the forested interior is sparsely populated
   People    Cote d'Ivoire Top of Page
Population:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
17,298,040
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2005 est.)
Age structure:
Definition Field Listing
0-14 years: 41% (male 3,490,536/female 3,596,208)
15-64 years: 56.3% (male 4,920,726/female 4,820,326)
65 years and over: 2.7% (male 231,514/female 238,730) (2005 est.)
Median age:
Definition Field Listing
total: 19.05 years
male: 19.36 years
female: 18.76 years (2005 est.)
Population growth rate:
Definition Field Listing
2.06% (2005 est.)
Birth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
35.51 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Death rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
14.94 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Net migration rate:
Definition Field Listing
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Sex ratio:
Definition Field Listing
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.97 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 90.83 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 107.64 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 73.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total population: 48.62 years
male: 46.05 years
female: 51.27 years (2005 est.)
Total fertility rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
4.58 children born/woman (2005 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
7% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
570,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
47,000 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
Definition Field Listing
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria, yellow fever, and others are high risks in some locations
water contact: schistosomiasis (2004)
Nationality:
Definition Field Listing
noun: Ivoirian(s)
adjective: Ivoirian
Ethnic groups:
Definition Field Listing
Akan 42.1%, Voltaiques or Gur 17.6%, Northern Mandes 16.5%, Krous 11%, Southern Mandes 10%, other 2.8% (includes 130,000 Lebanese and 14,000 French) (1998)
Religions:
Definition Field Listing
Christian 20-30%, Muslim 35-40%, indigenous 25-40% (2001)
note: the majority of foreigners (migratory workers) are Muslim (70%) and Christian (20%)
Languages:
Definition Field Listing
French (official), 60 native dialects with Dioula the most widely spoken
Literacy:
Definition Field Listing
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 50.9%
male: 57.9%
female: 43.6% (2003 est.)
   Government    Cote d'Ivoire Top of Page
Country name:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
republic; multiparty presidential regime established 1960
Capital:
Definition Field Listing
Yamoussoukro; note - although Yamoussoukro has been the official capital since 1983, Abidjan remains the commercial and administrative center; the US, like other countries, maintains its Embassy in Abidjan
Administrative divisions:
Definition Field Listing
19 regions; Agneby, Bafing, Bas-Sassandra, Denguele, Dix-Huit Montagnes, Fromager, Haut-Sassandra, Lacs, Lagunes, Marahoue, Moyen-Cavally, Moyen-Comoe, N'zi-Comoe, Savanes, Sud-Bandama, Sud-Comoe, Vallee du Bandama, Worodougou, Zanzan
Independence:
Definition Field Listing
7 August 1960 (from France)
National holiday:
Definition Field Listing
Independence Day, 7 August (1960)
Constitution:
Definition Field Listing
new constitution adopted 4 August 2000
Legal system:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
Definition Field Listing
chief of state: President Laurent GBAGBO (since 26 October 2000);
head of government: Prime Minister Seydou DIARRA (since 25 January 2003); note - appointed as transitional Prime Minister by President GBAGBO as part of a French brokered peace plan
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 26 October 2000 (next to be held October 2005); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Laurent GBAGBO elected president; percent of vote - Laurent GBAGBO 59.4%, Robert GUEI 32.7%, Francis WODIE 5.7%, other 2.2%
Legislative branch:
Definition Field Listing
unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (225 seats; members are elected in single- and multi-district elections by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: elections last held 10 December 2000 with by-elections on 14 January 2001 (next to be held October 2005)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - FPI 96, PDCI-RDA 94, RDR 5, PIT 4, other 2, independents 22, vacant 2
note: a Senate is scheduled to be created in the next full election in 2005
Judicial branch:
Definition Field Listing
Supreme Court or Cour Supreme consists of four chambers: Judicial Chamber for criminal cases, Audit Chamber for financial cases, Constitutional Chamber for judicial review cases, and Administrative Chamber for civil cases; there is no legal limit to the number of members
Political parties and leaders:
Definition Field Listing
Citizen's Democratic Union or UDCY [Eg Theodore MEL]; Democratic Party of Cote d'Ivoire-African Democratic Rally or PDCI-RDA [Henri Konan BEDIE]; Ivorian Popular Front or FPI [Laurent GBAGBO]; Ivorian Worker's Party or PIT [Francis WODIE]; Rally of the Republicans or RDR [Alassane OUATTARA]; Union for Democracy and Peace or UDPCI [Paul Akoto YAO]; over 20 smaller parties
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Definition Field Listing
NA
International organization participation:
Definition Field Listing
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
Definition Field Listing
chief of mission: Ambassador Daouda DIABATE
chancery: 3421 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone: [1] (202) 797-0300
FAX: [1] (202) 462-9444
Diplomatic representation from the US:
Definition Field Listing
chief of mission: Ambassador Aubrey HOOKS
embassy: 5 Rue Jesse Owens, Abidjan
mailing address: B. P. 1712, Abidjan 01
telephone: [225] 20 21 09 79
FAX: [225] 20 22 32 59
Flag description:
Definition Field Listing
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    Cote d'Ivoire Top of Page
Economy - overview:
Definition Field Listing
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 weather conditions. Despite government attempts to diversify the economy, it is still heavily dependent on agriculture and related activities, engaging roughly 68% of the population. After several years of lagging performance, the Ivorian economy began a comeback in 1994, due to the 50% 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. Moreover, government adherence to donor-mandated reforms led to a jump to 5% annual growth during 1996-99. Growth was negative in 2000-03 because of the difficulty of meeting the conditions of international donors, continued low prices of key exports, and severe civil war. In November 2004 the situation deteriorated when President GBAGBO's troops attacked and killed nine French peacekeeping forces, and the UN imposed an arms embargo. Political uncertainty has clouded the economic outlook for 2005, with fear among Ivorians spreading, foreign investment shriveling, businessmen fleeing, travel within the country falling, and criminal elements that traffic in weapons and diamonds gaining ground.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$24.78 billion (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
-1% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
purchasing power parity - $1,500 (2004 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture: 27.8%
industry: 19.4%
services: 52.8% (2004 est.)
Labor force:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
6.7 million (68% agricultural) (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
13% in urban areas (1998)
Population below poverty line:
Definition Field Listing
37% (1995)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
Definition Field Listing
lowest 10%: 3.1%
highest 10%: 28.8% (1995)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
Definition Field Listing
36.7 (1995)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.4% (2004 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
11.3% of GDP (2004 est.)
Budget:
Definition Field Listing
revenues: $2.412 billion
expenditures: $2.767 billion, including capital expenditures of $420 million (2004 est.)
Public debt:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
74.8% of GDP (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products:
Definition Field Listing
coffee, cocoa beans, bananas, palm kernels, corn, rice, manioc (tapioca), sweet potatoes, sugar, cotton, rubber; timber
Industries:
Definition Field Listing
foodstuffs, beverages; wood products, oil refining, truck and bus assembly, textiles, fertilizer, building materials, electricity, ship construction and repair
Industrial production growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
15% (1998 est.)
Electricity - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
4.759 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2.976 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports:
Definition Field Listing
1.45 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports:
Definition Field Listing
0 kWh (2002)
Oil - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
29,300 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
32,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
NA
Oil - imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
NA
Oil - proved reserves:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
220 million bbl (2004 est.)
Natural gas - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.35 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.35 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
14.87 billion cu m (2004)
Current account balance:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$-421.5 million (2004 est.)
Exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$5.124 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing
cocoa, coffee, timber, petroleum, cotton, bananas, pineapples, palm oil, fish
Exports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
US 11.6%, Netherlands 10.3%, France 9.5%, Italy 5.5%, Belgium 4.7%, Germany 4.7% (2004)
Imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$3.36 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing
fuel, capital equipment, foodstuffs
Imports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
France 24.3%, Nigeria 19.2%, UK 4% (2004)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$1.95 billion (2004 est.)
Debt - external:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$11.81 billion (2004 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:
Definition Field Listing
ODA, $1 billion (1996 est.)
Currency (code):
Definition Field Listing
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States
Exchange rates:
Definition Field Listing
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000)
Fiscal year:
Definition Field Listing
calendar year
   Communications    Cote d'Ivoire Top of Page
Telephones - main lines in use:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
328,000 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.236 million (2003)
Telephone system:
Definition Field Listing
general assessment: well developed by African standards but operating well below capacity
domestic: open-wire lines and microwave radio relay; 90% digitalized
international: country code - 225; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean); 2 submarine cables (June 1999)
Radio broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing
AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 3 (1998)
Television broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing
14 (1999)
Internet country code:
Definition Field Listing
.ci
Internet hosts:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
3,795 (2004)
Internet users:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
90,000 (2002)
   Transportation    Cote d'Ivoire Top of Page
Railways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 660 km
narrow gauge: 660 km 1.000-meter gauge
note: an additional 622 km of this railroad extends into Burkina Faso (2004)
Highways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 50,400 km
paved: 4,889 km
unpaved: 45,511 km (1999 est.)
Waterways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
980 km (navigable rivers, canals, and numerous coastal lagoons) (2003)
Pipelines:
Definition Field Listing
condensate 107 km; gas 223 km; oil 104 km (2004)
Ports and harbors:
Definition Field Listing
Abidjan, Aboisso, Dabou, San-Pedro
Airports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
37 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
Definition Field Listing
total: 7
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
Definition Field Listing
total: 30
1,524 to 2,437 m: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 15
under 914 m: 8 (2004 est.)
   Military    Cote d'Ivoire Top of Page
Military branches:
Definition Field Listing
Army, Navy, Air Force
Military service age and obligation:
Definition Field Listing
18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months (2004)
Manpower available for military service:
Definition Field Listing
males age 18-49: 3,696,106 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
Definition Field Listing
males age 18-49: 1,973,265 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
Definition Field Listing
males: 189,354 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$180.2 million (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.2% (2004)
   Transnational Issues    Cote d'Ivoire Top of Page
Disputes - international:
Definition Field Listing
rebel and ethnic fighting against the central government in 2002 has spilled into neighboring states, driven out foreign cocoa workers from nearby countries, and, in 2004, resulted in 6,000 peacekeepers deployed as part of UN Operation in Cote d'Ivoire (UNOCI) assisting 4,000 French troops already in-country; the Ivorian Government accuses Burkina Faso and Liberia of supporting Ivorian rebels
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
Definition Field Listing
refugees (country of origin): 71,711 (Liberia)
IDPs: 500,000 (2002 coup; most IDPs are in western regions) (2004)
Illicit drugs:
Definition Field Listing
illicit producer of cannabis, mostly for local consumption; transshipment point for Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin to Europe and occasionally to the US, and for Latin American cocaine destined for Europe and South Africa; while rampant corruption and inadequate supervision leave the banking system vulnerable to money laundering, the lack of a developed financial system limits the country's utility as a major money-laundering center

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005


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