Cote D'ivoire

Also known as Ivory Coast

 
Geography                 Economy                 Defense Forces
 

People                    Transportation          Government



Communications            History      	          Travel

GEOGRAPHY

Location

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

Area

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

International Disputes

None

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

Natural Resources

Land Use

Irrigated Land

620 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment

PEOPLE

Population

14,762,445 (July 1996 est.)
14,791,257 (July 1995 est.)

Age Structure

0-14 Years

48% (male 3,552,270; female 3,462,462) (July 1996 est.)
48% (male 3,534,751; female 3,506,147) (July 1995 est.)

15-64 Years

50% (male 3,828,538; female 3,599,920) (July 1996 est.)
50% (male 3,820,999; female 3,619,759) (July 1995 est.)

65 Years and Over

2% (male 164,358; female 154,897) (July 1996 est.)
2% (male 167,235; female 142,366) (July 1995 est.)

Population Growth Rate

2.92% (1996 est.)
3.38% (1995 est.)

Birth Rate

42.48 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
46.17 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death Rate

15.7 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
14.95 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net Migration Rate

2.43 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Note: Since 1989, over 350,000 refugees have fled to Cote d'Ivoire to escape the civil war in Liberia

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: 1.04 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate

82.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
93.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth

Total Fertility Rate

6.15 children born/woman (1996 est.)
6.61 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality

Ethnic Divisions

Religions

Languages

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

Literacy

Age 15 and over that can read and write (1995 est.)

Labor Force

5.718 million

By occupation:

GOVERNMENT

Names

Digraph

IV

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

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

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

Democratic Party of the Cote d'Ivoire (PDCI), Henri Konan BEDIE; Rally of the Republicans (RDR), Djeny KOBINA; Ivorian Popular Front (FPI), Laurent GBAGBO; Ivorian Worker's Party (PIT), Francis WODIE; Ivorian Socialist Party (PSI), Morifere BAMBA; over 20 smaller parties

Member of

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

National Anthem

Flag

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. 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%.

National Product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $21.9 billion (1995 est.), $20.5 billion (1994 est.)

National Product Real Growth Rate

5% (1995 est.)
1.5% (1994 est.)

National Product Per Capita

$1,500 (1995 est.)
$1,430 (1994 est.)

Inflation Rate (consumer Prices)

10% (1995 est.)

Unemployment Rate

14% (1985)

Budget

Exports

$2.9 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)
$2.7 billion (f.o.b., 1993)

Commodities:

Partners:

Imports

$1.6 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)
$1.6 billion (f.o.b., 1993)

Commodities:

Partners:

External Debt

$19 billion (1993)
$17.3 billion (1993 est.)

Industrial Production

Growth rate 0% (1993 est.); accounts for 20% of GDP, including petroleum

Electricity

Industries

Agriculture

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

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.

Economic Aid

Currency

1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes

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

Fiscal Year

Calendar year

TRANSPORTATION

Railroads

Highways

Inland Waterways

980 km navigable rivers, canals, and numerous coastal lagoons

Ports

Abidjan, Aboisso, Dabou, San-Pedro

Merchant Marine

Airports

COMMUNICATIONS

Telephone System

87,700 telephones; well-developed by African standards but operating well below capacity

Radio

Television

DEFENSE FORCES

Branches

Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary Gendarmerie, Presidential Guard

Manpower Availability

Males age 15-49 3,386,638; males fit for military service 1,762,412; males reach military age (18) annually 157,712 (1996 est.)

Defense Expenditures

Exchange rate conversion - $140 million, 1.4% of GDP (1993)

History
World Atlas

Last modified: 3 december 1997