A2T

Facts About : Ivory Coast

  • Close ties to France following independence in 1960, the development of cocoa production for export, and foreign investment all made Cote d'Ivoire one of the most prosperous of the West African states but did not protect it from political turmoil. In December 1999, a military coup - the first ever in Cote d'Ivoire's history - overthrew the government. Junta leader Robert GUEI blatantly rigged elections held in late 2000 and declared himself the winner. Popular protest forced him to step aside and brought Laurent GBAGBO into power. Ivorian dissidents and disaffected members of the military launched a failed coup attempt in September 2002 that developed into a rebellion and then a civil war. The war ended in 2003 with a cease-fire that left the country divided with the rebels holding the north, the government the south, and peacekeeping forces a buffer zone between the two. In March 2007, President GBAGBO and former New Forces rebel leader Guillaume SORO signed an agreement in which SORO joined GBAGBO's government as prime minister and the two agreed to reunite the country by dismantling the buffer zone, integrating rebel forces into the national armed forces, and holding elections. Difficulties in preparing electoral registers delayed balloting until 2010. In November 2010, Alassane Dramane OUATTARA won the presidential election over GBAGBO, but GBAGBO refused to hand over power, resulting in a five-month stand-off. In April 2011, after widespread fighting, GBAGBO was formally forced from office by armed OUATTARA supporters with the help of UN and French forces. Several thousand UN peacekeepers and several hundred French troops remain in Cote d'Ivoire to support the transition process. OUATTARA is focused on rebuilding the country's economy and infrastructure while rebuilding the security forces. GBAGBO is in The Hague awaiting trial for crimes against humanity.

  • Geography :: COTE D'IVOIRE

  • Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Ghana and Liberia
    8 00 N, 5 00 W
    Africa
    total: 322,463 sq km
    land: 318,003 sq km
    water: 4,460 sq km
    country comparison to the world: 69
    slightly larger than New Mexico
    total: 3,458 km
    border countries (5): Burkina Faso 545 km, Ghana 720 km, Guinea 816 km, Liberia 778 km, Mali 599 km
    515 km
    territorial sea: 12 nm
    exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
    continental shelf: 200 nm
    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)
    mostly flat to undulating plains; mountains in northwest
    lowest point: Gulf of Guinea 0 m
    highest point: Monts Nimba 1,752 m
    petroleum, natural gas, diamonds, manganese, iron ore, cobalt, bauxite, copper, gold, nickel, tantalum, silica sand, clay, cocoa beans, coffee, palm oil, hydropower
    agricultural land: 64.8%
    arable land 9.1%; permanent crops 14.2%; permanent pasture 41.5%
    forest: 32.7%
    other: 2.5% (2011 est.)
    727.5 sq km (2003)
    81.14 cu km (2011)
    total: 1.55 cu km/yr (41%/21%/38%)
    per capita: 83.07 cu m/yr (2008)
    coast has heavy surf and no natural harbors; during the rainy season torrential flooding is possible
    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
    party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
    signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
    most of the inhabitants live along the sandy coastal region; apart from the capital area, the forested interior is sparsely populated

  • People and Society :: COTE D'IVOIRE

  • noun: Ivoirian(s)
    adjective: Ivoirian
    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)
    French (official), 60 native dialects of which Dioula is the most widely spoken
    Muslim 38.6%, Christian 32.8%, indigenous 11.9%, none 16.7% (2008 est.)
    note: the majority of foreigners (migratory workers) are Muslim (70%) and Christian (20%)
    23,295,302
    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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2015 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 55
    0-14 years: 37.94% (male 4,456,646/female 4,381,907)
    15-24 years: 20.95% (male 2,459,156/female 2,420,284)
    25-54 years: 33.53% (male 3,997,615/female 3,812,563)
    55-64 years: 4.25% (male 495,177/female 493,854)
    65 years and over: 3.34% (male 375,276/female 402,824) (2015 est.)
    population pyramid: 
    total dependency ratio: 83.5%
    youth dependency ratio: 77.9%
    elderly dependency ratio: 5.6%
    potential support ratio: 18% (2015 est.)
    total: 20.5 years
    male: 20.6 years
    female: 20.4 years (2015 est.)
    1.91% (2015 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 55
    28.67 births/1,000 population (2015 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 44
    9.55 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 53
    0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2015 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 101
    urban population: 54.2% of total population (2015)
    rate of urbanization: 3.69% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
    YAMOUSSOUKRO (capital) 259,000 (2014); ABIDJAN (seat of government) 4.86 million; Bouake 762,000 (2015)
    at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
    0-14 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
    15-24 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
    25-54 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
    55-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
    65 years and over: 0.93 male(s)/female
    total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2015 est.)
    total: 58.7 deaths/1,000 live births
    male: 64.77 deaths/1,000 live births
    female: 52.44 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 22
    total population: 58.34 years
    male: 57.21 years
    female: 59.51 years (2015 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 202
    3.54 children born/woman (2015 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 44
    18.2% (2011/12)
    5.7% of GDP (2013)
    country comparison to the world: 78
    0.14 physicians/1,000 population (2008)
    0.4 beds/1,000 population (2006)
    improved:
    urban: 93.1% of population
    rural: 68.8% of population
    total: 81.9% of population
    unimproved:
    urban: 6.9% of population
    rural: 31.2% of population
    total: 18.1% of population (2015 est.)
    improved:
    urban: 32.8% of population
    rural: 10.3% of population
    total: 22.5% of population
    unimproved:
    urban: 67.2% of population
    rural: 89.7% of population
    total: 77.5% of population (2015 est.)
    3.46% (2014 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 18
    460,100 (2014 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 16
    21,800 (2014 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 14
    degree of risk: very high
    food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
    vectorborne diseases: malaria, dengue fever, and yellow fever
    water contact disease: schistosomiasis
    animal contact disease: rabies
    respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis
    note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2013)
    8% (2014)
    country comparison to the world: 149
    15.7% (2012)
    country comparison to the world: 43
    4.6% of GDP (2008)
    country comparison to the world: 89
    definition: age 15 and over can read and write
    total population: 43.1%
    male: 53.1%
    female: 32.5% (2015 est.)
    total: 9 years
    male: 10 years
    female: 8 years (2013)
    total number: 1,796,802
    percentage: 35% (2006 est.)

  • Government :: COTE D'IVOIRE

  • 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
    note: pronounced coat-div-whar
    former: Ivory Coast
    republic; multiparty presidential regime established 1960
    name: 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
    geographic coordinates: 6 49 N, 5 16 W
    time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
    12 districts and 2 autonomous districts*; Abidjan*, Bas-Sassandra, Comoe, Denguele, Goh-Djiboua, Lacs, Lagunes, Montagnes, Sassandra-Marahoue, Savanes, Vallee du Bandama, Woroba, Yamoussoukro*, Zanzan
    7 August 1960 (from France)
    Independence Day, 7 August (1960)
    previous 1960; latest approved by referendum 23 July 2000; amended 2012 (2012)
    civil law system based on the French civil code; judicial review of legislation held in the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court
    accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
    18 years of age; universal
    chief of state: President Alassane Dramane OUATTARA (since 4 December 2010)
    head of government: Prime Minister Daniel Kablan DUNCAN (since 21 November 2012)
    cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
    elections/appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (no term limits); election last held on 25 October 2015 (next to be held in 2020); prime minister appointed by the president
    election results: Alassane OUATTARA elected president; percent of vote - Alassane OUATTARA (RDR) 83.7%, Pascal Affi N'GUESSAN (ADF) 9.3%, Konan Bertin KOUADIO (independent) 3.9%
    description: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (225 seats; members directly elected in single- and multi-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 5-year terms)
    elections: last held on 11 December 2011 (next to be held in 2016)
    election results: percent of vote by party - RDR 42.1%, PDCI 28.6%, UDPCI 3.1%, RDP 1.7%, other 24.5% ; seats by party - RDR 127, PDCI 76, UDPCI 7, RDP 4, other 2, independents 39
    highest court(s): Supreme Court or Cour Supreme (organized into Judicial, Audit, Constitutional, and Administrative Chambers; consists of the court president, 3 vice-presidents for the Judicial, Audit, and Administrative chambers, and 9 associate justices or magistrates)
    judge selection and term office: judges nominated by the Superior Council of the Magistrature, a 7-member body consisting of the national president (chairman), 3 "bench" judges, and 3 public prosecutors; judges appointed for life
    subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal (organized into civil, criminal, and social chambers); first instance courts; peace courts
    Alliance of Democratic Forces or AFD
    Citizen's Democratic Union or UDCY [Theodore MEL EG]
    Democracy and Liberty for the Republic or LIDER [Mamadou KOULIBALY]
    Democratic Party of Cote d'Ivoire or PDCI [Henri Konan BEDIE]
    Ivorian Popular Front or FPI [Pascal AFFI NGUESSAN]
    Ivorian Worker's Party or PIT [Daniel AKA AHIZ]
    Movement of the Future Forces or MFA [Innocent Augustin ANAKY KOBENA]
    Rally of the Republicans or RDR [Alassane OUATTARA]
    Union for Democracy and Peace in Cote d'Ivoire or UDPCI [Toikeuse MABRI]
    over 144 smaller registered parties
    Federation of University and High School Students of Cote d'Ivoire or FESCI [Augustin MIAN]
    National Congress for the Resistance and Democracy or CNRD [Bernard DADIE]
    Panafrican Congress for Justice and Peoples Equality or COJEP [Roselin BLY]
    Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace or RHDP
    ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, EITI (compliant country), Entente, FAO, FZ, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINUSMA, MONUSCO, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
    chief of mission: Ambassador Daouda DIABATE (since 11 February 2011)
    chancery: 2424 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
    telephone: [1] (202) 797-0300
    FAX: [1] (202) 462-9444
    chief of mission: Ambassador Terence Patrick MCCULLEY (since 21 November 2013)
    embassy: Cocody Riviera Golf 01, Abidjan
    mailing address: B. P. 1712, Abidjan 01
    telephone: [225] 22 49 40 00
    FAX: [225] 22 49 42 02
    three equal vertical bands of orange (hoist side), white, and green; orange symbolizes the land (savannah) of the north and fertility, white stands for peace and unity, green represents the forests of the south and the hope for a bright future
    note: 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
    elephant; national colors: orange, white, green
    name: "L'Abidjanaise" (Song of Abidjan)
    lyrics/music: Mathieu EKRA, Joachim BONY, and Pierre Marie COTY/Pierre Marie COTY and Pierre Michel PANGO
    note: adopted 1960; although the nation's capital city moved from Abidjan to Yamoussoukro in 1983, the anthem still owes its name to the former capital
     

  • Economy :: COTE D'IVOIRE

  • Cote d'Ivoire is heavily dependent on agriculture and related activities, which engage roughly two-thirds of the population. Cote d'Ivoire is the world's largest producer and exporter of cocoa beans and a significant producer and exporter of coffee and palm oil. Consequently, the economy is highly sensitive to fluctuations in international prices for these products and in climatic conditions. Cocoa, oil, and coffee are the country's top export revenue earners, but the country is also mining gold. The country boasted two offshore oil finds in 2012. Following the end of more than a decade of civil conflict in 2011, Cote d’Ivoire has experienced a boom in foreign investment and economic growth. In June 2012, the IMF and the World Bank announced $4.4 billion in debt relief for Cote d'Ivoire under the Highly Indebted Poor Countries Initiative.
    $71.12 billion (2014 est.)
    $66.17 billion (2013 est.)
    $60.88 billion (2012 est.)
    note: data are in 2014 US dollars
    country comparison to the world: 92
    $33.96 billion (2014 est.)
    7.5% (2014 est.)
    8.7% (2013 est.)
    10.7% (2012 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 8
    $3,100 (2014 est.)
    $2,900 (2013 est.)
    $2,700 (2012 est.)
    note: data are in 2014 US dollars
    country comparison to the world: 191
    13.7% of GDP (2014 est.)
    12.1% of GDP (2013 est.)
    15.3% of GDP (2012 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 111
    household consumption: 65.5%
    government consumption: 12.4%
    investment in fixed capital: 18.2%
    investment in inventories: 0%
    exports of goods and services: 49.6%
    imports of goods and services: -45.6%
    (2014 est.)
    agriculture: 25.9%
    industry: 21.9%
    services: 52.1% (2014 est.)
    coffee, cocoa beans, bananas, palm kernels, corn, rice, cassava (manioc, tapioca), sweet potatoes, sugar, cotton, rubber; timber
    foodstuffs, beverages; wood products, oil refining, gold mining, truck and bus assembly, textiles, fertilizer, building materials, electricity
    8.4% (2014 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 20
    8.118 million (2014 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 59
    agriculture: 68%
    industry and services: NA% (2007 est.)
    NA%
    42% (2006 est.)
    lowest 10%: 2.2%
    highest 10%: 31.8% (2008)
    41.5 (2008)
    36.7 (1995)
    country comparison to the world: 51
    revenues: $7.218 billion
    expenditures: $8.173 billion (2014 est.)
    21.3% of GDP (2014 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 151
    -2.8% of GDP (2014 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 104
    42.9% of GDP (2014 est.)
    44.6% of GDP (2013 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 87
    calendar year
    0.4% (2014 est.)
    2.6% (2013 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 42
    4.25% (31 December 2010)
    4.25% (31 December 2009)
    country comparison to the world: 90
    3.5% (31 December 2014 est.)
    3.5% (31 December 2013 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 165
    $8.227 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
    $7.72 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 85
    $12.23 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
    $11.5 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 100
    $9.294 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
    $8.693 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 105
    $7.829 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
    $6.288 billion (31 December 2011)
    $7.099 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 79
    -$1.113 billion (2014 est.)
    -$350.2 million (2013 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 71
    $14.58 billion (2014 est.)
    $12.87 billion (2013 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 82
    cocoa, coffee, timber, petroleum, cotton, bananas, pineapples, palm oil, fish
    Ghana 9.1%, US 8.5%, Nigeria 7.9%, Netherlands 7.4%, Gabon 5.4%, Germany 5%, France 5%, Belgium 4.3% (2014)
    $9.788 billion (2014 est.)
    $8.976 billion (2013 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 103
  • fuel, capital equipment, foodstuffs
    Nigeria 21.8%, France 11.7%, China 11%, Bahamas, The 6.2% (2014)
    $4.752 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
    $4.243 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 97
    $11.5 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
    $10.26 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 100
    $NA
    $NA
    Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar -
    491.2 (2014 est.)
    494.04 (2013 est.)
    510.29 (2012 est.)
    471.87 (2011 est.)
    495.28 (2010 est.)

  • Energy :: COTE D'IVOIRE

  • 6.688 billion kWh (2012 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 114
    4.731 billion kWh (2012 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 126
    645 million kWh (2012 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 65
    54 million kWh (2012 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 160
    1.522 million kW (2012 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 116
    60.3% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 134
    0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 113
    39.7% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 59
    0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 186
    36,000 bbl/day (2014 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 63
    47,900 bbl/day (2012 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 50
    72,860 bbl/day (2012 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 58
    100 million bbl (1 January 2015 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 71
    62,750 bbl/day (2012 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 82
    26,000 bbl/day (2013 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 126
    39,720 bbl/day (2012 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 63
    3,305 bbl/day (2012 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 153
    1.78 billion cu m (2013 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 59
    1.78 billion cu m (2013 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 82
    0 cu m (2013 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 118
    0 cu m (2013 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 209
    28.32 billion cu m (1 January 2014 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 68
    6.403 million Mt (2012 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 119

  • Communications :: COTE D'IVOIRE

  • total subscriptions: 240,000
    subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 1 (2014 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 124
    total: 22.1 million
    subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 97 (2014 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 54
    general assessment: well-developed by African standards; telecommunications sector privatized in late 1990s and operational fixed lines have increased since that time with two fixed-line providers operating over open-wire lines, microwave radio relay, and fiber-optics; 90% digitalized
    domestic: with multiple mobile-cellular service providers competing in the market, usage has increased sharply to roughly 80 per 100 persons
    international: country code - 225; landing point for the SAT-3/WASC fiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe and Asia; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) (2011)
    2 state-owned TV stations; no private terrestrial TV stations, but satellite TV subscription service is available; 2 state-owned radio stations; some private radio stations; transmissions of several international broadcasters are available (2007)
    AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 3 (1998)
    14 (1998)
    .ci
    total: 621,500
    percent of population: 2.7% (2014 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 129

  • Transportation :: COTE D'IVOIRE

  • 27 (2013)
    country comparison to the world: 124
    total: 7
    over 3,047 m: 1
    2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
    1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 (2013)
    total: 20
    1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
    914 to 1,523 m: 11
    under 914 m:
    3 (2013)
    1 (2013)
    condensate 101 km; gas 256 km; oil 118 km; oil/gas/water 5 km; water 7 km (2013)
    total: 660 km
    narrow gauge: 660 km 1.000-m gauge
    note: an additional 622 km of this railroad extends into Burkina Faso (2008)
    country comparison to the world: 105
    total: 81,996 km
    paved: 6,502 km
    unpaved: 75,494 km
    note: includes intercity and urban roads; another 20,000 km of dirt roads are in poor condition and 150,000 km of dirt roads are impassable (2007)
    country comparison to the world: 58
    980 km (navigable rivers, canals, and numerous coastal lagoons) (2011)
    country comparison to the world: 66
    major seaport(s): Abidjan, San-Pedro
    oil terminal(s): Espoir Offshore Terminal

  • Military :: COTE D'IVOIRE

  • Republican Forces of Cote d'Ivoire (Force Republiques de Cote d'Ivoire, FRCI): Army, Navy, Cote d'Ivoire Air Force (Force Aerienne de la Cote d'Ivoire) (2015)
    18-25 years of age for compulsory and voluntary male and female military service; conscription is not enforced; voluntary recruitment of former rebels into the new national army is restricted to ages 22-29 (2012)
    males age 16-49: 5,247,522
    females age 16-49: 5,047,901 (2010 est.)
    males age 16-49: 3,360,087
    females age 16-49: 3,196,033 (2010 est.)
    male: 247,011
    female: 242,958 (2010 est.)
    1.65% of GDP (2012)
    1.49% of GDP (2011)
    1.65% of GDP (2010)
    country comparison to the world: 55

  • Transnational Issues :: COTE D'IVOIRE

  • disputed maritime border between Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana
    IDPs: 300,900 (post-election conflict in 2010-2011, as well as civil war from 2002-2004; most pronounced in western and southwestern regions) (2015)
    stateless persons: 700,000 (2014); note - many Ivoirians lack documentation proving their nationality, which prevent them from accessing education and healthcare; birth on Ivorian soil does not automatically result in citizenship; disputes over citizenship and the associated rights of the large population descended from migrants from neighboring countries is an ongoing source of tension and contributed to the country's 2002 civil war; some observers believe the government's mass naturalizations of thousands of people over the last couple of years is intended to boost its electoral support base; the government in October 2013 acceded to international conventions on statelessness and in August 2013 reformed its nationality law, key steps to clarify the nationality of thousands of residents
    illicit producer of cannabis, mostly for local consumption; utility as a narcotic transshipment point to Europe reduced by ongoing political instability; 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 (2008)