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
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. 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
citizenship, remained unresolved. In March 2007 President GBAGBO and
former New Force rebel leader Guillaume SORO signed the Ouagadougou
Political Agreement. As a result of the agreement, SORO joined GBAGBO's
government as Prime Minister and the two agreed to reunite the country by
dismantling the zone of confidence separating North from South, integrate
rebel forces into the national armed forces, and hold elections. Several
thousand French and UN troops remain in Cote d'Ivoire to help the parties
implement their commitments and to support the peace process.
Geography
Cote d'Ivoire
Location:
Western Africa, bordering the
North Atlantic Ocean, between Ghana and Liberia
Geographic coordinates:
8 00 N, 5 00 W
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 322,460 sq km
land: 318,000 sq km water: 4,460 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly larger than New Mexico
Land boundaries:
total: 3,110 km
border countries: Burkina Faso 584 km, Ghana 668 km, Guinea 610
km, Liberia 716 km, Mali 532 km
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 highest point: Mont Nimba 1,752 m
total: 0.93 cu km/yr
(24%/12%/65%) per capita: 51 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
coast has heavy surf and no
natural harbors; during the rainy season torrential flooding is possible
Environment - current issues:
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:
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, Whaling signed,
but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
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
Population:
18,373,060 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 2008 est.)
total: 19.4 years
male: 19.6 years female: 19.1 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.96% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
34.26 births/1,000 population
(2008 est.)
Death rate:
14.65 deaths/1,000 population
(2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
NA
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03
male(s)/female under 15 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 15-64
years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.92
male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008
est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 85.71
deaths/1,000 live births male: 101.96 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 68.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 49.18
years male: 46.62 years female: 51.82 years (2008
est.)
Total fertility rate:
4.35 children born/woman (2008
est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
7% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
570,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
47,000 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very
high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis
A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow
fever water contact: schistosomiasis 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 (2008)
Nationality:
noun: Ivoirian(s)
adjective: Ivoirian
Ethnic groups:
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:
Muslim 35-40%, indigenous
25-40%, Christian 20-30% (2001) note: the majority of
foreigners (migratory workers) are Muslim (70%) and Christian (20%)
Languages:
French (official), 60 native
dialects with Dioula the most widely spoken
Literacy:
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
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 note: pronounced
coat-div-whar former: Ivory Coast
Government type:
republic; multiparty
presidential regime established 1960 note: the government is
currently operating under a power-sharing agreement mandated by
international mediators
Capital:
name: Yamoussoukro
geographic coordinates: 6 49 N, 5 17 W time
difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard
Time) 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
based on French civil law
system and customary law; judicial review in the Constitutional Chamber of
the Supreme Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
President Laurent GBAGBO (since 26 October 2000) head of
government: Prime Minister Guillaume SORO (since 4 April 2007)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president; note
- under the current power-sharing agreement the prime minister and the
president share the authority to appoint ministers elections:
president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (no term limits);
election last held 26 October 2000 (next to be held 30 November 2008;
elections were to be held in 2005 but have been repeatedly postponed by
the government; the UN Security Council has extended the government's
mandate); 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:
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 by June 2008 after the
government postponed the elections in 2005 and 2006) 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 that was scheduled to be created in the October
2006 elections never took place
Judicial branch:
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:
Citizen's Democratic Union or
UDCY [Theodore MEL EG]; Democratic Party of Cote d'Ivoire-African
Democratic Rally or PDCI-RDA [Henri Konan BEDIE]; Ivorian Popular Front or
FPI [Pascale Affi N'GUESSAN]; Ivorian Worker's Party or PIT [Francis
WODIE]; Opposition Movement of the Future or MFA [Innocent Augustin
ANAKY]; 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
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Federation of University and
High School Students of Cote d'Ivoire or FESCI [Serges KOFFI]; Rally of
Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace or RHDP [Alphonse DJEDJE MADY];
Young Patriots [Charles BLE GOUDE]
chief of mission:
Ambassador Yao Charles KOFFI chancery: 3421 Massachusetts
Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 797-0300
FAX: [1] (202) 244-3088
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Wanda L. NESBITT embassy: Riviera Golf 01, Abidjan
mailing address: B. P. 1712, Abidjan 01 telephone:
[225] 22 49 40 00 FAX: [225] 22 49 43 23
Flag description:
three equal vertical bands of
orange (hoist side), white, and green 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
Economy
Cote d'Ivoire
Economy - overview:
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,
to a lesser extent, in climatic conditions. Despite government attempts to
diversify the economy, it is still heavily dependent on agriculture and
related activities, engaging roughly 68% of the population. Since 2006,
oil and gas production have become more important engines of economic
activity than cocoa. According to IMF statistics, earnings from oil and
refined products were $1.3 billion in 2006, while cocoa-related revenues
were $1 billion during the same period. Cote d'Ivoire's offshore oil and
gas production has resulted in substantial crude oil exports and provides
sufficient natural gas to fuel electricity exports to Ghana, Togo, Benin,
Mali and Burkina Faso. Oil exploration by a number of consortiums of
private companies continues offshore, and President GBAGBO has expressed
hope that daily crude output could reach 200,000 barrels per day (b/d) by
the end of the decade. Since the end of the civil war in 2003, political
turmoil has continued to damage the economy, resulting in the loss of
foreign investment and slow economic growth. GDP grew by 1.8% in 2006 and
1.7% in 2007. Per capita income has declined by 15% since 1999.
foodstuffs, beverages; wood
products, oil refining, truck and bus assembly, textiles, fertilizer,
building materials, electricity, ship construction and repair
cocoa, coffee, timber,
petroleum, cotton, bananas, pineapples, palm oil, fish
Exports - partners:
France 18.3%, Netherlands 9.7%,
US 9.1%, Nigeria 7.2%, Germany 4.2% (2006)
Imports:
$5.2 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
fuel, capital equipment,
foodstuffs
Imports - partners:
Nigeria 27.6%, France 25.4%,
China 4.3% (2006)
Economic aid - recipient:
ODA, $60 million (2007 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$2.5 billion (31 December 2007
est.)
Debt - external:
$10.91 billion (31 December
2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$4.155 billion (2006)
Currency (code):
Communaute Financiere Africaine
franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West
African States
Currency code:
XOF
Exchange rates:
Communaute Financiere Africaine
francs (CFA) per US dollar - 481.83 (2007), 522.89 (2006), 527.47 (2005),
528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003) note: since 1 January 1999, the XOF
franc has been pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF francs per euro
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications
Cote d'Ivoire
Telephones - main lines in use:
260,900 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
4.065 million (2006)
Telephone system:
general assessment: well
developed by African standards; telecommunications sector privatized in
late 1990s; mobile cellular usage has increased to 23 per 100 persons;
fixed-line connections stand at about 2 per 100 persons
domestic: open-wire lines and microwave radio relay; 90%
digitalized 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) (2007)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 3 (1998)
Radios:
2.26 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
14 (1998)
Televisions:
1.09 million (2000)
Internet country code:
.ci
Internet hosts:
1,373 (2007)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
5 (2001)
Internet users:
300,000 (2006)
Transportation
Cote d'Ivoire
Airports:
34 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 7 over
3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m:
4 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 27 1,524
to 2,437 m: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 14 under 914 m: 5
(2007)
Pipelines:
condensate 102 km; gas 245 km;
oil 112 km (2007)
Railways:
total: 660 km
narrow gauge: 660 km 1.000 meter gauge note: an
additional 622 km of this railroad extends into Burkina Faso (2006)
Roadways:
total: 80,000 km
paved: 6,500 km unpaved: 73,500 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 (2006)
Waterways:
980 km (navigable rivers,
canals, and numerous coastal lagoons) (2006)
Ports and terminals:
Abidjan, Espoir, San-Pedro
Military
Cote d'Ivoire
Military branches:
Cote d'Ivoire Defense and
Security Forces (FDSC): Army, Navy, Air Force (2006)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory
and voluntary military service (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49:
4,369,735 females age 16-49: 4,287,042 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49:
2,393,104 females age 16-49: 2,381,607 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 16-49: 202,545
females age 16-49: 211,601 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.6% (2005 est)
Transnational Issues
Cote d'Ivoire
Disputes - international:
despite the presence of over
9,000 UN forces (UNOCI) in Cote d'Ivoire since 2004, ethnic conflict there
has displaced hundreds of thousands of Ivorians in and out of the country
as well as driven out migrants from neighboring states who worked in
Ivorian cocoa plantations; Ivorian rebels reportedly hide along the
borders of neighboring states
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of
origin): 25,615 (Liberia) IDPs: 709,000 (2002 coup; most
IDPs are in western regions) (2007)
Illicit drugs:
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
