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. 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 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 citizenship, remain unresolved. The central government has yet to exert control over the northern regions and tensions remain high between GBAGBO and opposition leaders. Several thousand French and West African troops remain in Cote d'Ivoire to maintain peace and facilitate the disarmament, demobilization, and rehabilitation process.
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
Coastline
515 km
Maritime claims
territorial sea
12 nm
exclusive economic zone
200 nm
continental shelf
200 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
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
Population
18,013,409
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 2007 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years
40.6% (male 3,603,386/female 3,711,211)
15-64 years
56.6% (male 5,128,824/female 5,060,027)
65 years and over
2.8% (male 246,130/female 263,831) (2007 est.)
Median age
total
19.3 years
male
19.5 years
female
19 years (2007 est.)
Population growth rate
1.995% (2007 est.)
Birth rate
34.69 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Death rate
14.74 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Net migration rate
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth
1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years
0.971 male(s)/female
15-64 years
1.014 male(s)/female
65 years and over
0.933 male(s)/female
total population
0.994 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total
87.41 deaths/1,000 live births
male
103.84 deaths/1,000 live births
female
70.48 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population
49 years
male
46.43 years
female
51.66 years (2007 est.)
Total fertility rate
4.43 children born/woman (2007 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, yellow fever, and others are high risks in some locations
water contact
schistosomiasis
note
highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified among birds in this country or surrounding region; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2007)
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.)
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
note: the government is currently operating under a power-sharing agreement mandated by international mediators
Capital
name
Yamoussoukro
geographic coordinates
5 19 N, 4 02 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 by October 2007, after the government postponed elections in 2005 and 2006 and the UN Security Council voted to extend its mandate); prime minister appointed by the president (current Prime Minister BANNY was appointed by African Union mediators as part of the existing power-sharing agreement)
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 October 2007 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 [Laurent GBAGBO]; Ivorian Worker's Party or PIT [Francis WODIE]; Opposition Movement of the Future or MFA [Anaky KOBENAN]; Rally of the Republicans or RDR [Alassane OUATTARA]; Union for Democracy and Peace in Cote d'Ivoire or UDPCI [Mabri TOIKEUSE]; over 20 smaller 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]
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 Aubrey HOOKS
embassy
Riviera Golf 01, Abidjan
mailing address
B. P. 1866, Abidjan 01
telephone
[225] 20 21 09 79
FAX
[225] 20 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 oil. Consequently, the economy is highly sensitive to weather conditions and to fluctuations in international prices for these products. Despite government attempts to diversify the economy, it is still heavily dependent on agriculture and related activities, engaging roughly 68% of the population. Growth was negative in 2000-03 because of the difficulty of meeting the conditions of international donors, continued low prices of key exports, foreign divestment and civil war. Political turmoil has continued to damage the economy since 2004, with a rising risk premium associated with doing business in the country, foreign investment shriveling, transportation costs increasing, French businesses fleeing, and criminal elements that traffic in weapons and diamonds gaining ground. The government will continue to survive financially off of the sale of cocoa, which represents 90% of foreign exchange earnings, but the government will probably lose between 10% and 20% of its cocoa harvest to northern rebels who smuggle the cocoa they control to neighboring countries where cocoa prices are higher. The government remains hopeful that ongoing exploration of Cote d'Ivoire's offshore oil reserves will result in significant production that could boost daily crude output from roughly 33,000 barrels per day (b/d) to more than 200,000 b/d by the end of the decade.
GDP (purchasing power parity)
$29.05 billion (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)
$17.19 billion (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate
1.2% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP)
$1,600 (2006 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture
27%
industry
18.5%
services
54.5% (2006 est.)
Labor force
6.738 million (68% agricultural) (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate
13% in urban areas (1998)
Population below poverty line
37% (1995)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%
3.1%
highest 10%
28.8% (1995)
Distribution of family income - Gini index
45.2 (1998)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
3.2% (2006 est.)
Investment (gross fixed)
11.8% of GDP (2006 est.)
Budget
revenues
$2.837 billion
expenditures
$3.154 billion; including capital expenditures of $420 million (2006 est.)
foodstuffs, beverages; wood products, oil refining, truck and bus assembly, textiles, fertilizer, building materials, electricity, ship construction and repair
Industrial production growth rate
15% (1998 est.)
Electricity - production
4.625 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source
fossil fuel
61.9%
hydro
38.1%
nuclear
0%
other
0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption
3.202 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports
1.1 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports
0 kWh (2004)
Oil - production
32,900 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption
23,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports
NA bbl/day
Oil - imports
NA bbl/day
Oil - proved reserves
220 million bbl (2006 est.)
Natural gas - production
1.3 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption
1.3 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - exports
0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - imports
0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves
28.32 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)
Current account balance
$460 million (2006 est.)
Exports
$7.832 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Exports - commodities
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
$5.548 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Imports - commodities
fuel, capital equipment, foodstuffs
Imports - partners
Nigeria 27.6%, France 25.4%, China 4.3% (2006)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$1.4 billion (2006 est.)
Debt - external
$11.96 billion (2006 est.)
Economic aid - recipient
ODA, $1 billion (1996 est.)
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 (XOF) per US dollar - 522.89 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002)
Fiscal year
calendar year
Telephones - main lines in use
257,900 (2004)
Telephones - mobile cellular
2.19 million (2005)
Telephone system
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
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
2,534 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
5 (2001)
Internet users
160,000 (2005)
Airports
35 (2006)
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 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total
28
1,524 to 2,437 m
8
914 to 1,523 m
15
under 914 m
5 (2006)
Pipelines
condensate 109 km; gas 240 km; oil 112 km (2006)
Railways
total
660 km
narrow gauge
660 km 1.000 meter gauge
note
an additional 622 km of this railroad extends into Burkina Faso (2005)
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, Aboisso, Dabou, San-Pedro
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; conscript service obligation - 18 months (2004)
Manpower available for military service
males age 18-49
3,696,106
females age 18-49
3,569,967 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service
males age 18-49
1,973,265
females age 18-49
1,911,777 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually
males age 18-49
189,354
females age 18-49
192,600 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
1.6% (2005 est)
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)
39,919 (Liberia)
IDPs
750,000 (2002 coup; most IDPs are in western regions) (2006)
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
