Ivory Coast Population: 22,400,835
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| Background | |
| 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 infrastructure and military after the five months of post-electoral fighting, and faces ongoing threats from GBAGBO supporters many of whom have sought shelter in Ghana. GBAGBO is in The Hague awaiting trial for crimes against humanity. |
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| Geography | |
| Most of the inhabitants live along the sandy coastal region; apart from the capital area, the forested interior is sparsely populated | |
| Location: | Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Ghana and Liberia |
| Geographic coordinates: | 8 00 N, 5 00 W |
| Area: | total: 322,463 sq km land: 318,003 sq km water: 4,460 sq km Size comparison: 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 |
| Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Gulf of Guinea 0 m highest point: Monts Nimba 1,752 m |
| Natural resources: | petroleum, natural gas, diamonds, manganese, iron ore, cobalt, bauxite, copper, gold, nickel, tantalum, silica sand, clay, cocoa beans, coffee, palm oil, hydropower |
| Land use: | arable land: 10.23% permanent crops: 11.16% other: 78.61% (2005) |
| Irrigated land: | 730 sq km (2003) |
| Natural hazards: | coast has heavy surf and no natural harbors; during the rainy season torrential flooding is possible |
| Current Environment 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 |
| International Environment Agreements: | 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 |
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| People | |
| Population: | 22,400,835 (July 2013 est.) 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 |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 38.9% (male 4,393,005/female 4,319,967) 15-24 years: 21% (male 2,372,125/female 2,336,657) 25-54 years: 32.5% (male 3,737,464/female 3,549,600) 55-64 years: 4.4% (male 490,420/female 489,471) 65 years and over: 3.2% (male 347,211/female 364,915) (2013 est.) population pyramid: |
| Median age: | total: 19.8 years male: 19.9 years female: 19.7 years (2012 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 2.044% (2012 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 30.4 births/1,000 population (2012 est.) |
| Death rate: | 9.96 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.96 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2011 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 63.2 deaths/1,000 live births male: 69.77 deaths/1,000 live births female: 56.42 deaths/1,000 live births (2012 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 57.25 years male: 56.21 years female: 58.33 years (2012 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 3.73 children born/woman (2013 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 3.4% (2009 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 450,000 (2009 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | 36,000 (2009 est.) |
| 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 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%) |
| Languages: | French (official), 60 native dialects of which Dioula is the most widely spoken |
| Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 56.2% male: 65.2% female: 46.6% (2010 est.) |
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| Government | |
| 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 |
| Capital: | name: Yamoussoukro geographic coordinates: 6 49 N, 5 16 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 |
| Administrative divisions: | 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: | 7 August 1960 (from France) |
| National holiday: | Independence Day, 7 August (1960) |
| Constitution: | approved by referendum 23 July 2000 |
| Legal system: | civil law system based on the French civil code; judicial review in the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court |
| Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch: | 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 (For more information visit the World Leaders website ) elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (no term limits); election last held on 31 October and 28 November 2010 (next to be held in 2015); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Alassane OUATTARA elected president; percent of vote - Alassane OUATTARA 54.1%, Laurent GBAGBO 45.9%; note - President OUATTARA was declared winner by the election commission and took the oath of office on 4 December, Prime Minister SORO resigned from the incumbent administration and was subsequently appointed to the same position by OUATTARA; former president GBAGBO refused to cede resulting in a 5-month stand-off, he was finally forced to stand down in April 2011 |
| Legislative branch: | unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (225 seats; members elected in single- and multi-district elections by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: 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, UPDCI 7, RDP 4, other 4, independents 39 |
| 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 Liberty for the Republic or LIDER [Mamadou KOULIBALY]; Democratic Party of Cote d'Ivoire or PDCI [Henri Konan BEDIE]; Freedom and Democracy for the Republic or LIBRE [Mamadou KOULIBALY]; Ivorian Popular Front or FPI [Miaka OURETO]; Ivorian Worker's Party or PIT [Francois KOUABLAN]; 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]; National Congress for the Resistance and Democracy or CNRD [Bernard DADIE]; Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace or RHDP [Alphonse DJEDJE MADY]; Young Patriots [Charles BLE GOUDE] |
| International organization participation: | ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, EITI (candidate country), Entente, FAO, FZ, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Daouda DIABATE chancery: 2424 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 797-0300 FAX: [1] (202) 462-9444 |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Philip CARTER III embassy: Cocody Riviera Golf 01, Abidjan mailing address: B. P. 1712, Abidjan 01 telephone: [225] 22 49 40 00 FAX: [225] 22 49 43 32 |
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| Economy | |
| Cote d'Ivoire is heavily dependent on agriculture and related activities, which engage roughly 68% 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, to a lesser extent, in climatic conditions. Cocoa, oil, and coffee are the country's top export revenue earners, but the country is also producing gold. 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. In late 2011, Cote D'Ivoire's economy began to recover from a severe downturn of the first quarter of the year that was caused by widespread post-election fighting. 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. Cote d'Ivoire's long term challenges include political instability and degrading infrastructure. | |
| GDP (purchasing power parity): | GDP (purchasing power parity): $39.64 billion (2012 est.) $36.65 billion (2011 est.) $38.47 billion (2010 est.) note: data are in 2012 US dollars |
| GDP (official exchange rate): | GDP (official exchange rate): $24.27 billion (2012 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate: | 8.1% (2012 est.) -4.7% (2011 est.) 2.4% (2010 est.) |
| GDP - per capita (PPP): | GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,700 (2012 est.) $1,600 (2011 est.) $1,700 (2010 est.) note: data are in 2012 US dollars |
| GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 28.8% industry: 21.8% services: 49.4% (2012 est.) |
| Labor force: | 8.97 million (2012 est.) |
| Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture: 68% industry and services: (2007 est.) (2007 est.) |
| Unemployment rate: | NA% |
| Population below poverty line: | 42% (2006 est.) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: 2.2% highest 10%: 31.8% (2008) |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index: | 41.5 (2008) 36.7 (1995) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices): | Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.4% (2012 est.) 5.1% (2011 est.) |
| Investment (gross fixed): | Investment (gross fixed): 12.1% of GDP (2012 est.) |
| Budget: | revenues: $4.391 billion expenditures: $6.129 billion (2012 est.) |
| Public debt: | 60.8% of GDP (2012 est.) 65% of GDP (2011 est.) |
| Agriculture - products: | coffee, cocoa beans, bananas, palm kernels, corn, rice, cassava (manioc), sweet potatoes, sugar, cotton, rubber; timber |
| Industries: | foodstuffs, beverages; wood products, oil refining, gold mining, truck and bus assembly, textiles, fertilizer, building materials, electricity |
| Industrial production growth rate: | 4.5% (2010 est.) |
| Electricity - production: | 5.533 billion kWh (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 116 |
| Electricity - consumption: | 3.576 billion kWh (2009 est.) |
| Electricity - exports: | 484 million kWh (2009 est.) |
| Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (2009 est.) |
| Natural gas - production: | 1.6 billion cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - consumption: | 1.6 billion cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - exports: | 0 cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - imports: | 0 cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - proved reserves: | 28.32 billion cu m (1 January 2012 est.) |
| Current account balance: | -$1.08 billion (2012 est.) -$257.3 million (2011 est.) |
| Exports: | $10.99 billion (2012 est.) $11.4 billion (2011 est.) |
| Exports - commodities: | cocoa, coffee, timber, petroleum, cotton, bananas, pineapples, palm oil, fish |
| Exports - partners: | Netherlands 11.3%, US 11.2%, Germany 7.2%, Nigeria 5.9%, Canada 5.8%, France 5.8%, South Africa 5.3% (2011) |
| Imports: | $8.406 billion (2012 est.) $7.911 billion (2011 est.) |
| Imports - commodities: | fuel, capital equipment, foodstuffs |
| Imports - partners: | Nigeria 35.1%, France 10%, China 5.6%, Colombia 4.8% (2011) |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: | $4.515 billion (31 December 2012 est.) $4.316 billion (31 December 2011 est.) |
| Debt - external: | $4.742 billion (31 December 2012 est.) $8.539 billion (31 December 2011 est.) |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: | $NA |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: | $NA |
| Market value of publicly traded shares: | $6.288 billion (31 December 2011) $7.099 billion (31 December 2010) $6.141 billion (31 December 2009) |
| Exchange rates: | Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 513.1 (2012 est.) 471.87 (2011 est.) 495.28 (2010 est.) 472.19 (2009) 447.81 (2008) |
| Fiscal year: | calendar year |
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| Communications | |
| Telephones in use: | 268,200 (2011) country comparison to the world: 124 |
| Cellular Phones in use: | 17.344 million (2011) |
| Telephone system: | 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) |
| Radio broadcast stations: | |
| Television broadcast stations: | |
| Internet country code: | .ci |
| Internet hosts: | 9,115 (2012) |
| Internet users: | 967,300 (2009) |
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| Transportation | |
| Airports: | 27 (2012) country comparison to the world: 123 |
| Airports (paved runways): | total: 7 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 (2012) |
| Airports (unpaved runways): | total: 20 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 3 (2012) |
| Heliports: | 1 (2012) |
| Pipelines: | condensate 86 km; gas 180 km; oil 92 km (2010) |
| Railways: | total: 660 km narrow gauge: 660 km 1.000-m gauge note: an additional 622 km of this railroad extends into Burkina Faso (2008) |
| 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) (2011) |
| Ports and terminals: | Abidjan, Espoir, San-Pedro |
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| Military | |
| Military branches: | 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) note: FRCI is the former Armed Forces of the New Forces (FAFN) (2011) |
| Military service age and obligation: | 18-25 years of age for compulsory and voluntary male and female military service; voluntary recruitment of former rebels into the new national army is restricted to ages 22-29 (2011) |
| Manpower available for military service: | males age 16-49: 5,247,522 females age 16-49: 5,047,901 (2010 est.) |
| Manpower fit for military service: | males age 16-49: 3,360,087 females age 16-49: 3,196,033 (2010 est.) |
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