Cote d'Ivoire

republic multiparty presidential regime established 1960Independence 7 August 1960 (from France)

Cote d'Ivoire as the 1994 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 121 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalYamoussoukro
LocationWestern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean between Ghana and
1994

Every edition of Cote d'Ivoire

Populationas each edition published it
14.3 million July 1994 est. · 12.48m in 1990
Population growth% a year
3.44% 1994 est. · 3.5% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 17 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
Not in this edition 48.97 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
6.67 children per woman 1994 est. · 6.9 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
95 deaths per 1,000 live births 1994 est. · 100 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$1,500 1993 est. · $800 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
Not in this edition -0.6% in 1993

Geography

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

23 fields
Land boundaries
3,110km
total · Burkina 584 km, Ghana 668 km, Guinea 610 km, Liberia 716 km, Mali 532 km
Irrigated land
620sq km
(1989 est.)

Location

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

Map references

Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World

total area

322,460 sq km

land area

318,000 sq km

comparative area

slightly larger than New Mexico

continental shelf

200-m depth

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 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

Natural resources

petroleum, diamonds, manganese, iron ore, cobalt, bauxite, copper

arable land

9%

permanent crops

4%

meadows and pastures

9%

forest and woodland

26%

other

52%

current issues

deforestation; water pollution from sewage and industrial and agricultural effluents

natural hazards

coast has heavy surf and no natural harbors

international agreements

  • party to - Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution;
  • signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Tropical Timber

People

22 fields
Population
14,295,501
(July 1994 est.)growth rate: 3.44% (1994 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1994 est.)

Birth
46.52Death
15.01Net migration
2.86

Religions

indigenous 25%Muslim 60%Christian 12%
Labor force
5.718million
Literacy
15and over can read and write
age · (1990 est.)

Infant mortality rate

95 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

total population

48.92 years

male

46.75 years

female

51.16 years (1994 est.)

Total fertility rate

6.67 children born/woman (1994 est.)

noun

Ivorian(s)

adjective

Ivorian

Ethnic divisions

Baoule 23%, Bete 18%, Senoufou 15%, Malinke 11%, Agni, foreign Africans (mostly Burkinabe and Malians, about 3 million), non-Africans 130,000 to 330,000 (French 30,000 and Lebanese 100,000 to 300,000)

Languages

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

total population

54%

male

67%

female

40%

by occupation

  • over 85% of population engaged in agriculture, forestry, livestock raising;
  • about 11% of labor force are wage earners, nearly half in agriculture and the remainder in government, industry, commerce, and professions

note

54% of population of working age (1985)

Government

Republic multiparty presidential regime established 1960

32 fields

Legislature, 175 seatsone dot, one seat

PDCI 163FPI 9PIT 1independents 2

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

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, including the United States, maintain presence in Abidjan

Administrative divisions

50 departments (departements, singular - departement); Abengourou, Abidjan, Aboisso, Adzope, Agboville, Agnibilckrou, 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

Suffrage

21 years of age; universal

chief of state

President Henri Konan BEDIE (since 7 December 1993) constitutional successor who will serve during the remainder of the term of former President Felix HOUPHOUET-BOIGNY who died in office after continuous service from November 1960 (next election October 1995)

head of government

Prime Minister Kablan Daniel DUNCAN (since 10 December 1993)

cabinet

Council of Ministers; appointed by the prime minister

National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale)

  • elections last held 25 November 1990 (next to be held November 1995);
  • results - percent of vote by party NA;
  • seats - (175 total) PDCI 163, FPI 9, PIT 1, independents 2

Judicial branch

Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)

Political parties and leaders

  • Democratic Party of the Cote d'Ivoire (PDCI), Henri Konan BEDIE;
  • 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, CEAO, ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-24, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

chief of mission

Ambassador Jean-Marie KACOU-GERVAIS

chancery

2424 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone

(202) 797-0300

chief of mission

Ambassador Hume A. HORAN

embassy

5 Rue Jesse Owens, Abidjan

mailing address

01 B. P. 1712, Abidjan

telephone

[225] 21-09-79 or 21-46-72

FAX

[225] 22-32-59

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

Cote d'Ivoire is among the world's largest producers and exporters of | coffee, cocoa beans, and palm-kernel oil.

27 fields
GDP per capita, PPP
$1,500
(1993 est.)
External debt
$17.3billion
(1993 est.)

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.

The agricultural sector accounts for over one-third of GDP and about 80% of export earnings and employs about 85% of the labor force. A collapse of world cocoa and coffee prices in 1986 threw the economy into a recession, from which the country has yet to fully recover. Continuing weak prices for commodity exports, a bloated public-sector wage bill, and a large foreign debt will continue to constrain economic development, this despite the 50% currency devaluation in January 1994 designed to restore international price competitiveness. A large, non-competitive import-substitution sector continues to thrive under steep tariff and import quota barriers.

National product

GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $21 billion (1993 est.)

revenues

$2.3 billion

expenditures

$3.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $274 million (1990 est.)

Exports

$2.8 billion (f.o.b., 1990)

commodities

cocoa 30%, coffee 20%, tropical woods 11%, petroleum, cotton, bananas, pineapples, palm oil, cotton

partners

France, FRG, Netherlands, US, Belgium, Spain (1985)

Imports

$1.6 billion (f.o.b., 1990)

commodities

food, capital goods, consumer goods, fuel

partners

France 29%, other EC 29%, Nigeria 16%, US 4%, Japan 3% (1989)

capacity

1,210,000 kW

production

1.97 billion kWh

consumption per capita

150 kWh (1991)

Industries

foodstuffs, wood processing, oil refinery, automobile assembly, textiles, fertilizer, beverage

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 US

recipient

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $356 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $5.2 billion

Currency

1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes

Exchange rates

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 592.05 (January 1994), 283.16 (1993), 264.69 (1992), 282.11 (1991), 272.26 (1990), 319.01 (1989)

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

Communications

14 fields

Networkskm

Railroads
660Inland waterways
980
Railroads: (Burkina border to Abidjan, 1.00-meter gauge, single track, except 25 km Abidjan-Anyama section is double track) · Inland waterways: , canals, and numerous coastal lagoons

Railroads

660 km (Burkina border to Abidjan, 1.00-meter gauge, single track, except 25 km Abidjan-Anyama section is double track)

total

46,600 km

paved

3,600 km

unpaved

gravel, crushed stone, improved earth 32,000 km; unimproved earth 11,000 km

Inland waterways

980 km navigable rivers, canals, and numerous coastal lagoons

Ports

Abidjan, San-Pedro

Merchant marine

8 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 92,828 GRT/ 134,606 DWT, bulk 1, chemical tanker 1, container 2, oil tanker 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 3

total

41

usable

37

with permanent-surface runways

7

with runways over 3,659 m

0

with runways 2,440-3,659 m

3

with runways 1,220-2,439 m

15

Telecommunications

  • well-developed by African standards but operating well below capacity;
  • consists of open-wire lines and radio relay microwave links;
  • 87,700 telephones;
  • broadcast stations - 3 AM, 17 FM, 13 TV, 1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station;
  • 2 coaxial submarine cables

Defense Forces

Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary Gendarmerie, Republican Guard, | Military Fire Group

3 fields

Branches

Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary Gendarmerie, Republican Guard, Military Fire Group

Manpower availability

  • males age 15-49 3,224,673;
  • fit for military service 1,674,127;
  • reach military age (18) annually 149,991 (1994 est.)

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $200 million, 2.3% of GDP (1988)

Central Intelligence Agency. “Cote d'Ivoire.” The World Factbook 1994. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/cote-d-ivoire/1994.

How to cite ← 1993 edition 1995 edition →