Cote d'Ivoire

Republic of Cote d'IvoireRepublique de Cote d'Ivoire

republicIndependence 7 August 1960 (from France)

Cote d'Ivoire as the 1995 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 79 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

Area322,460 sq km

LocationWestern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between

Populationas each edition published it

14.79 million July 1995 est. · 12.48m in 1990

Population growth% a year

3.38% 1995 est. · 3.5% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 17 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

48.87 years 1995 est. · 48.97 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

6.61 children per woman 1995 est. · 6.9 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

93.1 deaths per 1,000 live births 1995 est. · 100 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$1,430 1994 est. · $800 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

1.5% 1994 est. · -0.6% in 1993

Geography

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

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Land useshare of 322,460 sq km

arable land 9%permanent crops 4%meadows and pastures 9%forest and woodland 26%other 52%irrigated 620 sq km (1989 est.)

Area

322,460sq km

land area: 318,000 sq kmcomparative area: slightly larger than New Mexico

Coastline

515km

continental shelf: 200 nmexclusive economic zone: 200 nmterritorial sea: 12 nm

Land boundaries

3,110km

total · Burkina 584 km, Ghana 668 km, Guinea 610 km, Liberia 716 km, Mali 532 km

Location

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

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

Environment

current issues:: deforestation (most of the country's forests - once the largest in West Africa - have been cleared by the timber industry);
water pollution from sewage and industrial and agricultural effluents
natural hazards:: coast has heavy surf and no natural harbors; during the rainy season torrential flooding is possible
international agreements:: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83;
signed, but not ratified - Desertification

People

15 fields

Population

14,791,257

(July 1995 est.)growth rate: 3.38% (1995 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1995 est.)

Birth

46.17Death

14.95

Male · female(1995 est.)

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years48.87

46.52 · 51.29

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy34%

44% · 23%

MaleFemaleLiteracy age 15 and over can read and write (1988)

Religions

indigenous 25%Muslim 60%Christian 12%

Labor force

5.718million

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

Age structure

0-14 years:: 48% (female 3,506,147; male 3,534,751)
15-64 years:: 50% (female 3,619,759; male 3,820,999)
65 years and over:: 2% (female 142,366; male 167,235) (July 1995 est.)

Net migration rate

NA migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

note: since 1989, over 350,000 refugees have fled to Cote d'Ivoire to escape the civil war in Liberia; if a lasting peace is achieved in Liberia in 1995,

large numbers of refugees can be expected to return to their homes

Infant mortality rate

93.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Nationality

noun:: Ivorian(s)
adjective:: Ivorian

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

Government

Republic; Prime Minister Daniel Kablan DUNCAN (since 10 December 1993)

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Legislature, 175 seatsone dot, one seat

PDCI 163FPI 9PIT 1independents 2

Names

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

Digraph

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, Agnibilekrou, 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

Legal system

based on French civil law system and customary law;
judicial review in the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage

21 years of age; universal

Executive branch

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 Daniel Kablan DUNCAN (since 10 December 1993)
cabinet:: Council of Ministers; appointed by the prime minister

Legislative branch

unicameral

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;
Rally of the Republicans (RDR), Djeny KOBINA;
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, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UPU, WADB, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Moise KOUMOUE-KOFFI
chancery:: 2424 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:: [1] (202) 797-0300

US diplomatic representation

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, 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.

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GDP per capita, PPP

$1,430

(1994 est.)

Real growth rate

1.5%

(1994 est.)industrial production growth: growth rate 0% (1993 est.); accounts for 20% of GDP, including petroleum

Unemployment rate

14%

(1985)

External debt

$17.3billion

(1993 est.)

Budget

Revenues

$1.9 billionExpenditures

$3.4 billion (1993)

expenditures including capital expenditures of $408 million

Installed generating capacity, 1,170,000 kW

Electricity production

1.8 billionElectricity consumption per capita

123 (1993)

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.

After several years of lagging performance, the Ivorian economy began a comeback in 1994, due to improved prices for cocoa and coffee, growth in non-traditional primary exports such as pineapples and rubber, trade and banking liberalization, offshore oil and gas discoveries, and generous external financing and debt rescheduling by multilateral lenders and France.

The 50% devaluation in January 1994 caused a one time jump in the inflation rate. Government adherence to a renewed structural adjustment program has led to a budget surplus for the first time in several years, a smaller personnel budget, and an increase in public investment. While real growth in 1994 was only 1.5%, the IMF and World Bank expect it will surpass 6% in 1995.

National product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $20.5 billion (1994 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

NA%

Exports

$2.7 billion (f.o.b., 1993)

commodities:: cocoa 30%, coffee 20%, tropical woods 11%, petroleum, cotton, bananas, pineapples, palm oil, cotton
partners:: France, Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Burkina, US, Belgium, UK (1992)

Imports

$1.6 billion (f.o.b., 1993)

commodities:: food, capital goods, consumer goods, fuel
partners:: France, Nigeria, Japan, Netherlands, US (1992)

Industries

foodstuffs, wood processing, oil refining, automobile assembly, textiles, fertilizer, beverages

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

Economic aid

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 - 529.43 (January 1995), 555.20 (1994), 283.16 (1993), 264.69 (1992), 282.11 (1991), 272.26 (1990) 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

Transportation

6 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right · 40 in all

over 3,047 m

2,438 to 3,047 m

1,524 to 2,437 m

under 914 m

1,524 to 2,438 m

914 to 1,523 m

PavedUnpaved

Networkskm

Highways

46,600Railroads

660Inland waterways

980

Highways: paved: 3,600 km · unpaved: gravel, crushed stone, improved earth 32,000 km; unimproved earth 11,000 km · Railroads: (25 km double track) · narrow gauge: 660 km 1.000-meter gauge · Inland waterways: , canals, and numerous coastal lagoons

Railroads

total:: 660 km (25 km double track)
narrow gauge:: 660 km 1.000-meter gauge

Highways

total:: 46,600 km
paved:: 3,600 km
unpaved:: gravel, crushed stone, improved earth 32,000 km; unimproved earth 11,000 km

total:: 5 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 49,671 GRT/69,216 DWT
ships by type:: chemical tanker 1, container 2, oil tanker 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1

Communications

3 fields

Telephone system

87,700 telephones;
well-developed by African standards but operating well below capacity;
consists of open-wire lines and radio relay microwave links

local:: NA
intercity:: NA microwave radio relay
international:: 2 INTELSAT (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) earth stations; 2 coaxial submarine cables