Cote d'Ivoire

• 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

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

0-14 years:

45.4% (male 3,796,393; female 3,902,210)

15-64 years:

52.4% (male 4,541,997; female 4,347,531)

65 years and over:

2.2% (male 179,323; female 195,037) (2003 est.)

at birth:

1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

0.97 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.92 male(s)/female

total population:

1.01 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

noun:

Ivorian(s)

adjective:

Ivorian

conventional long form:

Republic of Cote d'Ivoire

conventional short form:

Cote d'Ivoire

local short form:

Cote d'Ivoire

former:

Ivory Coast

local long form:

Republique de Cote d'Ivoire

• Yamoussoukro;
• 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;
• has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

chief of state:

President Laurent GBAGBO (since 26 October 2000); note - took power following a popular overthrow of the interim leader Gen. Robert GUEI who had claimed a dubious victory in presidential elections; Gen. GUEI himself had assumed power on 25 December 1999, following a military coup against the government of former President Henri Konan BEDIE

head of government:

• Prime Minister Seydou DIARRA (since 25 January 2003);
• note - appointed as transitional Prime Minister by President GBAGBO as part of a French brokered peace plan

cabinet:

Council of Ministers appointed by the president

elections:

• president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
• election last held 26 October 2000 (next to be held NA 2005);
• 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%

• 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

• Democratic Party of Cote d'Ivoire-African Democratic Rally or PDCI-RDA [Aime Henri Konan BEDIE];
• Ivorian Popular Front or FPI [Laurent GBAGBO];
• Ivorian Worker's Party or PIT [Francis WODIE];
• Rally of the Republicans or RDR [Alassane OUATTARA];
• Union for Democracy and Peace or UDPCI [leader NA];
• over 20 smaller parties

chief of mission:

Ambassador Pascal Dago KOKORA

chancery:

3421 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007

FAX:

[1] (202) 462-9444

telephone:

[1] (202) 797-0300

chief of mission:

Ambassador Arlene RENDER

embassy:

5 Rue Jesse Owens, Abidjan

mailing address:

B. P. 1712, Abidjan 01

telephone:

[225] 20 21 09 79

FAX:

[225] 20 22 32 59

• 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

lowest 10%:

3.1%

highest 10%:

28.8% (1995)

general assessment:

well developed by African standards but operating well below capacity

domestic:

open-wire lines and microwave radio relay; 90% digitalized

international:

satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean); 2 coaxial submarine cables (June 1999)

total:

660 km

narrow gauge:

660 km 1.000-meter gauge

note: an additional 622 km of this railroad extends into Burkina Faso (2002)

total:

50,400 km

paved:

4,889 km

unpaved:

45,511 km (1999 est.)

• rebel fighting extended to neighboring states and has driven out nationals and foreign workers to nearby countries;
• the Ivorian Government accuses Burkina Faso and Liberia of supporting Ivorian rebels

• illicit producer of cannabis, mostly for local consumption;
• transshipment point for Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin to Europe and occasionally to the US, and for Latin American cocaine destined for Europe and South Africa;
• 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