Cote d'Ivoire

mean elevation:

250 m

elevation extremes:

0 m lowest point: Gulf of Guinea; 1752 highest point: Monts Nimba

• the population is primarily located in the forested south, with the highest concentration of people residing in and around the cities on the Atlantic coast;
• most of the northern savanna remains sparsely populated with higher concentrations located along transportation corridors

• deforestation (most of the country's forests - once the largest in West Africa - have been heavily logged);
• water pollution from sewage, and from industrial, mining, and agricultural effluents

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

noun:

Ivoirian(s)

adjective:

Ivoirian

0-14 years:

39.59% (male 5,213,630 /female 5,182,872)

15-24 years:

19.91% (male 2,613,772 /female 2,615,680)

25-54 years:

34.25% (male 4,577,394 /female 4,416,408)

55-64 years:

3.47% (male 460,048 /female 451,604)

65 years and over:

2.78% (male 325,510 /female 403,664) (2018 est.)

total dependency ratio:

83.8 (2015 est.)

youth dependency ratio:

78.5 (2015 est.)

elderly dependency ratio:

5.3 (2015 est.)

potential support ratio:

18.9 (2015 est.)

• the population is primarily located in the forested south, with the highest concentration of people residing in and around the cities on the Atlantic coast;
• most of the northern savanna remains sparsely populated with higher concentrations located along transportation corridors

at birth:

1.02 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

0-14 years:

1.02 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

15-24 years:

1.02 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

25-54 years:

1.05 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

55-64 years:

1.01 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

65 years and over:

0.93 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

total population:

1.02 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

degree of risk:

very high (2016)

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever (2016)

vectorborne diseases:

malaria, dengue fever, and yellow fever (2016)

water contact diseases:

schistosomiasis (2016)

animal contact diseases:

rabies (2016)

respiratory diseases:

meningococcal meningitis (2016)

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

etymology:

name reflects the intense ivory trade that took place in the region from the 15th to 17th centuries

note: pronounced coat-div-whar

name:

• Yamoussoukro (legislative capital), Abidjan (administrative capital);
• note - although Yamoussoukro has been the official capital since 1983, Abidjan remains the administrative capital as well as the officially designated commercial capital;
• the US, like other countries, maintains its Embassy in Abidjan

geographic coordinates:

6 49 N, 5 16 W

time difference:

UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

• 12 districts and 2 autonomous districts*;
• Abidjan*, Bas-Sassandra, Comoe, Denguele, Goh-Djiboua, Lacs, Lagunes, Montagnes, Sassandra-Marahoue, Savanes, Vallee du Bandama, Woroba, Yamoussoukro*, Zanzan

history:

previous 1960, 2000; latest draft completed 24 September 2016, approved by the National Assembly 11 October 2016, approved by referendum 30 October 2016, promulgated 8 November 2016 (2017)

amendments:

• proposed by the president of the republic or by Parliament;
• consideration of drafts or proposals requires an absolute majority vote by the parliamentary membership;
• passage of amendments affecting presidential elections, presidential term of office and vacancies, and amendment procedures requires approval by absolute majority in a referendum;
• passage of other proposals by the president requires at least four-fifths majority vote by Parliament;
• constitutional articles on the sovereignty of the state and its republican and secular form of government cannot be amended (2017)

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

at least one parent must be a citizen of Cote d'Ivoire

dual citizenship recognized:

no

residency requirement for naturalization:

5 years

highest courts:

Supreme Court or Cour Supreme (organized into Judicial, Audit, Constitutional, and Administrative Chambers; consists of the court president, 3 vice-presidents for the Judicial, Audit, and Administrative chambers, and 9 associate justices or magistrates)

judge selection and term of office:

judges nominated by the Superior Council of the Magistrature, a 7-member body consisting of the national president (chairman), 3 "bench" judges, and 3 public prosecutors; judges appointed for life

subordinate courts:

• Courts of Appeal (organized into civil, criminal, and social chambers);
• first instance courts;
• peace courts

chief of state:

• President Alassane Dramane OUATTARA (since 4 December 2010);
• Vice President Daniel Kablan DUNCAN (since 16 January 2017);
• note - the 2016 constitution calls for the establishment of the position of vice-president

head of government:

Prime Minister Amadou Gon COULIBALY (since 11 January 2017)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers appointed by the president

elections/appointments:

• president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (no term limits);
• election last held on 25 October 2015 (next to be held in 2020);
• prime minister appointed by the president;
• note - the 2016 constitution limits the presidential tenure to 2 terms beginning with the 2020 election;
• the vice president is named by the president

election results:

Alassane OUATTARA reelected president; percent of vote - Alassane OUATTARA (RDR) 83.7%, Pascal Affi N'GUESSAN (FPI) 9.3%, Konan Bertin KOUADIO (independent) 3.9%, other 3.1%

chief of mission:

Ambassador Mamadou HAIDARA (since 28 March 2018)

chancery:

2424 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 797-0300

FAX:

[1] (202) 462-9444

chief of mission:

Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Katherine BRUCKER (since 28 August 2017)

embassy:

Cocody Riviera Golf 01, Abidjan

mailing address:

B. P. 1712, Abidjan 01

telephone:

[225] 22 49 40 00

FAX:

[225] 22 49 43 23

name:

"L'Abidjanaise" (Song of Abidjan)

lyrics/music:

Mathieu EKRA, Joachim BONY, and Pierre Marie COTY/Pierre Marie COTY and Pierre Michel PANGO

note: adopted 1960; although the nation's capital city moved from Abidjan to Yamoussoukro in 1983, the anthem still owes its name to the former capital

lowest 10%:

31.8% (2008)

highest 10%:

31.8% (2008)

general assessment:

• well-developed by African standards;
• telecommunications sector privatized in late 1990s and operational fixed lines have increased since that time with 2 fixed-line providers operating over open-wire lines, microwave radio relay, and fiber-optics;
• 90% digitalized;
• Côte d'Ivoire continues to benefit from strong economic growth;
• the fixed internet and broadband sectors have remained lagging (2017)

domestic:

less than 1 per 100 fixed-line, with multiple mobile-cellular service providers competing in the market, usage has increased sharply to about 131 per 100 persons (2017)

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) (2016)

• 2 state-owned TV stations;
• no private terrestrial TV stations, but satellite TV subscription service is available;
• 2 state-owned radio stations;
• some private radio stations;
• transmissions of several international broadcasters are available (2007)

number of registered air carriers:

1 (2015)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 10 (2015)

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

359,260 (2015)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

4,719,120 mt-km (2015)

total:

660 km (2008)

narrow gauge:

660 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)

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

total:

81,996 km (2007)

paved:

6,502 km (2007)

unpaved:

75,494 km (2007)

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

total:

9 (2017)

by type:

oil tanker 2, other 7 (2017)

major seaport(s):

Abidjan, San-Pedro

oil terminal(s):

Espoir Offshore Terminal

• 18-25 years of age for compulsory and voluntary male and female military service;
• conscription is not enforced;
• voluntary recruitment of former rebels into the new national army is restricted to ages 22-29 (2012)

IDPs:

16,000 (post-election conflict in 2010-11, as well as civil war from 2002-04; most pronounced in western and southwestern regions) (2017)

stateless persons:

• 692,000 (2017);
• note - many Ivoirians lack documentation proving their nationality, which prevent them from accessing education and healthcare;
• birth on Ivorian soil does not automatically result in citizenship;
• disputes over citizenship and the associated rights of the large population descended from migrants from neighboring countries is an ongoing source of tension and contributed to the country's 2002 civil war;
• some observers believe the government's mass naturalizations of thousands of people over the last couple of years is intended to boost its electoral support base;
• the government in October 2013 acceded to international conventions on statelessness and in August 2013 reformed its nationality law, key steps to clarify the nationality of thousands of residents;
• since the adoption of the Abidjan Declaration to eradicate statelessness in West Africa in February 2015, 6,400 people have received nationality papers

• 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