Close ties to France since independence in 1960, the development of cocoa production for export, and foreign investment made Cote d'Ivoire one of the most prosperous of the tropical 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 runner-up Laurent GBAGBO into power. Ivorian dissidents and disaffected members of the military launched a failed coup attempt in September 2002. Rebel forces claimed the northern half of the country, and in January 2003 were granted ministerial positions in a unity government under the auspices of the Linas-Marcoussis Peace Accord. President GBAGBO and rebel forces resumed implementation of the peace accord in December 2003 after a three-month stalemate, but issues that sparked the civil war, such as land reform and grounds for citizenship, remained unresolved. In March 2007 President GBAGBO and former New Force rebel leader Guillaume SORO signed the Ouagadougou Peace accord. As a result of the agreement, SORO joined GBAGBO's government as Prime Minister and the two promised to work together to reunite the country by dismantling the zone of confidence separating North from South, integrated rebel forces into the national armed forces, and holding elections. Several thousand French and West African troops remain in Cote d'Ivoire to maintain peace and facilitate the disarmament, demobilization, and rehabilitation process.

Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Ghana and Liberia
8 00 N, 5 00 W
Africa
total: 322,460 sq km ; land: 318,000 sq km ; water: 4,460 sq km
slightly larger than New Mexico
total: 3,110 km ; border countries: Burkina Faso 584 km, Ghana 668 km, Guinea 610 km, Liberia 716 km, Mali 532 km
515 km
territorial sea: 12 nm ; exclusive economic zone: 200 nm ; continental shelf: 200 nm
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)
mostly flat to undulating plains; mountains in northwest
lowest point: Gulf of Guinea 0 m ; highest point: Mont Nimba 1,752 m
petroleum, natural gas, diamonds, manganese, iron ore, cobalt, bauxite, copper, gold, nickel, tantalum, silica sand, clay, cocoa beans, coffee, palm oil, hydropower
arable land: 10.23% ; permanent crops: 11.16% ; other: 78.61% (2005)
730 sq km (2003)
81 cu km (2001)
Total: 0.93 cu km/yr (24%/12%/65%) ; Per capita: 51 cu m/yr (2000)
coast has heavy surf and no natural harbors; during the rainy season torrential flooding is possible
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, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling ; signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
most of the inhabitants live along the sandy coastal region; apart from the capital area, the forested interior is sparsely populated
18,013,409 ; 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 and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2007 est.)
0-14 years: 40.6% (male 3,603,386/female 3,711,211) ; 15-64 years: 56.6% (male 5,128,824/female 5,060,027) ; 65 years and over: 2.8% (male 246,130/female 263,831) (2007 est.)
total: 19.3 years ; male: 19.5 years ; female: 19 years (2007 est.)
1.995% (2007 est.)
34.69 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
14.74 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female ; under 15 years: 0.971 male(s)/female ; 15-64 years: 1.014 male(s)/female ; 65 years and over: 0.933 male(s)/female ; total population: 0.994 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
total: 87.41 deaths/1,000 live births ; male: 103.84 deaths/1,000 live births ; female: 70.48 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
total population: 49 years ; male: 46.43 years ; female: 51.66 years (2007 est.)
4.43 children born/woman (2007 est.)
7% (2003 est.)
570,000 (2003 est.)
47,000 (2003 est.)
noun: Ivoirian(s) ; adjective: Ivoirian
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)
Muslim 35-40%, indigenous 25-40%, Christian 20-30% (2001) ; note: the majority of foreigners (migratory workers) are Muslim (70%) and Christian (20%)
French (official), 60 native dialects with Dioula the most widely spoken
definition: age 15 and over can read and write ; total population: 50.9% ; male: 57.9% ; female: 43.6% (2003 est.)
degree of risk: very high ; food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever ; vectorborne diseases: malaria, yellow fever, and others are high risks in some locations ; water contact: schistosomiasis ; note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified among birds in this country or surrounding region; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2007)

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
republic; multiparty presidential regime established 1960 ; note: the government is currently operating under a power-sharing agreement mandated by international mediators
name: Yamoussoukro ; geographic coordinates: 6 49 N, 5 17 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
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

7 August 1960 (from France)
Independence Day, 7 August (1960)
approved by referendum 23 July 2000
based on French civil law system and customary law; judicial review in the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
18 years of age; universal
chief of state: President Laurent GBAGBO (since 26 October 2000) ; head of government: Prime Minister Guillaume SORO (since 4 April 2007) ; cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president; note - under the current power-sharing agreement the prime minister and the president share the authority to appoint ministers ; elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (no term limits); election last held 26 October 2000 (next to be held by October 2007, after the government postponed elections in 2005 and 2006 and the UN Security Council voted to extend its mandate); prime minister appointed by the president (current Prime Minister BANNY was appointed by African Union mediators as part of the existing power-sharing agreement) ; election results: Laurent GBAGBO elected president; percent of vote - Laurent GBAGBO 59.4%, Robert GUEI 32.7%, Francis WODIE 5.7%, other 2.2%
unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (225 seats; members are elected in single- and multi-district elections by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms) ; elections: elections last held 10 December 2000 with by-elections on 14 January 2001 (next to be held by October 2007 after the government postponed the elections in 2005 and 2006) ; election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - FPI 96, PDCI-RDA 94, RDR 5, PIT 4, other 2, independents 22, vacant 2 ; note: a Senate that was scheduled to be created in the October 2006 elections never took place
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
Citizen's Democratic Union or UDCY [Theodore MEL EG]; Democratic Party of Cote d'Ivoire-African Democratic Rally or PDCI-RDA [Henri Konan BEDIE]; Ivorian Popular Front or FPI [Laurent GBAGBO]; Ivorian Worker's Party or PIT [Francis WODIE]; Opposition Movement of the Future or MFA [Anaky KOBENAN]; Rally of the Republicans or RDR [Alassane OUATTARA]; Union for Democracy and Peace in Cote d'Ivoire or UDPCI [Mabri TOIKEUSE]; over 20 smaller parties
Federation of University and High School Students of Cote d'Ivoire or FESCI [Serges KOFFI]; Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace or RHDP [Alphonse DJEDJE MADY]; Young Patriots [Charles BLE GOUDE]
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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
chief of mission: Ambassador Daouda DIABATE ; chancery: 3421 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007 ; telephone: [1] (202) 797-0300 ; FAX: [1] (202) 244-3088
chief of mission: Ambassador Wanda L. NESBITT ; embassy: Riviera Golf 01, Abidjan ; mailing address: B. P. 1712, Abidjan 01 ; telephone: [225] 22 49 40 00 ; FAX: [225] 22 49 43 23





Cote d'Ivoire is among the world's largest producers and exporters of coffee, cocoa beans, and palm oil. Consequently, the economy is highly sensitive to weather conditions and to fluctuations in international prices for these products. Despite government attempts to diversify the economy, it is still heavily dependent on agriculture and related activities, engaging roughly 68% of the population. Growth was negative in 2000-03 because of civil war. Political turmoil has continued to damage the economy since 2004, resulting in the loss of foreign investment. Cocoa remains the economy's dominate sector, but the government remains hopeful that ongoing exploration of Cote d'Ivoire's offshore oil reserves will result in significant production that could boost daily crude output from roughly 58,000 barrels per day (b/d) to more than 200,000 b/d by the end of the decade.
$32.86 billion (2007 est.)
$17.81 billion (2007 est.)
1.4% (2007 est.)
$1,800 (2007 est.)
agriculture: 27.6% ; industry: 22.2% ; services: 50.3% (2007 est.)
6.907 million (68% agricultural) (2007 est.)

13% in urban areas (1998)
37% (1995)
lowest 10%: 2% ; highest 10%: 34% (2002)
44.6 (2002)
1.8% (2007 est.)
8.6% of GDP (2007 est.)
revenues: $3.196 billion ; expenditures: $3.806 billion (2007 est.)
81% of GDP (2007 est.)
coffee, cocoa beans, bananas, palm kernels, corn, rice, manioc (tapioca), sweet potatoes, sugar, cotton, rubber; timber
foodstuffs, beverages; wood products, oil refining, truck and bus assembly, textiles, fertilizer, building materials, electricity, ship construction and repair
1% (2007 est.)
5.305 billion kWh (2005)
fossil fuel: 61.9% ; hydro: 38.1% ; nuclear: 0% ; other: 0% (2001)
2.9 billion kWh (2005)
1.397 billion kWh (2005)
0 kWh (2005)
57,700 bbl/day (2005 est.)
27,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
85,780 bbl/day (2004)
76,730 bbl/day (2004)
100 million bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
1.247 billion cu m (2005 est.)
1.247 billion cu m (2005 est.)
0 cu m (2005 est.)
0 cu m (2005)
27.16 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
$1.056 billion (2007 est.)
$9.681 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
cocoa, coffee, timber, petroleum, cotton, bananas, pineapples, palm oil, fish
France 18.3%, Netherlands 9.7%, US 9.1%, Nigeria 7.2%, Germany 4.2% (2006)
$6.03 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Nigeria 27.6%, France 25.4%, China 4.3% (2006)

$2.5 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
$10.91 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
$NA
$NA
$4.155 billion (2006)
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States
XOF
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 481.83 (2007), 522.89 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003)
calendar year
ODA, $119.1 million (2005 est.)
260,900 (2006)
4.065 million (2006)
general assessment: well developed by African standards; telecommunications sector privatized in late 1990s; mobile cellular usage has increased to 23 per 100 persons; fixed-line connections stand at about 2 per 100 persons ; domestic: open-wire lines and microwave radio relay; 90% digitalized ; 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) (2007)
AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 3 (1998)
2.26 million (1997)
14 (1998)
1.09 million (2000)
.ci
1,373 (2007)
5 (2001)
300,000 (2006)

34 (2007)
total: 7 ; over 3,047 m: 1 ; 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 ; 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 (2007)
total: 27 ; 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8 ; 914 to 1,523 m: 14 ; under 914 m: 5 (2007)

condensate 109 km; gas 240 km; oil 112 km (2006)
total: 660 km ; narrow gauge: 660 km 1.000 meter gauge ; note: an additional 622 km of this railroad extends into Burkina Faso (2006)
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)
980 km (navigable rivers, canals, and numerous coastal lagoons) (2006)

Abidjan, Espoir, San-Pedro

Cote d'Ivoire Defense and Security Forces (FDSC): Army, Navy, Air Force (2006)
18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months (2004)
males age 18-49: 3,696,106 ; females age 18-49: 3,569,967 (2005 est.)
males age 18-49: 1,973,265 ; females age 18-49: 1,911,777 (2005 est.)
males age 18-49: 189,354 ; females age 18-49: 192,600 (2005 est.)
1.6% (2005 est)

despite the presence of over 9,000 UN forces (UNOCI) in Cote d'Ivoire since 2004, ethnic conflict there has displaced hundreds of thousands of Ivorians in and out of the country as well as driven out migrants from neighboring states who worked in Ivorian cocoa plantations; Ivorian rebels reportedly hide along the borders of neighboring states
refugees (country of origin): 39,919 (Liberia) ; IDPs: 750,000 (2002 coup; most IDPs are in western regions) (2006)
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

