Cote d'Ivoire
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The Republic of Cote d'Ivoire, also known commonly as the Ivory Coast, is a country in West Africa. It borders Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Ghana to the west, north, and east, and borders the Gulf of Guinea to its south. One of the most prosperous of the tropical African states, it has been plagued by recent political turmoil.
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| National motto: None | |||||
| Official language | French | ||||
| Capital | Yamoussoukro (official), Abidjan (de facto) | ||||
| Capital's coordinates | 6° 51' N, 5° 18' W | ||||
| Largest City | Abidjan | ||||
| President | Laurent Gbagbo | ||||
| Prime Minister | Seydou Diarra | ||||
| Area - Total - % water | Ranked 67th 322,460 kmē 1.4% | ||||
| Population
- Total (2003) - Density | Ranked 57th
16,962,491 53/kmē | ||||
| Independence
- Declared - Recognised | From France
August 7, 1960 (Year) | ||||
| Currency | CFA franc | ||||
| Time zone | UTC | ||||
| National anthem | L'Abidjanaise (Song of Abidjan) | ||||
| Internet TLD | .CI | ||||
| Calling Code | 225 | ||||
| Table of contents |
|
2 Politics 3 Departements 4 Geography 5 Economy 6 Demographics 7 Culture 8 Miscellaneous topics 9 References |
History
Main article: History of Cote d'Ivoire In the 19th century, Cote d'Ivoire was seized by Louis Gustave Binger, (1856-1936) as a colony for France. It became independent in 1960.
On December 25, 1999, a military coup d'etat - the first ever in Côte d'Ivoire's history - overthrew the government. An economic downturn followed. The new regime promised to return the country to democratic rule in 2000. In October 2000, Laurent Gbagbo replaced junta leader Robert Guei as president, ending ten months of military rule.
In 2002 a rebellion in the North and the West came up and the country is now divided in three parts. A reconciliation process (2003) under international auspices is on the way. Several thousand French and West African troops remain in Cote d'Ivoire to maintain peace and help implement the peace accords.
Politics
Main article: Politics of Cote d'Ivoire The official capital since 1983 is Yamoussoukro; however, Abidjan remains the administrative center. Most countries maintain their embassies in Abidjan.
Departements
Main article: Departements of Cote d'Ivoire Cote d'Ivoire is divided into 58 departements: Abengourou, Abidjan, Aboisso, Adiake, Adzope, Agboville, Agnibilekrou, Alepe, Bocanda, Bangolo, Beoumi, Biankouma, Bondoukou, Bongouanou, Bouafle, Bouake, Bouna, Boundiali, Dabakala, Dabou, Daloa, Danane, Daoukro, Dimbokro, Divo, Duekoue, Ferkessedougou, Gagnoa, Grand-Bassam, Grand-Lahou, Guiglo, Issia, Jacqueville, Katiola, Korhogo, Lakota, Man, Mankono, Mbahiakro, Odienne, Oume, Sakassou, San-Pedro, Sassandra, Seguela, Sinfra, Soubre, Tabou, Tanda, Tiebissou, Tingrela, Tiassale, Touba, Toulepleu, Toumodi, Vavoua, Yamoussoukro, Zuenoula
Geography
Main article: Geography of Cote d'Ivoire Cote d'Ivoire is a country of western Sub-Saharan Africa. It borders Liberia and Guinea in the west, Mali and Burkina Faso in the north, Ghana in the east, and the Gulf of Guinea (Atlantic ocean) in the south.
Economy
Main article: Economy of Cote d'Ivoire Maintaining close ties to France since independence in 1960, diversification of agriculture for export, and encouragement of foreign investment has made Côte d'Ivoire one of the most prosperous of the tropical African states.
Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Cote d'Ivoire About 20% of the population consists of workers from neighboring countries. This fact has created steadily increasing tension in recent years, especially since most of these workers are Muslims while the native-born population is largely Christian, primarily Roman Catholic, and animist.
Culture
Main article: Culture of Cote d'Ivoire
See also: List of writers from Cote d'IvoireMiscellaneous topics
- Communications in Cote d'Ivoire
- Transportation in Cote d'Ivoire
- Military of Cote d'Ivoire
- Foreign relations of Cote d'Ivoire
References
- Much of the material in these articles comes from the CIA World Factbook 2000 and the 2003 U.S. Department of State website.
| Africa |
| Algeria | Angola | Benin | Botswana | Burkina Faso | Burundi | Cameroon | Cape Verde | Central African Republic | Chad | Comoros | Democratic Republic of the Congo | Republic of the Congo | Cote d'Ivoire | Djibouti | Egypt | Equatorial Guinea | Eritrea | Ethiopia | Gabon | The Gambia | Ghana | Guinea | Guinea-Bissau | Kenya | Lesotho | Liberia | Libya | Madagascar | Malawi | Mali | Mauritania | Mauritius | Morocco | Mozambique | Namibia | Niger | Nigeria | Rwanda | Sao Tome and Principe | Senegal | Seychelles | Sierra Leone | Somalia | South Africa | Sudan | Swaziland | Tanzania | Togo | Tunisia | Uganda | Zambia | Zimbabwe |
| Other areas |
| Canary Islands | Ceuta, Melilla, and other Spanish possessions | Madeira Islands | Mayotte | Reunion | Saint Helena | Western Sahara |