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NAVIGATION
Republic of Cote d'Ivoire
Republique de Cote d'Ivoire
former: Ivory Coast
INTRODUCTION
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Background:
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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. Falling cocoa prices and political turmoil, however, sparked an economic downturn in 1999 and 2000. On 25 December 1999, a military coup - the first ever in Cote d'Ivoire's history - overthrew the government led by President Henri Konan BEDIE. Presidential and legislative elections held in October and December 2000 provoked violence due to the exclusion of opposition leader Alassane OUATTARA. In October 2000, Laurent GBAGBO replaced junta leader Robert GUEI as president, ending 10 months of military rule. In October 2001, President GBAGBO initiated a two-month-long National Reconciliation Forum, but its ability to conciliate Ivorians with one another remains unclear. |
GEOGRAPHY
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Location:
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Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Ghana and Liberia |
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Geographic coordinates:
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8 00 N, 5 00 W |
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Map references:
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Africa |
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Area:
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total: 322,460 sq km
water: 4,460 sq km land: 318,000 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly larger than New Mexico |
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Land boundaries:
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total: 3,110 km
border countries: Burkina Faso 584 km, Ghana 668 km, Guinea 610 km, Liberia 716 km, Mali 532 km |
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Coastline:
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515 km |
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Maritime claims:
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continental shelf: 200 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
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Climate:
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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) |
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Terrain:
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mostly flat to undulating plains; mountains in northwest |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Gulf of Guinea 0 m
highest point: Mont Nimba 1,752 m |
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Natural resources:
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petroleum, natural gas, diamonds, manganese, iron ore, cobalt, bauxite, copper, hydropower |
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Land use:
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arable land: 9.28%
permanent crops: 13.84% other: 76.88% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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730 sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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coast has heavy surf and no natural harbors; during the rainy season torrential flooding is possible |
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Environment - current issues:
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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 |
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Environment - international agreements:
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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 |
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Geography - note:
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most of the inhabitants live along the sandy coastal region; apart from the capital area, the forested interior is sparsely populated |
PEOPLE
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Population:
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16,804,784
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 2002 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 46% (male 3,874,651; female 3,847,080)
15-64 years: 51.8% (male 4,468,242; female 4,238,998) 65 years and over: 2.2% (male 185,306; female 190,507) (2002 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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2.45% (2002 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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39.99 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Death rate:
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16.74 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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1.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: after Liberia's civil war started in 1990, more than 350,000 refugees fled to Cote d'Ivoire; by the end of 1999 most Liberian refugees were assumed to have returned (2002 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.97 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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92.23 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 44.72 years
female: 46.03 years (2002 est.) male: 43.45 years |
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Total fertility rate:
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5.61 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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10.76% (1999 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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1 million (2000) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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72,000 (1999 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun: Ivorian(s)
adjective: Ivorian |
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Ethnic groups:
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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 20,000 French) (1998) |
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Religions:
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Christian 20-30%, Muslim 35-40%, indigenous 25-40% (2001)
note: the majority of foreigners (migratory workers) are Muslim (70%) and Christian (20%) |
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Languages:
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French (official), 60 native dialects with Dioula the most widely spoken |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 48.5% male: 57% female: 40% |