The 1996 CIA World Factbook page on Cote d'Ivoire

From: The CIA'sTHE WORLD FACTBOOK 1996

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Cote d'Ivoire

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(also known as Ivory Coast)

Map

Location: 8 00 N, 5 00 W -- Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Ghana and Liberia

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Flag

Description: 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

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Geography

Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Ghana and Liberia
Geographic coordinates: 8 00 N, 5 00 W
Map references: Africa
Area:
total area: 322,460 sq km
land area: 318,000 sq km
comparative area: slightly larger than New Mexico
Land boundaries:
total: 3,110 km
border countries: Burkina Faso 584 km, Ghana 668 km, Guinea 610 km, Liberia 716 km, Mali 532 km
Coastline: 515 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: none
Climate: 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)
Terrain: mostly flat to undulating plains; mountains in northwest
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Nimba 1,752 m
Natural resources: petroleum, diamonds, manganese, iron ore, cobalt, bauxite, copper
Land use:
arable land: 9%
permanent crops: 4%
meadows and pastures: 9%
forest and woodland: 26%
other: 52%
Irrigated land: 620 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues: deforestation (most of the country's forests - once the largest in West Africa - have been cleared by the timber industry); water pollution from sewage and industrial and agricultural effluents
natural hazards: coast has heavy surf and no natural harbors; during the rainy season torrential flooding is possible
international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83; signed, but not ratified - Desertification

People

Population: 14,762,445 (July 1996 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 48% (male 3,552,270; female 3,462,462)
15-64 years: 50% (male 3,828,538; female 3,599,920)
65 years and over: 2% (male 164,358; female 154,897) (July 1996 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.92% (1996 est.)
Birth rate: 42.48 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Death rate: 15.7 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Net migration rate: 2.43 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
note: since 1989, over 350,000 refugees have fled to Cote d'Ivoire to escape the civil war in Liberia
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.06 male(s)/female
all ages: 1.04 male(s)/female (1996 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 82.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 46.73 years
male: 46.23 years
female: 47.25 years (1996 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.15 children born/woman (1996 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Ivorian(s)
adjective: Ivorian
Ethnic divisions: Baoule 23%, Bete 18%, Senoufou 15%, Malinke 11%, Agni, foreign Africans (mostly Burkinabe and Malians, about 3 million), non-Africans 130,000 to 330,000 (French 30,000 and Lebanese 100,000 to 300,000)
Religions: indigenous 25%, Muslim 60%, Christian 12%
Languages: French (official), 60 native dialects with Dioula the most widely spoken
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1995 est.)
total population: 40.1%
male: 49.9%
female: 30%

Government

Name of country:
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
Data code: IV
Type of government: republic; multiparty presidential regime established 1960
Capital: Yamoussoukro
note: although Yamoussoukro has been the capital since 1983, Abidjan remains the administrative center; foreign governments, including the US, maintain official presences in Abidjan
Administrative divisions: 50 departments (departements, singular - departement); Abengourou, Abidjan, Aboisso, Adzope, Agboville, Agnibilekrou, Bangolo, Beoumi, Biankouma, Bondoukou, Bongouanou, Bouafle, Bouake, Bouna, Boundiali, Dabakala, Daloa, Danane, Daoukro, Dimbokro, Divo, Duekoue, Ferkessedougou, Gagnoa, Grand-Lahou, Guiglo, Issia, Katiola, Korhogo, Lakota, Man, Mankono, Mbahiakro, Odienne, Oume, Sakassou, San-Pedro, Sassandra, Seguela, Sinfra, Soubre, Tabou, Tanda, Tingrela, Tiassale, Touba, Toumodi, Vavoua, Yamoussoukro, Zuenoula
Independence: 7 August 1960 (from France)
National holiday: National Day, 7 August
Constitution: 3 November 1960; has been amended numerous times, last time November 1990
Legal system: 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
Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Henri Konan BEDIE (since 7 December 1993) served the remainder of the term of former President Felix HOUPHOUET-BOIGNY, who died in office after continuous service from November 1960; President BEDIE was elected with 96% of the vote at the last election on 22 October 1995 (next election October 2000); the president is elected for a five-year term by popular vote
head of government: Prime Minister Daniel Kablan DUNCAN (since 10 December 1993), appointed by the president
cabinet: Council of Ministers, appointed by the prime minister
Legislative branch: unicameral
National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale): elections last held 27 November 1995 (next to be held November 2000); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (175 total) PDCI 147, RDR 14, FPI 10, unfilled 4; note - of the unfilled seats, elections for 3 were postponed because of violence in the electoral districts and 1 seat remains contested
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)
Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party of the Cote d'Ivoire (PDCI), Henri Konan BEDIE; Rally of the Republicans (RDR), Djeny KOBINA; Ivorian Popular Front (FPI), Laurent GBAGBO; Ivorian Worker's Party (PIT), Francis WODIE; Ivorian Socialist Party (PSI), Morifere BAMBA; over 20 smaller parties
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UPU, WADB, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Moise KOUMOUE-KOFFI
chancery: 2424 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 797-0300
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Lannon WALKER
embassy: 5 Rue Jesse Owens, Abidjan
mailing address: 01 B. P. 1712, Abidjan
telephone: [225] 21 09 79
FAX: [225] 22 32 59
Flag: 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

Economy

Economic overview: Cote d'Ivoire is among the world's largest producers and exporters of coffee, cocoa beans, and palm-kernel oil. Consequently, the economy is highly sensitive to fluctuations in international prices for coffee and cocoa and to weather conditions. Despite attempts by the government to diversify, the economy is still largely dependent on agriculture and related industries. After several years of lagging performance, the Ivorian economy began a comeback in 1994, due to improved prices for cocoa and coffee, growth in nontraditional primary exports such as pineapples and rubber, trade and banking liberalization, offshore oil and gas discoveries, and generous external financing and debt rescheduling by multilateral lenders and France. The 50% devaluation of Franc Zone currencies on 12 January 1994 caused a one-time jump in the inflation rate to 32% for 1994, but this rate fell to perhaps 10% in 1995, in part as the economy adjusted to the devaluation. Moreover, government adherence to donor-mandated reforms led to a budget surplus in 1994. Real growth of GDP in 1994 was 1.7%, a significant improvement following several years of negative growth. In 1995 growth picked up to 5%.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $21.9 billion (1995 est.)
GDP real growth rate: 5% (1995 est.)
GDP per capita: $1,500 (1995 est.)
GDP composition by sector:
agriculture: 37%
industry: 24%
services: 39% (1993)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 10% (1995 est.)
Labor force: 5.718 million
by occupation: over 85% of population engaged in agriculture, forestry, livestock raising; about 11% of labor force are wage earners, nearly half in agriculture and the remainder in government, industry, commerce, and professions
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $1.9 billion
expenditures: $3.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $408 million (1993)
Industries: foodstuffs, beverages; wood products, oil refining, automobile assembly, textiles, fertilizer, construction materials, electricity
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity:
capacity: 1,170,000 kW
production: 1.8 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 123 kWh (1993)
Agriculture: coffee, cocoa beans, bananas, palm kernels, corn, rice, manioc, sweet potatoes, sugar; cotton, rubber; timber
Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis; mostly for local consumption; some international drug trade; transshipment point for Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin to Europe and occasionally to the US
Exports: $2.9 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)
commodities: cocoa 55%, coffee 12%, tropical woods 11%, petroleum, cotton, bananas, pineapples, palm oil, cotton, fish
partners: France, Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Burkina Faso, US, UK
Imports: $1.6 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)
commodities: food, capital goods, consumer goods, fuel
partners: France, Nigeria, Japan, Netherlands, US, Italy
External debt: $19 billion (1993)
Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $552 million (1993)
Currency: 1 Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: CFA francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 500.56 (January 1996), 499.15 (1995), 555.20 (1994), 283.16 (1993), 264.69 (1992), 282.11 (1991)
note: beginning 12 January 1994, the CFA franc was devalued to CFAF 100 per French franc from CFAF 50 at which it had been fixed since 1948
Fiscal year: calendar year

Transportation

Railways:
total: 660 km (1995 est.)
narrow gauge: 660 km 1.000-meter gauge; 25 km double track
Highways:
total: 46,331 km
paved: 3,579 km
unpaved: 42,752 km (1984 est.)
Waterways: 980 km navigable rivers, canals, and numerous coastal lagoons
Ports: Abidjan, Aboisso, Dabou, San-Pedro
Merchant marine:
total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 27,726 GRT/34,711 DWT
ships by type: container 2, oil tanker 1 (1995 est.)
Airports:
total: 35
with paved runways over 3 047 m: 1
with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m: 2
with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 4
with paved runways under 914 m: 10
with unpaved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 6
with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 12 (1995 est.)

Communications

Telephones: 87,700 (1987 est.)
Telephone system: well-developed by African standards but operating well below capacity
domestic: open-wire lines and microwave radio relay
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean); 2 coaxial submarine cables
Radio broadcast stations: AM 71, FM 0, shortwave 13
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 18
Televisions: 810,000 (1993 est.)

Defense

Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary Gendarmerie, Presidential Guard
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49: 3,386,638
males fit for military service: 1,762,412
males reach military age (18) annually: 157,712 (1996 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $140 million, 1.4% of GDP (1993)

Cote d'Ivoire

Original publicaton at http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/nsolo/wfb-all.htm (June 17, 1997).