Ivory Coast

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Ivory Coast's Information


Capital	Yamoussoukro
Languages	French (official), 60 native dialects of which Dioula is the most widely spoken
Ethnic Groups	Akan 28.8%, Voltaique or Gur 16.1%, Northern Mande 14.5%, Kru 8.5%, Southern Mande 6.9%, unspecified 0.9%, non-Ivoirian 42.3% (2014 est.)
Religion	Muslim 42.9%, Catholic 17.2%, Evangelical 11.8%, Methodist 1.7%, other Christian 3.2%, animist 3.6%, other religion 0.5%, none 19.1%
Government	Presidential republic
Independance	7 August 1960 (from France)
Area	322,463.00 km²
Water Area	4,460.00 km²
Land Area	318,003.00 km²
Population	23,740,424.00
Location	Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Ghana and Liberia
No. Bordering Countries	5
Bordering Countries	Burkina Faso 545 km, Ghana 720 km, Guinea 816 km, Liberia 778 km, Mali 599 km
GDP(PPP)	$87,120,000,000.00 (USD)
GDP (Per Capita)	$3,600.00 (USD)
Export Partners	Its major export partners are the United States, the Netherlands, France, and Germany.
Export Commodities	Its main exports are cocoa, coffee, timber, petroleum, cotton, bananas, and pineapples.
Import Partners	Its major import partners are Nigeria, China, France, and the Bahamas.
Import Commodities	Its major imports include fuel, capital equipment, and foodstuffs.
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

Where is Ivory Coast?

Located in Western Africa, Ivory Coast has a 3,458.00 km border with Burkina Faso (545 km), Ghana (720 km), Guinea (816 km), Liberia (778 km) and Mali (599 km). It has a 515.00 km coastline. There is a dispute concerning the maritime border between Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana.

Yamoussoukro is the political and administrative capital city of Ivory Coast while Abidjan is considered the “economic” capital. It is located on South Central Ivory Coast. It was not until 1983 when Yamoussoukro was designated as the capital city of Ivory Coast. Before 1983, Abidjan served the capital. The city is not very populous; in fact, it is ranked fourth most populous city in Ivory Coast. As per the 2014 census in the country, the district has a population of approximately 355,000 inhabitants of which over 250,000 people live in within the city. The city is considered quiet with not so many activities going on along the street streets.

Geography

Ivory Coast has a mean elevation of 250 m above sea level.

It has a tropical climate along the coast, and a semiarid climate in the north of the country. Its terrain is mostly flat with some mountains in the northwest.

Population

Ivory Coast has a population of 23,740,424 making it the 54th largest in the world.

French is the official language. The major ethnic groups are Akan, Voltaique or Gur, and Northern Mande. The majority of the population is Muslim, with big Protestant and Catholic minorities.

The official and the national language of Ivory Coast is French. French is an Indo-European and Romantic language. The French alphabet has 26 letters. It uses the Latin Script in writing. French was introduced into Ivory Coast during the colonial era. Approximately 10 million people out of approximately 24 million living in Ivory Coast can comfortably sustain a conversation in the French language.

Government

Ivory Coast is an independent country. It gained independent from France in 1960. Its constitution was last ratified in 2016.

Ivory Coast is a representative parliamentary democratic republic. It has a multi-party system with the president as the head of both the government and state. The parliament of the country is bi-cameral. It was initially unicameral until a constitutional referendum that upgraded it into a bicameral was passed in 2016. The National Assembly is the lower house whereas the Senate, which will be established during the next general elections will be the upper house of the parliament. The official residence of the president is referred to as the Presidential Palace. The elections in Ivory Coast are held after every five years with the several political parties competing for the available seats in the national assembly. The National Assembly constitutes of 225 members who are elected to represent constituencies

Economy

Factoring in Purchasing Power Parity, Ivory Coast's GDP is $87,120,000,000.00 (USD) with $3,600.00 (USD) per capita. This makes it the 87th largest economy and its citizens the 174th richest in the world. The currency of Ivory Coast is the Franc (XOF).

Its major export partners are the United States, the Netherlands, France, and Germany. Its main exports are cocoa, coffee, timber, petroleum, cotton, bananas, and pineapples. Its major import partners are Nigeria, China, France, and the Bahamas. Its major imports include fuel, capital equipment, and foodstuffs.

Flag

The Ivorian flag is a basic tricolor flag consisting of three equal vertical bands of orange, white, and green from the hoist to fly side respectively. The flag is modeled from the French tricolored flag, its former colonial power. The flag of Ivory Coast resembles the Irish flag, especially when hoisted on the reverse since the two flags both have orange, white, and green colors, except that the Irish flag is longer. The orange color on the Ivorian flag symbolizes the land, fertility, and the savannah which is in the northern part of the country. The white color symbolizes peace while the green color signifies the hope and forest cover on the southern part of the country. The Ivorian flag was adopted on December 3, 1959, following the referendum of the French Fifth Republic in 1958. The flag was retained without any alteration upon the country attaining independence on August 7, 1960. The Ivorian Flag is the first and the only flag the country has had. The tricolor French flag was mainly hoisted during colonization.