Cote d'Ivoire

Radio broadcast stations

AM 71, FM 0, shortwave 13

Radios

NA

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

Telephones

87,700 (1987 est.)

Television broadcast stations

18

Televisions

810,000 (1993 est.)

Agriculture - products

coffee, cocoa beans, bananas, palm kernels, corn, rice, manioc (tapioca), sweet potatoes, sugar; cotton, rubber; timber

Budget

revenues: $1.9 billion expenditures: $3.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $408 million (1993)

Currency

1 Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes

Debt - external

$16.7 billion (1994)

Economic aid

recipient: ODA, $552 million (1993)

Economy - 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, it is still largely dependent on agriculture and related activities, which engage roughly 85% of the population. 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, limited 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 8% by 1996, in part as the economy adjusted to the devaluation. Moreover, government adherence to donor-mandated reforms led to a jump in growth rates - 6.5% in GDP in 1996.

Electricity - capacity

1.17 million kW (1994)

Electricity - consumption per capita

118 kWh (1995 est.)

Electricity - production

1.86 billion kWh (1994)

Exchange rates

CFA francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 541.69 (January 1997), 511.55 (1996), 499.15 (1995), 555.20 (1994), 283.16 (1993), 264.69 (1992) 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

Exports

total value: $3.7 billion (f.o.b., 1995) commodities: cocoa 36%, coffee 22%; tropical woods 4%, petroleum, cotton, bananas, pineapples, palm oil, cotton, fish partners : France 18%, Germany 11%, Italy 8%, Burkina Faso, Mali, US, UK, Netherlands

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $23.9 billion (1996 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 31% industry: 20% services : 49% (1994 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $1,620 (1996 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

6.5% (1996 est.)

Imports

total value : $2.4 billion (f.o.b., 1995) commodities: food, consumer goods; capital goods, fuel, transport equipment partners: France 32%, Nigeria 20%, US 6.7%, Germany, Italy, Ghana

Industrial production growth rate

9% (first half of 1996)

Industries

foodstuffs, beverages; wood products, oil refining, automobile assembly, textiles, fertilizer, construction materials, electricity

Inflation rate - consumer price index

8% (1996 est.)

Labor force

NA

Unemployment rate

NA%

Area

total: 322,460 sq km land: 318,000 sq km water: 4,460 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly larger than New Mexico

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)

Coastline

515 km

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Gulf of Guinea 0 m highest point: Mont Nimba 1,752 m

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

Environment - 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, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Desertification

Geographic coordinates

8 00 N, 5 00 W

Irrigated land

680 sq km (1993 est.)

Land boundaries

total: 3,110 km border countries : Burkina Faso 584 km, Ghana 668 km, Guinea 610 km, Liberia 716 km, Mali 532 km

Land use

arable land: 8% permanent crops : 4% permanent pastures: 41% forests and woodland: 22% other: 25% (1993 est.)

Location

Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Ghana and Liberia

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

continental shelf: 200 nm exclusive economic zone : 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural hazards

coast has heavy surf and no natural harbors; during the rainy season torrential flooding is possible

Natural resources

petroleum, diamonds, manganese, iron ore, cobalt, bauxite, copper

Terrain

mostly flat to undulating plains; mountains in northwest

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

Constitution

3 November 1960; has been amended numerous times, last time November 1990

Country name

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

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Lannon WALKER embassy : 5 Rue Jesse Owens, Abidjan mailing address: 01 B. P. 1712, Abidjan telephone: [225] 21 09 79

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission : Ambassador Koffi Moise KOUMOUE-KOFFI chancery: 2424 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 797-0300

Executive branch

chief of state: President Henri Konan BEDIE (since 7 December 1993); note - succeeded to the presidency following the death of President Felix HOUPHOUET-BOIGNY, who had served continuously since November 1960 head of government: Prime Minister Daniel Kablan DUNCAN (since 10 December 1993) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 22 October 1995 (next to be held October 2000); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Henri Konan BEDIE elected president; percent of vote - Henri Konan BEDIE 96%

FAX

[225] 22 32 59

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

Government type

republic; multiparty presidential regime established 1960

Independence

7 August 1960 (from France)

International organization participation

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Judicial branch

Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)

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

Legislative branch

unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (175 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: elections last held 27 November 1995 (next to be held November 2000) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PDCI 150, RDR 13, FPI 12

National 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

National holiday

National Day, 7 August

Political parties and leaders

Democratic Party of the Cote d'Ivoire or PDCI [Henri Konan BEDIE]; Rally of the Republicans or RDR [Djeny KOBINA]; Ivorian Popular Front or FPI [Laurent GBAGBO]; Ivorian Worker's Party or PIT [Francis WODIE]; Ivorian Socialist Party or PSI [Morifere BAMBA]; over 20 smaller parties

Suffrage

21 years of age; universal

Military branches

Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary Gendarmerie, Presidential Guard

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$140 million (1993)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

1.4% (1993)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 3,478,429 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males: 1,811,508 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - military age

18 years of age

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males: 164,364 (1997 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years : 47% (male 3,537,190; female 3,496,749) 15-64 years: 51% (male 3,927,687; female 3,700,468) 65 years and over: 2% (male 165,544; female 158,580) (July 1997 est.)

Birth rate

42.43 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate

17.11 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Ethnic groups

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)

Infant mortality rate

99.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Languages

French (official), 60 native dialects with Dioula the most widely spoken

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 44.81 years male : 43.63 years female: 46.03 years (1997 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 40.1% male: 49.9% female: 30% (1995 est.)

Nationality

noun: Ivorian(s) adjective: Ivorian

Net migration rate

-1.85 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.) note : since 1989, over 350,000 refugees have fled to Cote d'Ivoire to escape the civil war in Liberia

Population

14,986,218 (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate

2.35% (1997 est.)

Religions

indigenous 25%, Muslim 60%, Christian 12%

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years : 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.04 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate

6.06 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Disputes - international

none

Illicit drugs

illicit producer of cannabis, mostly for local consumption; minor transshipment point for Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin to Europe and occasionally to the US CROATIA

Airports

34 (1996 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 17 over 3,047 m : 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 under 914 m: 10 (1996 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total : 17 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 11 (1996 est.)

Highways

total: 46,331 km paved: 3,579 km unpaved : 42,752 km (1984 est.)

Merchant marine

total : 1 oil tanker (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,200 GRT/2,181 DWT (1996 est.)

Ports and harbors

Abidjan, Aboisso, Dabou, San-Pedro

Railways

total : 660 km narrow gauge: 660 km 1.000-meter gauge; 25 km double track (1995 est.)

Waterways

980 km navigable rivers, canals, and numerous coastal lagoons