|
General
Information
|
Total Land Area: |
318,000 km2 |
|
Land boundaries: |
3,110 km |
|
Coastline: |
515 km |
|
Capital: |
Yamoussoukro |
|
Other Large
Cities: |
Abidjan, Bouake,
Daloa |
|
Official
Language: |
French |
|
National
Currency Unit: |
Communauté
Financière
Africaine Franc
(XOF) |
|
National Day: |
7 August |
Location and
Geography
Côte d’Ivoire is
located on the coast
of West Africa. It
is bounded by
Liberia and Guinea
on the South-west,
by Mali and Burkina
Faso on the North,
by Ghana on the
East, and by the
Atlantic Ocean on
the South. Lying
close to the
Equator, Côte
d’Ivoire is tropical
both in surface
features and
climate. The
Northern half of the
country consists of
high savannah. Most
of the Western
border is shaped by
mountain ranges
culminating in Mount
Nimba. It has four
natural regions; the
coastal fringe, the
equatorial forest
zone, the cultivated
forest, and the
Northern savannah
and four main
rivers; Comoe,
Bandaman, Sassandra
and Cavally. The
middle of the
country has suffered
deforestation in
favour of coffee and
cocoa plants. Côte
d’Ivoire is a
transitional zone
between the moist
equatorial climate
and the dry tropical
climate.
Demography
|
Population:
|
16.94 million
(2002) |
|
Crude Birth
Rate:
|
37 per thousand
people (2002) |
|
Crude Death
Rate:
|
17 per thousand
people (2002) |
|
Infant Mortality
Rate:
|
116 per thousand
(2002) |
|
Life Expectancy:
|
Male: 45 years,
Female: 46 years
(2002) |
|
Urban
Population:
|
44.0 percent
(2002) |
|
Adult Literacy:
|
49.60 percent
(2001) |
Economy
Agriculture forms
the backbone of Côte
d’Ivoire’s economy.
The geographic
location of the
country gives it a
wonderful climatic
diversity leading to
a variety of lands
and vegetation
zones. The main
products are cocoa,
coffee, sugar, rice,
tobacco, shea, nut,
cotton and rubber.
Primary industries
include textiles,
leather, sugar,
footwear, palm oil,
and cocoa. The food
industry sector is
mainly based on
flour milling, cocoa
and coffee
processing, and
canning. Côte
d’Ivoire is among
the world’s largest
producers and
exporters of coffee,
cocoa beans and palm
oil. Natural
resources of the
country are
petroleum, diamonds,
manganese, iron ore,
cobalt, bauxite,
copper and
hydropower.
|
GDP at Current
Market Prices:
|
11717 million
US$ (2002) |
|
Per Capita GDP:
|
692 US$ (2002) |
|
Share of Sectors
in GDP:
|
26.0%
Agriculture,
20.0% Industry,
54.0% Services,
(2002) |
|
Total Exports:
|
4761 million US$
(2002) |
|
Total Imports:
|
3056 million US$
(2002) |
|
Major Exports
Items: |
Cocoa, coffee,
tropical woods,
petroleum,
cotton and
bananas |
|
Major Imports
Items: |
Food, consumer
goods, capital
goods, fuel and
transportation
equipment |
|
Major Trading
Partners: |
France, Togo,
Singapore,
Netherlands and
China
|
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