IVORY COAST (also known as Cote d'Ivoire) GEOGRAPHY Total area: 322,460 km2; land area: 318,000 km2 Comparative area: slightly larger than New Mexico Land boundaries: 3,110 km total; Burkina 584 km, Ghana 668 km, Guinea 610 km, Liberia 716 km, Mali 532 km Coastline: 515 km Maritime claims: Continental shelf: 200 m (depth); Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm 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 Natural resources: crude oil, 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%; includes irrigated NEGL% Environment: coast has heavy surf and no natural harbors; severe deforestation PEOPLE Population: 12,977,909 (July 1991), growth rate 3.9% (1991) Birth rate: 48 births/1,000 population (1991) Death rate: 12 deaths/1,000 population (1991) Net migration rate: 4 migrants/1,000 population (1991) Infant mortality rate: 97 deaths/1,000 live births (1991) Life expectancy at birth: 52 years male, 56 years female (1991) Total fertility rate: 6.8 children born/woman (1991) Nationality: noun--Ivorian(s); adjective--Ivorian Ethnic divisions: over 60 ethnic groups; most important are the Baoule 23%, Bete 18%, Senoufou 15%, Malinke 11%, and Agni; foreign Africans, mostly Burkinabe about 2 million; non-Africans about 130,000 to 330,000 (French 30,000 and Lebanese 100,000 to 300,000) Religion: indigenous 63%, Muslim 25%, Christian 12%, Language: French (official), over 60 native dialects; Dioula most widely spoken Literacy: 54% (male 67%, female 40%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.) Labor force: 5,718,000; 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; 54% of population of working age (1985) Organized labor: 20% of wage labor force GOVERNMENT Long-form name: Republic of the Ivory Coast; note--the local official name is Republique de Cote d'Ivoire Type: republic; multiparty presidential regime established 1960 Capital: Abidjan (capital city changed to Yamoussoukro in March 1983 but not recognized by US) Administrative divisions: 49 departments (departements, singular--(departement); Abengourou, Abidjan, Aboisso, Adzope, Agboville, 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, Tengrela, Tiassale, Touba, Toumodi, Vavoua, Yamoussoukro, Zuenoula Independence: 7 August 1960 (from France) Constitution: 3 November 1960 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 National holiday: National Day, 7 December Executive branch: president, Council of Ministers (cabinet) Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale) Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme) Leaders: Chief of State and Head of Government--President Dr. Felix HOUPHOUET-BOIGNY (since 27 November 1960); Prime Minister Allassane OUATTARE (since 7 November 1990) Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party of the Ivory Coast (PDCI), Dr. Felix HOUPHOUET-BOIGNY; Ivorian Popular Front (FPI), Laurent GBAGBO; Ivorian Worker's Party (PIT), Francis WODIE; Ivorian Socialist Party (PSI), Morifere BAMBA; over 20 smaller parties Suffrage: universal at age 21 Elections: President--last held 28 October 1990 (next to be held October 1995); results--President Felix HOUPHOUET-BOIGNY received 81% of the vote in his first contested election; he is currently serving his seventh consecutive five-year term; National Assembly--last held 25 November 1990 (next to be held November 1995); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(175 total) PDCI 163, FPI 9, PIT 1, independents 2 Communists: no Communist party; possibly some sympathizers Member of: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEAO, ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-24, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Charles GOMIS; Chancery at 2424 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 797-0300; US--Ambassador Kenneth L. BROWN; Embassy at 5 Rue Jesse Owens, Abidjan (mailing address is 01 B. P. 1712, Abidjan); telephone 225 21-09-79 or 21-46-72 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 Overview: Ivory Coast 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. The agricultural sector accounts for over one-third of GDP and about 80% of export earnings and employs about 85% of the labor force. A collapse of world cocoa and coffee prices in 1986 threw the economy into a recession, from which the country had not recovered by 1990. GDP: $10 billion, per capita $800; real growth rate - 2.9% (1990) Inflation rate (consumer prices): -0.8% (1990 est.) Unemployment rate: 14% (1985) Budget: revenues $2.8 billion (1989 est.); expenditures $4.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1989 est.) Exports: $2.5 billion (f.o.b., 1989); commodities--cocoa 30%, coffee 20%, tropical woods 11%, cotton, bananas, pineapples, palm oil, cotton; partners--France, FRG, Netherlands, US, Belgium, Spain (1985) Imports: $1.4 billion (f.o.b., 1989); commodities--manufactured goods and semifinished products 50%, consumer goods 40%, raw materials and fuels 10%; partners--France, other EC, Nigeria, US, Japan (1985) External debt: $15.0 billion (1990 est.) Industrial production: growth rate - 6% (1989); accounts for 17% of GDP Electricity: 1,081,000 kW capacity; 2,440 million kWh produced, 210 kWh per capita (1989) Industries: foodstuffs, wood processing, oil refinery, automobile assembly, textiles, fertilizer, beverage Agriculture: most important sector, contributing one-third to GDP and 80% to exports; cash crops include coffee, cocoa beans, timber, bananas, palm kernels, rubber; food crops--corn, rice, manioc, sweet potatoes; not self-sufficient in bread grain and dairy products Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis on a small scale for the international drug trade Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $356 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $4.9 billion Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (plural--francs); 1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1--256.54 (January 1991), 272.26 (1990), 319.01 (1989), 297.85 (1988), 300.54 (1987), 346.30 (1986), 449.26 (1985) Fiscal year: calendar year COMMUNICATIONS Railroads: 660 km (Burkina border to Abidjan, 1.00-meter gauge, single track, except 25 km Abidjan-Anyama section is double track) Highways: 46,600 km total; 3,600 km bituminous and bituminous-treated surface; 32,000 km gravel, crushed stone, laterite, and improved earth; 11,000 km unimproved Inland waterways: 980 km navigable rivers, canals, and numerous coastal lagoons Ports: Abidjan, San-Pedro Merchant marine: 7 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 71,945 GRT/ 90,684 DWT; includes 5 cargo, 1 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 chemical tanker Civil air: 12 major transport aircraft, including multinationally owned Air Afrique fleet Airports: 48 total, 41 usable; 7 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 16 with runways 1,220-2,439 m Telecommunications: system above African average; consists of open-wire lines and radio relay links; 87,700 telephones; stations--3 AM, 17 FM, 11 TV; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations; 2 coaxial submarine cables DEFENSE FORCES Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary Gendarmerie, Presidential Guard Manpower availability: males 15-49, 2,981,269; 1,543,412 fit for military service; 145,693 males reach military age (18) annually Defense expenditures: $199 million, 2.3% of GDP (1988)