Cote d
Introduction:
Close ties to France since independence in 1960, the
development of cocoa production for export, and foreign investment made
Cote d'Ivoire one of the most prosperous of the tropical African states,
but did not protect it from political turmoil. In December 1999, a
military coup - the first ever in Cote d'Ivoire's history - overthrew
the government. Junta leader Robert GUEI blatantly rigged elections held
in late 2000 and declared himself the winner. Popular protest forced him
to step aside and brought runner-up Laurent GBAGBO into power. Ivorian
dissidents and disaffected members of the military launched a failed
coup attempt in September 2002. Rebel forces claimed the northern half
of the country, and in January 2003 were granted ministerial positions
in a unity government under the auspices of the Linas-Marcoussis Peace
Accord. President GBAGBO and rebel forces resumed implementation of the
peace accord in December 2003 after a three-month stalemate, but issues
that sparked the civil war, such as land reform and grounds for
citizenship, remain unresolved. The central government has yet to exert
control over the northern regions and tensions remain high between
GBAGBO and opposition leaders. Several thousand French and West African
troops remain in Cote d'Ivoire to maintain peace and facilitate the
disarmament, demobilization, and rehabilitation process. |
Official name: |
Republic of Cote d'Ivoire
|
Capital: |
name: Yamoussoukro
geographic coordinates: 6 49 N, 5 17 W
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
note: although Yamoussoukro has been the official capital since
1983, Abidjan remains the commercial and administrat |
Government type: |
republic; multiparty presidential regime
established 1960
note: the government is currently operating under a
power-sharing agreement mandated by international mediators |
Population: |
18,013,409
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account
the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in
lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates,
lower population and growth rates, and changes in the
distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise
be expected (July 2007 est.) |
Languages: |
French (official), 60 native dialects with
Dioula the most widely spoken |
Official Currency: |
CFA Franc BCEAO (XOF)
Current CFA Franc BCEAO Exchange Rates
Historical CFA Franc BCEAO Exchange Rates
Chart CFA Franc BCEAO Exchange Rates |
Currency code: |
XOF |
Area: |
total: 322,460 sq km
land: 318,000 sq km
water: 4,460 sq km |
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 Octob |
|
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: 322,460 sq km
land: 318,000 sq km
water: 4,460 sq km |
Area - comparative: |
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: |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 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 |
Elevation extremes: |
lowest point: Gulf of Guinea 0 m
highest point: Mont Nimba 1,752 m |
Natural resources: |
petroleum, natural gas,
diamonds, manganese, iron ore, cobalt, bauxite, copper, gold,
nickel, tantalum, silica sand, clay, cocoa beans, coffee, palm
oil, hydropower |
Land use: |
arable land: 10.23%
permanent crops: 11.16%
other: 78.61% (2005) |
Irrigated land: |
730 sq km (2003) |
Natural hazards: |
coast has heavy surf and no
natural harbors; during the rainy season torrential flooding is
possible |
Environment - current issues: |
deforestation (most of the
country's forests - once the largest in West Africa - have been
heavily logged); water pollution from sewage and industrial and
agricultural effluents |
Environment - international agreements: |
party to: Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes,
Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands,
Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Geography - note: |
most of the inhabitants live
along the sandy coastal region; apart from the capital area, the
forested interior is sparsely populated |
|
YAMOUSSOUKRO 6 90 N, 5 35 W, 698 feet (213 meters) above sea level.
|
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
|
Avg.
Temperature |
|
80 |
83 |
83 |
82 |
81 |
79 |
77 |
77 |
78 |
78 |
79 |
78 |
|
Avg.
Max Temperature |
|
94 |
96 |
95 |
93 |
92 |
88 |
86 |
86 |
87 |
89 |
91 |
90 |
|
Avg.
Min Temperature |
|
64 |
68 |
71 |
71 |
70 |
69 |
68 |
68 |
69 |
68 |
66 |
64 |
|
Avg.
Rain Days |
|
0 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
|
Avg.
Snow Days |
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
ABIDJAN 5 25 N, 3 93 W, 26 feet (8 meters) above sea level.
|
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
|
Avg. Temperature |
|
80 |
82 |
83 |
82 |
82 |
80 |
77 |
76 |
76 |
79 |
81 |
81 |
|
Avg. Max
Temperature |
|
88 |
90 |
90 |
89 |
88 |
85 |
83 |
81 |
83 |
85 |
89 |
88 |
|
Avg. Min
Temperature |
|
74 |
76 |
77 |
77 |
76 |
75 |
73 |
72 |
73 |
75 |
76 |
75 |
|
Avg. Rain Days |
|
1 |
1 |
4 |
6 |
9 |
10 |
8 |
7 |
5 |
7 |
7 |
3 |
|
Avg. Snow Days |
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
DALOA 6 86 N, 6 46 W, 908 feet (277 meters) above sea level.
|
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
|
Avg. Temperature |
|
79 |
82 |
82 |
81 |
80 |
79 |
77 |
76 |
77 |
78 |
79 |
78 |
|
Avg. Max
Temperature |
|
92 |
94 |
94 |
91 |
89 |
87 |
84 |
84 |
86 |
88 |
89 |
88 |
|
Avg. Min
Temperature |
|
69 |
70 |
72 |
72 |
71 |
70 |
70 |
70 |
71 |
71 |
70 |
69 |
|
Avg. Rain Days |
|
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
7 |
7 |
5 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
|
Avg. Snow Days |
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
ODIENNE 9 50 N, 7 56 W, 1381 feet (421 meters) above sea level.
|
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
|
Avg. Temperature |
|
79 |
81 |
85 |
84 |
83 |
79 |
77 |
77 |
77 |
78 |
78 |
76 |
|
Avg. Max
Temperature |
|
93 |
95 |
98 |
95 |
93 |
88 |
86 |
85 |
86 |
88 |
91 |
92 |
|
Avg. Min
Temperature |
|
64 |
65 |
72 |
74 |
72 |
70 |
70 |
69 |
69 |
68 |
65 |
61 |
|
Avg. Rain Days |
|
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
4 |
6 |
4 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
|
Avg. Snow Days |
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
BONDOUKOU 8 5 N, 2 78 W, 1213 feet (370 meters) above sea level.
|
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
|
Avg. Temperature |
|
82 |
83 |
85 |
82 |
81 |
78 |
76 |
76 |
77 |
78 |
80 |
79 |
|
Avg. Max
Temperature |
|
94 |
96 |
96 |
92 |
89 |
86 |
83 |
82 |
84 |
87 |
91 |
91 |
|
Avg. Min
Temperature |
|
71 |
72 |
74 |
74 |
73 |
72 |
71 |
71 |
71 |
70 |
71 |
70 |
|
Avg. Rain Days |
|
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
|
Avg. Snow Days |
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
SAN PEDRO 4 75 N, 6 65 W, 98 feet (30 meters) above sea level.
|
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
|
Avg. Temperature |
|
80 |
81 |
82 |
82 |
81 |
79 |
77 |
76 |
77 |
79 |
80 |
80 |
|
Avg. Max
Temperature |
|
87 |
89 |
89 |
88 |
87 |
83 |
82 |
81 |
82 |
84 |
86 |
87 |
|
Avg. Min
Temperature |
|
74 |
74 |
75 |
75 |
75 |
74 |
73 |
72 |
73 |
74 |
74 |
74 |
|
Avg. Rain Days |
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
7 |
6 |
7 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
0 |
|
Avg. Snow Days |
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
PEOPLE
Cote d'Ivoire has more than 60 ethnic groups, usually classified into five
principal divisions: Akan (east and center, including Lagoon peoples of the
southeast), Krou (southwest), Southern Mande (west), Northern Mande (northwest),
Senoufo/Lobi (north center and northeast). The Baoules, in the Akan division,
probably comprise the single largest subgroup with 15%-20% of the population.
They are based in the central region around Bouake and Yamoussoukro. The Betes
in the Krou division, the Senoufos in the north, and the Malinkes in the
northwest and the cities are the next largest groups, with 10%-15% each of the
national population. Most of the principal divisions have a significant presence
in neighboring countries.
Of the more than 5 million non-Ivoirian Africans living in Cote d'Ivoire,
one-third to one-half are from Burkina Faso; the rest are from Ghana, Guinea,
Mali, Nigeria, Benin, Senegal, Liberia, and Mauritania. The non-African
expatriate community includes roughly 10,000 French and possibly 60,000
Lebanese. As of mid-November 2004, thousands of expatriates, African and
non-African, had fled from the violence in Cote d?Ivoire. The number of
elementary school-aged children attending classes increased from 22% in 1960 to
67% in 1995.
Population: |
18,013,409
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account
the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in
lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates,
lower population and growth rates, and changes in the
distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise
be expected (July 2007 est.) |
Age structure: |
0-14 years: 40.6% (male 3,603,386/female
3,711,211)
15-64 years: 56.6% (male 5,128,824/female 5,060,027)
65 years and over: 2.8% (male 246,130/female 263,831) (2007
est.) |
Population growth rate: |
1.995% (2007 est.) |
Birth rate: |
34.69 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Death rate: |
14.74 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Net migration rate: |
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Sex ratio: |
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 0.971 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.014 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.933 male(s)/female
total population: 0.994 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
Infant mortality rate: |
total: 87.41 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 103.84 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 70.48 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
Life expectancy at birth: |
total population: 49 years
male: 46.43 years
female: 51.66 years (2007 est.) |
Total fertility rate: |
4.43 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence
rate: |
7% (2003 est.) |
HIV/AIDS - people living
with HIV/AIDS: |
570,000 (2003 est.) |
HIV/AIDS - deaths: |
47,000 (2003 est.) |
Major infectious diseases: |
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A,
and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria, yellow fever, and others are high
risks in some locations
water contact: schistosomiasis
note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified
among birds in this country or surrounding region; it poses a
negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US
citizens who have close contact with birds (2007) |
Nationality: |
noun: Ivoirian(s)
adjective: Ivoirian |
Ethnic groups: |
Akan 42.1%, Voltaiques or Gur 17.6%,
Northern Mandes 16.5%, Krous 11%, Southern Mandes 10%, other
2.8% (includes 130,000 Lebanese and 14,000 French) (1998) |
Religions: |
Muslim 35-40%, indigenous 25-40%, Christian
20-30% (2001)
note: the majority of foreigners (migratory workers) are Muslim
(70%) and Christian (20%) |
Languages: |
French (official), 60 native dialects with
Dioula the most widely spoken |
Literacy: |
definition: age 15 and over can read and
write
total population: 50.9%
male: 57.9%
female: 43.6% (2003 est.) |
|
HISTORY
The early history of Cote d'Ivoire is virtually unknown, although it is thought
that a Neolithic culture existed. France made its initial contact with Cote
d'Ivoire in 1637, when missionaries landed at Assinie near the Gold Coast (now
Ghana) border. Early contacts were limited to a few missionaries because of the
inhospitable coastline and settlers' fear of the inhabitants.
In the 18th century, the country was invaded from present-day Ghana by two
related Akan groups--the Agni, who occupied the southeast, and the Baoule, who
settled in the central section. In 1843-44, Admiral Bouet-Williaumez signed
treaties with the kings of the Grand Bassam and Assinie regions, placing their
territories under a French protectorate. French explorers, missionaries, trading
companies, and soldiers gradually extended the area under French control inland
from the lagoon region. However, complete pacification was not accomplished
until 1915.
French Period
Cote d'Ivoire officially became a French colony in 1893. Captain Binger, who had
explored the Gold Coast frontier, was named the first governor. He negotiated
boundary treaties with Liberia and the United Kingdom (for the Gold Coast) and
later started the campaign against Almany Samory, a Malinke chief, who fought
against the French until 1898.
From 1904 to 1958, Cote d'Ivoire was a constituent unit of the Federation of
French West Africa. It was a colony and an overseas territory under the French
Third Republic. Until the period following World War II, governmental affairs in
French West Africa were administered from Paris. France's policy in West Africa
was reflected mainly in its philosophy of 'association,' meaning that all
Africans in Cote d'Ivoire were officially French 'subjects' without rights to
citizenship or representation in Africa or France.
During World War II, France's Vichy regime remained in control until 1943, when
members of Gen. Charles de Gaulle's provisional government assumed control of
all French West Africa. The Brazzaville Conference in 1944, the first
Constituent Assembly of the French Fourth Republic in 1946, and France's
gratitude for African loyalty during World War II led to far-reaching
governmental reforms in 1946. French citizenship was granted to all African
'subjects,' the right to organize politically was recognized, and various forms
of forced labor were abolished.
A turning point in relations with France was reached with the 1956 Overseas
Reform Act (Loi Cadre), which transferred a number of powers from Paris to
elected territorial governments in French West Africa and also removed remaining
voting inequalities.
Independence
In December 1958, Cote d'Ivoire became an autonomous republic within the French
community as a result of a referendum that brought community status to all
members of the old Federation of French West Africa except Guinea, which had
voted against association. Cote d'Ivoire became independent on August 7, 1960,
and permitted its community membership to lapse.
Cote d'Ivoire's contemporary political history is closely associated with the
career of Felix Houphouet-Boigny, President of the republic and leader of the
Parti Democratique de la Cote d'Ivoire (PDCI) until his death on December 7,
1993. He was one of the founders of the Rassemblement Democratique Africain
(RDA), the leading pre-independence inter-territorial political party in French
West African territories (except Mauritania).
Houphouet-Boigny first came to political prominence in 1944 as founder of the
Syndicat Agricole Africain, an organization that won improved conditions for
African farmers and formed a nucleus for the PDCI. After World War II, he was
elected by a narrow margin to the first Constituent Assembly. Representing Cote
d'Ivoire in the French National Assembly from 1946 to 1959, he devoted much of
his effort to inter-territorial political organization and further amelioration
of labor conditions. After his 13-year service in the French National Assembly,
including almost 3 years as a minister in the French Government, he became Cote
d'Ivoire's first Prime Minister in April 1959, and the following year was
elected its first President.
In May 1959, Houphouet-Boigny reinforced his position as a dominant figure in
West Africa by leading Cote d'Ivoire, Niger, Upper Volta (Burkina), and Dahomey
(Benin) into the Council of the Entente, a regional organization promoting
economic development. He maintained that the road to African solidarity was
through step-by-step economic and political cooperation, recognizing the
principle of nonintervention in the internal affairs of other African states.
1999 Coup and Aftermath
In a region where many political systems are unstable, Cote d'Ivoire showed
remarkable political stability from its independence from France in 1960 until
late 1999. Under Felix Houphouet-Boigny, President from independence until his
death in December 1993, Cote d'Ivoire maintained a close political allegiance to
the West while many countries in the region were undergoing repeated military
coups, experimenting with Marxism, and developing ties with the Soviet Union and
China. His successor, President Henri Konan Bedie, was familiar with the U.S.,
having served as Cote d'Ivoire's first ambassador to the U.S. Falling world
market prices for Cote d'Ivoire's primary export crops of cocoa and coffee put
pressure on the economy and the Bedie presidency. Government corruption and
mismanagement led to steep reductions in foreign aid in 1998 and 1999, and
eventually to the country's first coup on December 24, 1999.
Following the bloodless coup, General Guei formed a government of national unity
and promised open elections. A new constitution was drafted and ratified by the
population in the summer of 2000. It retained clauses that underscored national
divisions between north and south, Christian and Muslim, that had been growing
since Houphouet's death.
Elections were scheduled for fall 2000, but when the general's handpicked
Supreme Court disqualified all of the candidates from the two major parties--the
PDCI and Rassemblement des Republicaines (RDR)--Western election support and
monitors were withdrawn. The RDR called for a boycott, setting the stage for low
election turnout in a race between Guei and Front Populaire Ivoirien (FPI)
candidate Laurent Gbagbo. When early polling results showed Gbagbo in the lead,
Guei stopped the process--claiming polling fraud--disbanded the election
commission, and declared himself the winner. Within hours Gbagbo supporters took
to the streets of Abidjan. A bloody fight followed as crowds attacked the guards
protecting the presidential palace. Many gendarmes and soldiers joined the fight
against the junta government, forcing Guei to flee. Having gained the most
votes, Gbagbo was declared President. The RDR then took the streets, calling for
new elections because the Supreme Court had declared their presidential
candidate and all the candidates of the PDCI ineligible. More violence erupted
as forces loyal to the new government joined the FPI youth to attack RDR
demonstrators. Hundreds were killed in the few days that followed before RDR
party leader Alassane Ouattara called for peace and recognized the Gbagbo
presidency.
2001 Attempted Coup
On January 7, 2001, another coup attempt shattered the temporary calm. However,
some weeks later, in the spring, local municipal elections were conducted
without violence and with the full participation of all political parties. The
RDR, which had boycotted the presidential and legislative elections, won the
most local seats, followed by the PDCI and FPI. Some economic aid from the
European Union began to return by the summer of 2001, and the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) re-engaged the government. Questions surrounding severe
human rights abuses by the government during the presidential and legislative
elections of 2000 remain unresolved (e.g., the mass grave at Yopougon), but
day-to-day life began to return to normal. In August 2002, President Gbagbo
formed a de facto government of national unity that included the RDR party.
2002 Country Divides
On September 19, 2002, rebellious exiled military personnel and co-conspirators
in Abidjan simultaneously attacked government ministers and government and
military/security facilities in Abidjan, Bouake, and Korhogo. In Abidjan,
government forces stopped the coup attempt within hours, but the attacks
resulted in the deaths of Minister of Interior Emile Boga Doudou and several
high-ranking military officers. General Guei was killed under still-unclear
circumstances. Almost immediately after the coup attempt, the government
launched an aggressive security operation in Abidjan, whereby
shantytowns--occupied by thousands of immigrants and Ivoirians--were searched
for weapons and rebels. Government security forces burned down or demolished a
number of these shantytowns, which displaced over 12,000 people.
The failed coup attempt quickly evolved into a rebellion, splitting the country
in two and escalating into the country's worst crisis since independence in
1960. The rebel group, calling itself the 'Patriotic Movement of Cote d'Ivoire'
(MPCI), retained control in Bouake and Korhogo, and within 2 weeks moved to take
the remainder of the northern half of the country. In mid-October 2002,
government and MPCI representatives signed a ceasefire and French military
forces already present in the country agreed to monitor the ceasefire line. In
late November 2002, the western part of the country became a new military front
with the emergence of two new rebel groups--the Ivoirian Popular Movement for
the Great West (MPIGO) and the Movement for Justice and Peace (MJP). MPIGO and
MJP were allied with the MPCI, and the three groups subsequently called
themselves the 'New Forces.' In January 2003, the Economic Community of West
African States (ECOWAS) placed approximately 1,500 peacekeeping troops from five
countries--Senegal (commander), Ghana, Benin, Togo, and Niger--on the ground
beside the 4,000 French peacekeepers. The troops maintained the east-west
ceasefire line, known as the Zone of Confidence, dividing the country.
Reunification Attempts
In late January 2003, the country's major political parties and the New Forces
signed the French-brokered Linas-Marcoussis Accord (LMA), agreeing to a
power-sharing national reconciliation government to include rebel New Forces
representatives. The parties agreed to work together on modifying national
identity, eligibility for citizenship, and land tenure laws which many observers
see as among the root causes of the conflict. The LMA also stipulated a UN
Monitoring Committee to report on implementation of the accord. Also in January
2003, President Gbagbo appointed Seydou Diarra as the consensus Prime Minister.
In March 2003, Prime Minister Diarra formed a government of national
reconciliation of 41 ministers. The full government did not meet until
mid-April, when UN peacekeepers (UN Operation in Cote d'Ivoire, or UNOCI) were
in place to provide security for rebel New Forces ministers. On July 4, 2003,
the government and New Forces militaries signed an 'End of the War' declaration,
recognized President Gbagbo's authority, and vowed to work for the
implementation of the LMA and a program of Demobilization, Disarmament and
Reintegration (DDR). On September 13, 2003, six months after the formation of
the reconciliation government, President Gbagbo named politically neutral
Defense and Security Ministers, after consulting with the political parties and
New Forces.
2004 saw serious challenges to the Linas-Marcoussis Accord. Violent flare-ups
and political deadlock in the spring and summer led to the Accra III talks in
Ghana. Signed on July 30, 2004, the Accra III Agreement reaffirmed the goals of
the LMA with specific deadlines and benchmarks for progress. Unfortunately,
those deadlines--late September for legislative reform and October 15 for rebel
disarmament--were not met by the parties. The ensuing political and military
deadlock was not broken until November 4, when government forces initiated a
bombing campaign of rebel targets in the north. On November 6, a government
aircraft bombed a French military installation in Bouake, killing nine French
soldiers and one American civilian. Claiming that the attack was deliberate (the
Ivoirian Government claimed it was a mistake), French forces retaliated by
destroying most of the small Ivoirian air force. Mayhem ensued for several days
as anti-French mobs rioted in Abidjan and violence flared elsewhere. On November
15, 2004 the United Nations Security Council issued an immediate arms embargo on
Cote d?Ivoire and gave leaders one month to get the peace process back on track
or face a travel ban and a freeze on their assets. In April 2005, South African
President Thabo Mbeki invited the leaders to South Africa for an African
Union-sponsored mediation effort. The result was the Pretoria Agreement, signed
April 6, 2005. The Pretoria Agreement formally ended the country's state of war,
and addressed issues such as Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration, the
return of New Forces Ministers to government, and the reorganization of the
Independent Electoral Commission. A follow-up agreement in June 2005 laid out
another framework for disarmament, elections, and the adoption of legislation
required under the Linas-Marcoussis Accord.
In September 2005, the government postponed presidential elections scheduled for
October 30, 2005. In October 2005, the UN Security Council, via UN Security
Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1633, endorsed an African Union decision to extend
the Linas-Marcouissis peace process for an additional 12 months. As called for
under 1633, a new Prime Minister, Charles Konan Banny, was selected by the
international community and given broad powers designed to reunify the country.
Banny selected a new cabinet in December 2005 in collaboration with the
opposition, the President and the New Forces. Violent protests mounted by
militias loyal to President Gbagbo in January 2006 against statements by UNOCI
regarding the role of the National Assembly during the ongoing transition period
threatened the independence of the Banny government and the ability of UNOCI and
the International Working Group (created by the UN Security Council to oversee
the peace process) to help the country achieve a stable, lasting reconciliation.
Initial steps toward disarmament and elections began in May 2006. The government
began a pilot identification program for citizens and foreign residents lacking
birth and nationality certificates. Government and rebel New Forces military
formations began pre-groupment activities as a prelude to actual disarmament.
Neither initiative was completed, and elections did not take place on October
31, 2006, as mandated by UN Security Council Resolution 1633. In November 2006,
the UN Security Council issued a new resolution, 1721, which extended Prime
Minister Banny's mandate for an additional 12 months. Prime Minister Banny was
effectively blocked, however, from exercising control over the government as
envisioned by the international community. President Gbagbo closed out 2006 with
a speech to the nation in which he called for direct talks with the New Forces
and the elimination of the Zone of Confidence.
Ouagadougou Peace Accord
On March 4, 2007, after weeks of closed-door negotiations led by Burkinabe
President Compaore in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, President Gbagbo and New Forces
leader Guillaume Soro announced they had agreed to a peace agreement aimed at
reunifying the country and holding new elections. The Ouagadougou Accord foresaw
a new transitional government and the re-launch of the stalled voter
registration and identification process to enable elections to be held within 10
months. It also called for the near-immediate elimination of the Zone of
Confidence; the disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration of former
combatants; and for ex-rebel and government forces to partially merge before the
formation of a new army. At the end of March, Soro was named Prime Minister, and
several days later, a new cabinet--consisting of most of the ministers from the
previous cabinet--was named. At the end of April, UNOCI began withdrawal from
the Zone of Confidence and several mixed brigades of New Forces, national army
soldiers, and impartial forces began joint patrols in its place. As of May 2007,
government ministries (particularly Health, Education, Finance and Interior) and
officials are gradually returning to their posts in the northern part of the
country, as are important economic actors, such as banks and utilities.
GOVERNMENT
Cote d'Ivoire's constitution of the Second Republic (2000) provides for a strong
presidency within the framework of a separation of powers. The executive is
personified in the president, elected for a 5-year term. The president is the
head of state and commander in chief of the armed forces, may negotiate and
ratify certain treaties, and may submit a bill to a national referendum or to
the National Assembly. According to the constitution, the president of the
National Assembly assumes the presidency for 45-90 days in the event of a
vacancy and organizes new elections in which the winner completes the remainder
of the deceased president's term. The president selects the prime minister, who
is the head of government. The cabinet is selected by and is responsible to the
prime minister.
The unicameral National Assembly is composed of 225 members elected by direct
universal suffrage for a 5-year term concurrently with the president. It passes
on legislation typically introduced by the president, although it also can
introduce legislation.
The judicial system culminates in the Supreme Court. The High Court of Justice
is competent to try government officials for major offenses. There is also an
independent Constitutional Council which has seven members appointed by the
president that is responsible for, inter alia, the determination of candidate
eligibility in presidential and legislative elections, the announcement of final
election results, the conduct of referendums, and the constitutionality of
legislation.
For administrative purposes, Cote d'Ivoire is divided into 19 regions and 58
departments. Each region and department is headed by a prefect appointed by the
central government. In 2002, the country held its first departmental elections
to select departmental councils to oversee local infrastructure development and
maintenance as well as economic and social development plans and projects. There
are 196 communes, each headed by an elected mayor, plus the city of Abidjan with
10 mayors.
Principal Government Officials
President--Laurent Gbagbo
Prime Minister--Guillaume Soro
Foreign Minister--Youssouf Bakayoko
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 |
Government type: |
republic; multiparty presidential regime
established 1960
note: the government is currently operating under a
power-sharing agreement mandated by international mediators |
Capital: |
name: Yamoussoukro
geographic coordinates: 6 49 N, 5 17 W
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
note: although Yamoussoukro has been the official capital since
1983, Abidjan remains the commercial and administrat |
Administrative divisions: |
19 regions; Agneby, Bafing, Bas-Sassandra,
Denguele, Dix-Huit Montagnes, Fromager, Haut-Sassandra, Lacs,
Lagunes, Marahoue, Moyen-Cavally, Moyen-Comoe, N'zi-Comoe,
Savanes, Sud-Bandama, Sud-Comoe, Vallee du Bandama, Worodougou,
Zanzan |
Independence: |
7 August 1960 (from France) |
National holiday: |
Independence Day, 7 August (1960) |
Constitution: |
approved by referendum 23 July 2000 |
Legal system: |
based on French civil law system and customary
law; judicial review in the Constitutional Chamber of the
Supreme Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
reservations |
Suffrage: |
18 years of age; universal |
Executive branch: |
chief of state: President Laurent GBAGBO (since
26 October 2000)
head of government: Prime Minister Guillaume SORO (since 4 April
2007)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president; note -
under the current power-sharing agreement the prime minister and
the president share the authority to appoint ministers
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year
term (no term limits); election last held 26 October 2000 (next
to be held by October 2007, after the government postponed
elections in 2005 and 2006 and the UN Security Council voted to
extend its mandate); prime minister appointed by the president
(current Prime Minister BANNY was appointed by African Union
mediators as part of the existing power-sharing agreement)
election results: Laurent GBAGBO elected president; percent of
vote - Laurent GBAGBO 59.4%, Robert GUEI 32.7%, Francis WODIE
5.7%, other 2.2% |
Legislative branch: |
unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee
Nationale (225 seats; members are elected in single- and
multi-district elections by direct popular vote to serve
five-year terms)
elections: elections last held 10 December 2000 with
by-elections on 14 January 2001 (next to be held by October 2007
after the government postponed the elections in 2005 and 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party
- FPI 96, PDCI-RDA 94, RDR 5, PIT 4, other 2, independents 22,
vacant 2
note: a Senate that was scheduled to be created in the October
2006 elections never took place |
Judicial branch: |
Supreme Court or Cour Supreme consists of four
chambers: Judicial Chamber for criminal cases, Audit Chamber for
financial cases, Constitutional Chamber for judicial review
cases, and Administrative Chamber for civil cases; there is no
legal limit to the number of members |
Political parties and leaders: |
Citizen's Democratic Union or UDCY [Theodore MEL
EG]; Democratic Party of Cote d'Ivoire-African Democratic Rally
or PDCI-RDA [Henri Konan BEDIE]; Ivorian Popular Front or FPI
[Laurent GBAGBO]; Ivorian Worker's Party or PIT [Francis WODIE];
Opposition Movement of the Future or MFA [Anaky KOBENAN]; Rally
of the Republicans or RDR [Alassane OUATTARA]; Union for
Democracy and Peace in Cote d'Ivoire or UDPCI [Mabri TOIKEUSE];
over 20 smaller parties |
Political pressure groups and leaders: |
Federation of University and High School
Students of Cote d'Ivoire or FESCI [Serges KOFFI]; Rally of
Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace or RHDP [Alphonse DJEDJE
MADY]; Young Patriots [Charles BLE GOUDE] |
International organization participation: |
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ,
G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITSO,
ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR,
UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL,
WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
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 |
|
ECONOMY
The Ivoirian economy is largely market-based and depends heavily on the
agricultural sector. Between 60% and 70% of the Ivoirian people are engaged in
some form of agricultural activity. The economy performed poorly in the 1980s
and early 1990s, and high population growth coupled with economic decline
resulted in a steady fall in living standards. A majority of the population
remains dependent on smallholder cash crop production. Principal exports are
petroleum, cocoa, coffee, cotton, pineapples, tuna, and tropical woods.
Principal U.S. exports are rice and wheat, plastic materials and resins, kraft
paper, agricultural chemicals, telecommunications, and oil and gas equipment.
Principal U.S. imports are cocoa and cocoa products, petroleum, rubber, and
coffee.
Foreign Direct Investment Statistics
Direct foreign investment plays a key role in the Ivoirian economy, accounting
for between 40% and 45% of total capital in Ivoirian firms. France is
overwhelmingly the most important foreign investor. In recent years, French
investment has accounted for about one-quarter of the total capital in Ivoirian
enterprises, and between 55% and 60% of the total stock of foreign investment
capital.
Infrastructure
By developing country standards, Cote d'Ivoire has an outstanding
infrastructure. There is an excellent network of more than 8,000 miles of paved
roads; good telecommunications services, including a public data communications
network, cellular phones, and Internet access. There are two active ports.
Abidjan's is the most modern in West Africa and the largest between Casablanca
and Cape Town. There is regular air service within the region and to and from
Europe and modern real estate developments for commercial, industrial, retail,
and residential use. Abidjan remains one of the most modern and livable cities
in the region. Its school system is good by regional standards and includes an
international school--whose enrollment dropped sharply due to the November 2004
crisis--based on U.S. curriculum and several excellent French-based schools.
Recent political and economic problems have delayed Cote d'Ivoire's planned
public investment program. The government's public investment plan accords
priority to investment in human capital, but it also will provide for
significant spending on economic infrastructure needed to sustain growth.
Continued infrastructure development has been brought into question because of
private sector uncertainty. In the new environment of government disengagement
from productive activities and in the wake of recent privatization, anticipated
investments in the petroleum, electricity, water, and telecommunications
sectors, and in part in the transportation sector, will be financed without any
direct government intervention. A return to political and economic stability is
critical if Cote d'Ivoire is to realize its potential in the region.
Major Trends and Outlooks
Since the colonial period, Cote d'Ivoire's economy has been based on the
production and export of tropical products. Agriculture, forestry, and fisheries
account for a substantial part of GDP and of exports. Cote d'Ivoire produces 40%
of the world's cocoa crop and is a major exporter of bananas, coffee, cotton,
palm oil, pineapples, rubber, tropical wood products, and tuna. The 1994
devaluation of the CFA franc and accompanying structural adjustment measures
increased the international competitiveness of the agricultural, light
industrial, and service sectors. However, reliance on commodity exports exposes
the economy to the ups and downs of international price swings. To reduce the
economic exposure to price variability, the government encourages export
diversification and intermediate processing of cocoa beans. In recent years,
petroleum exports have risen significantly, and petroleum is now the country?s
largest foreign exchange earner.
The 1994 devaluation of the CFA franc helped return Cote d'Ivoire to rapid
economic growth until the slowdown evident by 1999. Increased aid flows,
rigorous macroeconomic policies, and high international commodity prices, along
with devaluation, yielded 6%-7% annual GDP growth rates from 1994-98. Cote
d'Ivoire also benefited from Paris Club debt rescheduling in 1994, a London Club
agreement in 1996, and the 1997 G-7 decision to include Cote d'Ivoire in the
IMF-World Bank debt forgiveness initiative for highly indebted poor countries.
In the past several years, economic decline has resulted in declining living
standards. Falling commodity prices along with government corruption and fiscal
mismanagement brought the economy to its knees by the end of 1999. At that
point, the coup d'etat and the subsequent institution of the military junta
government caused the loss of foreign assistance. Private foreign investment
declined precipitously. Government internal and external debt ballooned. As a
result, the Ivoirian economy contracted 2.3% in 2000. The government signed a
Staff Monitoring Program with the IMF in July 2001, but plans for a subsequent
Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility were disrupted by the onset of the crisis
in September 2002. The signs of economic and business recovery were encouraging
in the mid-year of 2002, but the political and social crisis that began in
September 2002 undermined all the efforts to resume cooperation with
international donors. The economy has been in a slow decline since the outbreak
of the armed rebellion in late 2002, with a cutoff of most external assistance
(except humanitarian aid), mounting domestic and foreign arrearages, and a
drastic slowdown in foreign and domestic investment.
The country is in substantial arrears to the World Bank and other international
financial institutions. GDP growth is anemic, reaching 1.6% in 2005, buoyed
largely by growing oil and gas revenues, along with steady cocoa exports. Strong
economic growth is not expected until peace is firmly reestablished and
international financial institutions conclude agreements to reduce the country?s
large debt profile. However, with the gradual reintegration of the country, the
economy in the north may begin to revive after a prolonged slump caused by the
four-year-long division of the country.
Economy - overview: |
Cote d'Ivoire is among the world's largest
producers and exporters of coffee, cocoa beans, and palm oil.
Consequently, the economy is highly sensitive to weather
conditions and to fluctuations in international prices for these
products. Despite government attempts to diversify the economy,
it is still heavily dependent on agriculture and related
activities, engaging roughly 68% of the population. Growth was
negative in 2000-03 because of the difficulty of meeting the
conditions of international donors, continued low prices of key
exports, foreign divestment and civil war. Political turmoil has
continued to damage the economy since 2004, with a rising risk
premium associated with doing business in the country, foreign
investment shriveling, transportation costs increasing, French
businesses fleeing, and criminal elements that traffic in
weapons and diamonds gaining ground. The government will
continue to survive financially off of the sale of cocoa, which
represents 90% of foreign exchange earnings, but the government
will probably lose between 10% and 20% of its cocoa harvest to
northern rebels who smuggle the cocoa they control to
neighboring countries where cocoa prices are higher. The
government remains hopeful that ongoing exploration of Cote
d'Ivoire's offshore oil reserves will result in significant
production that could boost daily crude output from roughly
33,000 barrels per day (b/d) to more than 200,000 b/d by the end
of the decade. |
GDP - real growth rate: |
1.2% (2006 est.) |
GDP (purchasing power parity): |
$29.05 billion (2006 est.) |
GDP (official exchange rate): |
$17.19 billion (2006 est.) |
GDP - per capita (PPP): |
$1,600 (2006 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector: |
agriculture: 27%
industry: 18.5%
services: 54.5% (2006 est.) |
Population below poverty line: |
37% (1995) |
Household income or consumption by
percentage share: |
lowest 10%: 3.1%
highest 10%: 28.8% (1995) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices): |
3.2% (2006 est.) |
Labor force: |
6.738 million (68% agricultural) (2006 est.) |
Unemployment rate: |
13% in urban areas (1998) |
Budget: |
revenues: $2.837 billion
expenditures: $3.154 billion; including capital expenditures of
$420 million (2006 est.) |
Industries: |
foodstuffs, beverages; wood products, oil
refining, truck and bus assembly, textiles, fertilizer, building
materials, electricity, ship construction and repair |
Industrial production growth rate: |
15% (1998 est.) |
Electricity - production: |
4.625 billion kWh (2004) |
Electricity - consumption: |
3.202 billion kWh (2004) |
Electricity - exports: |
1.1 billion kWh (2004) |
Electricity - imports: |
0 kWh (2004) |
Oil - production: |
32,900 bbl/day (2005 est.) |
Oil - consumption: |
23,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) |
Oil - exports: |
NA bbl/day |
Oil - imports: |
NA bbl/day |
Oil - proved reserves: |
220 million bbl (2006 est.) |
Natural gas - production: |
1.3 billion cu m (2004 est.) |
Natural gas - exports: |
0 cu m (2004 est.) |
Natural gas - imports: |
0 cu m (2004 est.) |
Agriculture - products: |
coffee, cocoa beans, bananas, palm kernels,
corn, rice, manioc (tapioca), sweet potatoes, sugar, cotton,
rubber; timber |
Exports: |
$7.832 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) |
Exports - commodities: |
cocoa, coffee, timber, petroleum, cotton,
bananas, pineapples, palm oil, fish |
Exports - partners: |
France 18.3%, Netherlands 9.7%, US 9.1%, Nigeria
7.2%, Germany 4.2% (2006) |
Imports: |
$5.548 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) |
Imports - commodities: |
fuel, capital equipment, foodstuffs |
Imports - partners: |
Nigeria 27.6%, France 25.4%, China 4.3% (2006) |
Debt - external: |
$11.96 billion (2006 est.) |
Economic aid - recipient: |
ODA, $1 billion (1996 est.) |
Currency: |
CFA Franc BCEAO (XOF)
Current CFA Franc BCEAO Exchange Rates
Historical CFA Franc BCEAO Exchange Rates
Chart CFA Franc BCEAO Exchange Rates |
Currency code: |
XOF |
Exchange rates: |
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per
US dollar - 522.89 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2
(2003), 696.99 (2002) |
Fiscal year: |
calendar year |
|
Military branches: |
Cote d'Ivoire Defense and
Security Forces (FDSC): Army, Navy, Air Force (2006) |
Military service age and
obligation: |
18 years of age for
compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service
obligation - 18 months (2004) |
Manpower available for
military service: |
males age 18-49: 3,696,106
females age 18-49: 3,569,967 (2005 est.) |
Manpower fit for military
service: |
males age 18-49: 1,973,265
females age 18-49: 1,911,777 (2005 est.) |
Manpower reaching military
service age annually: |
males age 18-49: 189,354
females age 18-49: 192,600 (2005 est.) |
|