Cote d'Ivoire Basics

Full name: République de Côte d'Ivoire (Republic of Cote d'Ivoire)

Language: French.  

Gained independence: August 7, 1960

Most abundant religions: 

• Muslims: 38.6%
• Christians: 32.8%
• Indigenous: 11.9%

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

  

Geographic Coordinates: 8 00 N, 5 00 W

Geography:  

·         most of the inhabitants live along the sandy coastal region; apart from the capital area, the forested interior is sparsely populated

Area:

·         total 322,463 sq km / land: 318,003 sq km / water: 4,460 sq km

Climate:

• Tropical along coast, semi arid in far north;

• three seasons: warm and dry (November – March), hot and dry (March – May), hot and wet (June – October)

Natural Resources:

• petroleum, natural gas, diamonds, manganese, iron ore, cobalt, bauxite, copper, gold, nickel, tantalum, silica sand, clay, cocoa beans, coffee, palm oil, hydro power

Environment – Current Issues:

• deforestation
• water pollution from sewage and industrial and agricultural effluents

Government Type: 

• Republic

• Multiparty presidential regime established in 1960

Population: 21,504,162

three equal vertical bands of orange, white, and green;
orange symbolizes the land (savannah) of the north and fertility,
white stands for peace and unity,
green represents the forests of the south and the hope for a bright future

References:

CIA Factbook