Facts, Background and History
| Geographical Size | 322,460 sq km |
| Population Size | 20,179,602 |
| Composition of Population | 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) |
| Official Languages | French |
| Other Languages | 60 native dialects with Dioula the most widely spoken |
| Main Religions | Muslim 38.6%, Christian 32.8%, indigenous 11.9%, none 16.7% (2008 est) |
| 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) |
| Form of Government | republic; multiparty presidential regime established 1960 |
| Last Democratic Elections | 2009 |
| Global Peace Index | No// 122- 2.451 |
| Main Economic Activities | Agriculture and Oil Production |
| Main Trading Partners | Germany, Nigeria, Netherlands, France, US, Burkina Faso and China |
| Capital | Yamoussoukro |
| Other Cities | Abidjan, Bouake, Daola, Korhogo and Man |
| Currency | Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF) |
| Total GDP | $32.85 billion (2007 est.) |
| Per Capita Income | $1,700 (2007 est.) |
| Human Development Index | No//166 (0.432) |
| Ibrahim Index | 47- 36.61% |
| FIFA Rating | |
| Main Creative Industries | Theatre, Dance, Music, Poetry, Visual Arts and Crafts |
Background and History
The Côte d'Ivoire lies too far west to have been significant in the 17th and 18th century development of the Guinea coast gold, and slave trade. Although a French protectorate was established over the coastal zone in 1842, the interior remained free from European control until the very end of the century. The central political figure of the Côte d'Ivoire in modern times is Felix Houphouet-Boigny, an early leader of the post-WWII nationalist cause. Houphouet-Boigny became the country's president upon its independence from France in 1960 and remained in that position until his death in December of 1993. Along the way, the Côte d'Ivoire became a model of the prosperity that seemed available through the continuation of close cooperation with former colonial powers. In the 1980s the country's economy began to suffer, and today the Ivory Coast is struggling to maintain economic and political vitality.
