Ivory Coast — map and facts

About Côte d'Ivoire

Côte d'Ivoire, also known in English as Ivory Coast, is a West African nation with a population of approximately 27 million people. The country has two capital cities: Yamoussoukro is the official political capital, while Abidjan serves as the economic and administrative hub and is by far the largest city. The government is a presidential republic, currently led by President Alassane Ouattara, who has held office since 2011. Côte d'Ivoire is the world's largest producer of cocoa, supplying roughly 40 percent of global output, and coffee is also a significant export crop. The economy is among the strongest in West Africa and has experienced sustained growth over the past decade. The official language is French. The country is home to more than 60 ethnic groups, including the Baoulé, Bété, Sénoufo, and Dioula peoples. Islam and Christianity are both widely practised, with a significant portion of the population following indigenous beliefs alongside one of the major faiths.

Geography and Landscape

Côte d'Ivoire covers approximately 322,000 square kilometres in the southern bulge of West Africa, bordering Ghana to the east, Burkina Faso and Mali to the north, Guinea and Liberia to the west, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south. The terrain varies from the low-lying coastal zone, which features lagoons, sandbars, and mangrove swamps, to the dense tropical rainforest of the interior south. The Comoé, Bandama, and Sassandra rivers flow southward through the country and drain into the Atlantic Ocean. In the far west, the Man region rises into the Nimba Mountains, with Mount Nimba reaching about 1,752 metres at the tripoint with Guinea and Liberia. The north transitions into drier savanna and becomes part of the Sudanian ecological zone. Côte d'Ivoire has two distinct wet seasons in the south, while the north receives a single rainy season. The harmattan, a dry dusty wind from the Sahara, affects the north during the dry season and can bring haze across much of the country.

History

The region that is now Côte d'Ivoire was inhabited by various peoples for millennia before European contact. Portuguese navigators reached the coast in the fifteenth century, trading in ivory, which gave the region its European name. French influence grew steadily from the mid-nineteenth century, and France declared the territory a protectorate in 1843 before formally establishing a colony in 1893. Félix Houphouët-Boigny, a physician and politician who had served in the French National Assembly, led the country to independence on 7 August 1960 and served as president until his death in 1993. His long rule brought relative stability and economic prosperity through coffee and cocoa exports, a period known as the "Ivorian Miracle." After his death, political tensions escalated, culminating in a civil war that divided the country between north and south from 2002 to 2007. A disputed presidential election in 2010 led to a second crisis, resolved in 2011 when Alassane Ouattara, recognised internationally as the winner, assumed power. Since then the country has rebuilt rapidly.