1990 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1990 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
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)
Coastline
515 km
Comparative area
slightly larger than New Mexico
Continental shelf
200 m;
Environment
coast has heavy surf and no natural harbors; severe deforestation
Extended economic zone
200 nm;
Land boundaries
3,110 km total; Burkina 584 km, Ghana 668 km, Guinea 610 km, Liberia 716 km, Mali 532 km
Land use
9% arable land; 4% permanent crops; 9% meadows and pastures; 26% forest and woodland; 52% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Natural resources
crude oil, diamonds, manganese, iron ore, cobalt, bauxite, copper
Terrain
mostly flat to undulating plains; mountains in northwest
Territorial sea
12 nm
Total area
322,460 km2; land area: 318,000 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
48 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate
13 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Ethnic divisions
over 60 ethnic groups; most important are the Baoule 23%, Bete 18%, Senoufou 15%, Malinke 11%, and Agni; about 2 million foreign Africans, mostly Burkinabe; about 130,000 to 330,000 non-Africans
Infant mortality rate
100 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Labor force
5,718,000; over 85% of population engaged in agriculture, for estry, 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)
Language
French (official), over 60 native dialects; Dioula most widely spoken
Life expectancy at birth
52 years male, 56 years female (1990)
Literacy
42.7%
Nationality
noun--Ivorian(s); adjective--Ivorian
Net migration rate
4 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Organized labor
20% of wage labor force
Population
12,478,024 (July 1990), growth rate 4.0% (1990)
Religion
63% indigenous, 25% Muslim, 12% Christian
Total fertility rate
6.9 children born/woman (1990)
Government
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
Capital
Abidjan (capital city changed to Yamoussoukro in March 1983 but not recognized by US)
Communists
no Communist party; possibly some sympathizers
Constitution
3 November 1960
Diplomatic representation
Ambassador Charles GOMIS; Chancery at 2424 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 797-0300; US--Ambassador Kenneth BROWN; Embassy at 5 Rue Jesse Owens, Abidjan (mailing address is B. P. 1712, Abidjan 01); telephone [225] 32-09-79
Elections
President--last held 27 October 1985 (next to be held October 1990); results--President Felix Houphouet-Boigny was reelected without opposition to his fifth consecutive five-year term; National Assembly--last held 10 November 1985 (next to be held 10 November 1990); results--PDCI is the only party; seats--(175 total) PDCI 175
Executive branch
president, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
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
Independence
7 August 1960 (from France)
Judicial branch
Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)
Leaders
Chief of State and Head of Government--President Dr. Felix HOUPHOUET-BOIGNY (since 27 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
Legislative branch
unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale)
Long-form name
Republic of the Ivory Coast; note--the local official name is Republique de Cote d'Ivoire
Member of
ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEAO, EAMA, ECA, ECOWAS, EIB (associate), Entente, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, ITU, Niger River Commission, NAM, OAU, OCAM, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
National holiday
National Day, 7 December
Political parties and leaders
only party--Democratic Party of the Ivory Coast (PDCI), Dr. Felix Houphouet-Boigny
Suffrage
universal at age 21
Type
republic; one-party presidential regime established 1960
Economy
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 selfsufficient in bread grain and dairy products
Aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-87), $344 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $4.6 billion
Budget
revenues $1.6 billion (1986); expenditures $2.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $504 million (1988 est.)
Currency
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (plural--francs); 1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes
Electricity
1,081,000 kW capacity; 2,440 million kWh produced, 210 kWh per capita (1989)
Exchange rates
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1--287.99 (January 1990), 319.01 (1989), 297.85 (1988), 300.54 (1987), 346.30 (1986), 449.26 (1985)
Exports
$2.2 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--cocoa 30%, coffee 20%, tropical woods 11%, cotton, bananas, pineapples, palm oil, cotton; partners--France, FRG, Netherlands, US, Belgium, Spain (1985)
External debt
$14.7 billion (1989 est.)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
$10.0 billion, per capita $900; real growth rate - 6.4% (1988)
Illicit drugs
illicit producer of cannabis on a small scale for the international drug trade
Imports
$1.3 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--manufactured goods and semifinished products 50%, consumer goods 40%, raw materials and fuels 10%; partners--France, other EC, Nigeria, US, Japan (1985)
Industrial production
growth rate 0% (1987)
Industries
foodstuffs, wood processing, oil refinery, automobile assembly, textiles, fertilizer, beverage
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
7.5% (1988)
Overview
The 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 1989.
Unemployment rate
14% (1985)
Communications
Airports
49 total, 42 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
Civil air
12 major transport aircraft, including multinationally owned Air Afrique fleet
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
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
Ports
Abidjan, San-Pedro
Railroads
660 km (Burkina border to Abidjan, 1.00-meter gauge, single track, except 25 km Abidjan-Anyama section is double track)
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
Military and Security
Branches
Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary Gendarmerie
Defense expenditures
1.9% of GDP (1987)
Military manpower
males 15-49, 2,874,925; 1,487,909 fit for military service; 141,193 males reach military age (18) annually