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Côte d'Ivoire

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République de Côte d'Ivoire
Republic of Côte d'Ivoire .

Flag Coat of arms

Motto "Unity, Discipline and Labour" (translation) Anthem
L'Abidjanaise
Capital Yamoussoukro (official) Abidjan (de facto) 6°51′N, 5°18′W
Largest city Abidjan
Official languages French
Government Republic
- President Laurent Gbagbo[1]
- Prime Minister Guillaume Soro[1]
Independence from France
- Date August 7, 1960
Area
- Total 322,460 km² (68th)
124,502 sq mi
- Water (%) 1.4[2]

Population - 2006 estimate 17,654,843a[2] (57th)
- 1988 census 10,815,694[3]
- Density 56 /km² (141st)
145 /sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2006 estimate
- Total $28.47 billion[2] (98th)
- Per capita $1,600[2] (157th)
HDI (2006) 0.421[4] (low) (164th)

Currency CFA franc (XOF) Time zone GMT (UTC+0)
- Summer (DST) not observed (UTC+0)
Internet TLD .ci Calling code +225[5] a Estimates for this country take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower population than would otherwise be expected.
Côte d'Ivoire (pronounced /kot divwaʀ/ in International French; officially the République de Côte d'Ivoire), or, translated into English, the Ivory Coast,[6] is a country in West Africa. It borders Liberia and Guinea to the west, Mali and Burkina Faso to the north, Ghana to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south.

The country's early history is virtually unknown, although a Neolithic culture is thought to have existed. In the 19th century it was invaded by two Akan groups. In 1843-1844, a treaty made it a protectorate of France and in 1893 Côte d'Ivoire became a French colony. The country became independent in 1960. Until 1993 it was led by Félix Houphouët-Boigny and was closely associated economically and politically with its West African neighbors, for example forming the Council of the Entente. At the same time the country maintained close ties to the West, which helped its economic development and political stability. Since the end of Houphoët-Boigny's rule, this stability has been destroyed by two coups (1999 and 2001) and a civil war since 2002, which has hampered its economic development.[7]

Côte d'Ivoire is a republic with a strong executive power personified in the President. Its de jure capital is Yamoussoukro and the official language is French. The country is divided into 19 regions and 58 departments. Côte d'Ivoire's economy is largely market-based and relies heavily on agriculture, with smallholder cash crop production being dominant. For a developing country, it has an excellent infrastructure.[2]

Contents [hide] 1 History
1.1 French colonial era
1.2 Independence
1.3 Houphouët-Boigny administration
1.4 Bédié administration
1.5 1999 coup
1.6 Gbagbo administration
1.7 2002 mutiny
1.8 2003 unity government
1.9 Aftermath 2004 - 2007
2 Regions and departments
3 Politics
4 Geography
5 Economy
6 Demographics
7 Culture
8 Name
8.1 History
8.2 Usage
9 Miscellaneous topics
10 References
11 External links



[edit] History
Main article: History of Côte d'Ivoire
Little is known about Côte d'Ivoire before the arrival of Portuguese ships in the 1460s. The major ethnic groups came relatively recently from neighbouring areas: the Kru people from Liberia around 1600; the Senoufo and Lobi moved southward from Burkina Faso and Mali. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries the Akan people, including the Baoulé, migrated from Ghana into the eastern area of the country, and the Malinké from Guinea into the north-west.


[edit] French colonial era
Compared to neighbouring Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire suffered little from the slave trade. European slaving and merchant ships preferred other areas along the coast, with better harbors. France took an interest in the 1840s, enticing local chiefs to grant French commercial traders a monopoly along the coast. Thereafter, the French built naval bases to keep out non-French traders and began a systematic conquest of the interior. They accomplished this only after a long war in the 1890s against Mandinka forces, mostly from Gambia. Guerrilla warfare by the Baoulé and other eastern groups continued until 1917.

France's main goal was to stimulate the production of exports. Coffee, cocoa and palm oil crops were soon planted along the coast. Côte d'Ivoire stood out as the only West African country with a sizeable population of 'settlers'; elsewhere in West and Central Africa, the French and English were largely bureaucrats. As a result, a third of the cocoa, coffee and banana plantations were in the hands of French citizens and a forced-labour system became the backbone of the economy.