Ivory Coast Economy, Population, History and Maps

Côte d’Ivoire is a West African country. Located on the northern bank of the Gulf of Guinea, it covers 322 460 km2. It is bordered by Liberia in the southwest, Guinea (Conakri) in the northwest, Mali and Burkina Faso in the north, Ghana in the east and the Gulf of Guinea in the south. The largest cities are Abidjan (2 700 000 residents), Bouaké (330 000 residents) And Daloa (122 000 residents). Yamoussoukro is the capital of the country.

The climate is of the tropical monsoon type in the south, progressively changing to dry tropical as you walk north. In the drier North, the rainy season occurs between December and February.

Economy
The economy of Côte d’Ivoire is based on plantation-type agriculture. In fact, the country has become one of the world’s largest cocoa and coffee producers, in addition to also growing cotton, rubber, yams, sugar cane, cassava, bananas, pineapples, rice, corn and coconut. The development of agricultural production has been carried out at the expense of cutting down the forest, which, in the relatively near future, could jeopardize the environmental balance of this area and the country’s economy. The extractive industry only offers a few quantities of diamonds. In energy resources, oil represents an important source of revenue for the country. The country’s main trading partners are France, Nigeria, the Netherlands and Germany.
Environmental indicator: the value of carbon dioxide emissions, per capita, (metric tons, 1999) is 0.8.

Population
The population is 17 654 843 residents (est. 2006), which corresponds to a population density of 53.64 residents/km2. The birth and death rates are, respectively, 35.11% and 14.84%. Average life expectancy is 48.82 years. The value of the Human Development Index (HDI) is 0.396 and the value of the Gender-adjusted Development Index (IDG) is 0.376 (2001). The main ethnic groups are Bété, Sénufo, Baulé, Anui, Malinké, Dan and Lobi. At the religious level, Islam predominates, with 40%, followed by Catholicism (22%), animism (19%) and Protestantism (5%). The official language is French.

History
The Portuguese established, from the century. XV, the first contacts with the peoples of the region. At the end of the century. French missionaries arrive in the 17th century, at a time when the slave trade was intensifying. In the century. XIX, France established fortified factories, later passing the territory to French colonial rule. Its independence was proclaimed in 1960. With a pro-Western political alignment, Côte d’Ivoire was also in focus in the 1970s, when trying to intervene through the negotiations on the apartheid resolution in South Africa. In 1985, it received the visit of Pope John Paul II. For Ivory Coast democracy and rights, please check getzipcodes.

  • Countryaah.com: Offers a full list of airports in the country of Cote d’Ivoire, sorted by city location and acronyms.
  • Abbreviationfinder.org: Provides most commonly used abbreviations and initials containing the country name of Cote d’Ivoire. Listed by popularity.

1UpTravel.com – Maps of Cote d’Ivoire/Ivory Coast

Presents the country, city, political, and shaded relief maps of this western African country, lying between Ghana and Liberia. View a map of the Abidjan city.

Website: http://www.1uptravel.com/worldmaps/ivory-coast.html

Cote d’Ivoire – About.com

Find a map detailing the topography and roads of the Ivory Coast. Includes demographical details.

Website: http://geography.about.com/library/cia/blccote.htm

Cote d’Ivoire – Interactive Forest Maps

Check out this map detailing the forest coverage of the African continent. Features the Ivory Coast’s Tai National Park and surrounding forests.

Website: http://www.igc.apc.org/wri/ffi/maps/map-afri.htm

Cote d’Ivoire – National Geographic

Satellite imaging and political map-making combine to create a zoomable map of this west African country, and it’s cities, rivers and topography.

Website: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/maps/atlas/africa/cotedi.h

MSN Encarta Maps – Cote d’Ivoire

Provides a detailed map of the country highlighting geographic features and key populated areas.

Website: http://encarta.msn.com/maps/mapview.asp?mi=T630621A&ms=1