Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast grows more cocoa than any other country, so a large share of the world's chocolate starts here.
- CapitalYamoussoukroThough Abidjan is the largest city
- PopulationAbout 29 millionIn West Africa
- Area322,463 km2Coast, forest and northern savannah
- CocoaLargest producer on EarthAround 40 per cent of world supply
Ivory Coast, or Cote d'Ivoire, runs north from the Gulf of Guinea through rainforest to savannah. Its cocoa belt in the south produces around 40 per cent of the world's beans, more than any other country.
The capital was moved from Abidjan to Yamoussoukro in 1983, the home village of the first president. Abidjan remains the largest city and the economic centre by a wide margin.
National symbols
- National animal African elephant, which gave the country its name
- National colours Orange, white and green
- National anthem L'Abidjanaise (Translation: Song of Abidjan)
- National day Independence Day, 7 August
Map of Ivory Coast
Geography
Ivory Coast covers 322,463 km2 and borders Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana, with the Gulf of Guinea to the south.
The south is low coastal plain with lagoons behind the beaches, rising through rainforest to savannah plateau in the north. The highest point is Mount Nimba at 1,752 m on the Guinean and Liberian border, a UNESCO site rich in unique species.
Climate
The south is equatorial, hot and humid with two rainy seasons and heavy rainfall, which is what supports the cocoa and coffee.
The north is tropical savannah with a single wet season from June to October and a long dry season when the harmattan blows dust down from the Sahara. Temperatures stay warm all year.
Culture
French is the official language, and around 60 local languages are spoken, including Baoule, Dioula and Senufo.
Around 42 per cent of Ivorians are Muslim, mostly in the north, and around 39 per cent Christian, mostly in the south, with traditional beliefs also practised. Coupe-decale music, which emerged among Ivorians in Paris in the early 2000s, spread across francophone Africa.
Economy
Cocoa is the flagship export, along with cashew nuts, of which Ivory Coast is also a leading world producer, plus rubber, palm oil and coffee.
Oil and gas are produced offshore. Abidjan is one of the largest ports in West Africa and the country has one of the fastest-growing economies in the region.
The flag
Three vertical bands of orange, white and green. Orange stands for the savannah of the north and the country's fertile land, white for peace, and green for the forests of the south and for hope.
It is nearly identical to the flag of Ireland with the colours reversed, and to India's without the wheel. The design was adopted in 1959, shortly before independence from France.