Ivory Coast

Ivory Coast forms part of the continent of Africa, where it has a coastal position and is bordered by Burkina Faso, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali and the Atlantic Ocean. There are seven continents in the world: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Europe, Antarctica, Australia (Oceania). Africa is the world's second largest continent, occupying a total area of 30,370,000 km2. Africa has 54 countries, and forms 20.4% of the world's landmass. Ivory Coast is a coastal country that spreads across a total area of approximately 322,463 km2. It is of average area size when compared to other African countries. The Ivory Coast, or the Cote d'Ivoire as it is officially known, is slightly smaller than the Congo but larger than Burkina Faso.

The following information provides a guideline to the approximate border lengths of Ivory Coast:
Coastline 590 km, Burkina Faso 545 km, Ghana 720 km, Guinea 816 km, Liberia 778 km, Mali 599 km.

The coastal regions of the Ivory Coast are characterized by tropical climate conditions, where as the northern regions experience semiarid conditions. Generally, the weather can be summarized as hot and dry from March to May, hot and wet from June to October, and warm but dry from November to February. The geography of the Ivory Coast is defined majorly by its flatlands, coastal plains, forest areas, and mountainous regions in the northwest. lowest point: Gulf of Guinea at 0m. highest point: Monts Nimba 1,752m

The official language of the Ivory Coast is French. Many local dialects are spoken throughout the Ivory Coast with one of the most popular dialects being Dioula.

The main religion of Ivory Coast is Muslim at approximately 42% of the population. People belonging to the Islamic religion worship Allah. In the English language, the word Allah refers to God in Islam. Those belonging to the religion of Islam believe in one god. Most of Ivory Coast’s population are Muslim and follow the practices of Islam. Around 17% are Catholic and 11% Evangelical. The remaining population either belongs to other religions or no religion at all.

Natural resources can be defined as materials and substances that occur naturally on Earth. Natural resources are very important across the world, and can be exploited for economic gain. The level of natural resources present in an individual country depends on varying factors which are influenced by the geography, climate and location of that country. Some countries, such as Russia, The United States, Saudi Arabia and Canada, have many natural resources, where as some other countries have limited to none. Food, construction and transport are three primary examples of uses of natural resources. The following information provides examples of these uses: fish occurs naturally in streams, rivers, lakes and oceans, and can be caught for food consumption. Wood/timber can be extracted from forests for construction purposes, i.e. to build homes and furniture. Crude oils can be refined into different kinds of fuels in order to power vehicles/cars. The natural resources of Ivory Coast include natural gas, petroleum, diamonds, manganese, iron ore, cobalt, bauxite, copper, gold, nickel, tantalum, silica sand, clay, cocoa beans, coffee, palm oil and hydropower (water power).

Each country across the world has its own unique culture, history and identity. Flags, emblems, symbols, colors, mottos, anthems and songs are used to symbolize the pride and individuality of a nation. These national symbols are formed through the unique history of a nation and are symbolic of both hardship and prosperity, embodying freedom, strength and unity. Flags, emblems, colors, songs and mottos reflect the past, present and future aspirations of a country, and create an important image to the rest of the world. National symbols can represent a combination of things that are important to a country such as birds, animals, plants, geographical features, tools of agriculture, crops, and tools of war. The following facts depict some of the national symbols, songs and colors that are important to Ivory Coast: