Côte d'Ivoire

Once a French colony, it achieved independence on August 7, 1960. French is the official language, although Dioula and Baoulé are widely spoken. After gaining independance from France, Félix Houphouët-Boigny, a medical doctor and coffee plantation owner was elected president. Houphouët-Boigny maintained his grip on power for the next 33 years until his death in 1993. In 1983, he moved the capital from Abidjan to Yamoussoukro, his home town. It is here that the infamous Notre Dame de la Paix Basilica is located. The Basilica is the largest church in the world, and is estimated to have cost $300M to build, a rather hefty sum for a country that is mostly muslim.

The Ivory Coast had a reputation for being one of the most stable and business friendly countries in Africa, up until a military coup in 1999, led by General Robert Guéi. The economy is based on the export of agricultural products -- primarily coffee, cocoa beans, and palm oil; it is the worlds largest cocoa producer.

World Factbook: Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)

Population: 15,980,950
Note: Estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2000 est.)

Age structure:

• 0-14 years: 46.45% (male 3,726,388; female 3,696,462)
• 15-64 years: 51.36% (male 4,222,333; female 3,985,249)
• 65 years and over: 2.19% (male 175,606; female 174,912)

Population growth rate: 2.58% (2000 est.)

Birth rate: 40.78 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate: 16.57 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Net migration rate: 1.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Note: After Liberia's civil war started in 1990, more than 350,000 refugees fled to Cote d'Ivoire; by the end of 1999 all Liberian refugees were assumed to have returned; the 2000 rate reflects labour in migration

Sex ratio:

• At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
• Under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
• 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
• 65 years and over: 1 male(s)/female
• Total population: 1.03 male(s)/female

Infant mortality rate: 95.06 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

• Total population: 45.15 years
• Male:43.72 years
• Female:46.63 years

Total fertility rate: 5.8 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Nationality:
Noun: Ivorian(s)
Adjective: Ivorian

Ethnic groups:

• Baoule: 23%
• Bete: 18%
• Senoufou: 15%
• Malinke: 11%
• Agni
• Africans from other countries (mostly Burkinabe and Malians): about 3 million)
• Non-Africans: 130,000 to 330,000 (French 30,000 and Lebanese 100,000 to 300,000)

Religions:

• Muslim: 60%
• Christian: 22%
• Indigenous: 18% (some of these are also numbered among the Christians and Muslims)

Languages:

• French (official)
• 60 native dialects, with Dioula the most widely spoken

Literacy:
(definition: age 15 and over can read and write)

• Total population: 48.5%
• Male: 57%
• Female: 40%