Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) lies on a flat plateau that slopes gently southwards to the coast of the Gulf of Guinea. The coastline is edged by sandy beaches, lagoons and rocky cliffs. Just inland there is a belt of thick rainforest. Further north, the climate becomes drier and the forests thin out into grassland plains, scattered with trees, known as the savanna. The only uplands are the high Nimba Mountains, on the western border. Lying close to the Equator, Côte d'Ivoire has a tropical climate with hot, humid weather all year round and two different seasons: rainy and dry. The south is wettest: some parts receive as much as 200 centimetres (80 inches) of rain every year.

People

People from Côte d'Ivoire are called Ivorians. The country is home to about 60 different ethnic groups; the largest, the Baoulé, makes up about a fifth of the population. About 1000 years ago, Muslim traders crossing the Sahara introduced Islam to the country; today, Islam is its largest religion, especially in the north. Many others follow traditional beliefs such as animism. Over a century of French rule has resulted in French becoming the official language; some people also speak local languages or a mixture of the two called “français de Moussa”.

Economy

After it became independent in 1960, Côte d'Ivoire was one of the wealthiest countries in West Africa, with successful cocoa and coffee industries. An economic crisis in the 1980s hit farmers badly, and periods of civil war and unrest in 2002 and 2010 damaged its economy further. Today, agriculture is very important; people in the countryside grow almost all the food they need as well as crops such as bananas, pineapples, coconuts and mangoes for export. The oil industry is also developing quickly. Oil is piped from offshore rigs to be processed in Abidjan. This refinery produces enough oil for the whole country, as well as some to export abroad.

Cocoa

Côte d'Ivoire is the largest supplier of cocoa in the world: it produces over 2 million tonnes annually, which is more than one third of all the world’s cocoa. Almost all of it is used to make chocolate. About one in four Ivorians are involved in cocoa-production, growing, picking and packing cocoa beans for export. Cocoa is Côte d'Ivoire's most important industry, but it faces a number of threats. Farmers have to pay high taxes when they export their beans, which means they receive only a small profit. They also have to replant their cocoa trees every 30 years, because old trees become less productive. Many of today’s farmers can barely afford to do this.

Facts about Côte d'Ivoire

Population 31,500,000 (2024 estimate)

Area 318,003 sq km

Highest point Mount Nimba 1752 m (5748 ft)

Capital Yamoussoukro, population 258,323

Other major cities Abidjan (pop. 5,866,700)

Languages French, Dioula, Baoulé and other indigenous languages

Religions Muslim 42.5%, Christian 40%, indigenous beliefs 2%, others and none 15.5%

Ethnicity Akan (including Baoulé) 42%, Gur 18%, Mandé 17%, Krous 11%, others 12%

Currency West African CFA franc (XOF)

Chief exports cocoa, coffee, timber, petroleum, cotton, bananas, pineapples, palm oil, fish