Côte d'Ivoire

*République de Côte d'Ivoire*
Republic of Côte d'Ivoire
République de Côte d'Ivoire Republic of Côte d'Ivoire
	Coat of arms of Côte d'Ivoire
	Motto: (translation) Unity, Discipline and Labour
	Anthem: L'Abidjanaise;
Capital	Yamoussoukro (official); Abidjan (de facto); 6°51′N 5°18′W / 6.85, -5.3
Largest city	Abidjan
Official languages	French
Government	Republic
Independence	From France
Area
Population
GDP (PPP)	2005 estimate
Currency	CFA franc (XOF)
Time zone	GMT (UTC+0)
Internet TLD	.ci
Calling code	+225
	¹ Estimates for this country take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower population than would otherwise be expected.

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Côte d'Ivoire (pronounced /kot divwaʀ/ in International French; commonly called Ivory Coast in English.), officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the coast of West Africa. It borders Liberia and Guinea to the west, Mali and Burkina Faso to the north, Ghana to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south. The population is more than 18 million and its capital is Abidjan; Yamoussorkro, is the capital designate. Once one of the most prosperous of the tropical West African states, its economy has been undermined by political turmoil and civil war.

History

Little is known about Côte d'Ivoire before the arrival of Portuguese ships in the 1460s. The major ethnic groups came relatively recently from neighboring areas: the Kru people came from Liberia around 1600; the Senoufo and Lobi moved southward from Burkina Faso and Mali; in the 18th and 19th centuries the Akan people, including the Baoulé, migrated from Ghana into the eastern area of the country, and the Malinké from Guinea into the northwest.

French colonial era

Compared to neighboring Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire suffered little from the slave trade. European slaving and merchant ships preferred other areas along the coast with better harbors. France took an interest in the 1840s, enticing local chiefs to grant French commercial traders a monopoly along the coast. Thereafter, the French built naval bases to keep out non-French traders and began a systematic conquest of the interior. They accomplished this only after a long war in the 1890s against Mandinka forces, mostly from Gambia. Guerrilla warfare by the Baoulé and other eastern groups continued until 1917.

France's main goal was to stimulate the production of exports. Coffee, cocoa and palm oil crops were soon planted along the coast. Côte d'Ivoire stood out as the only West African country with a sizeable population of 'settlers'; elsewhere in West and Central Africa, the French and English were largely bureaucrats. As a result, a third of the cocoa, coffee and banana plantations were in the hands of French citizens and a hated forced-labor system became the backbone of the economy.

Independence

The son of a Baoulé chief, Félix Houphouët-Boigny, was to become Côte d'Ivoire's father of independence. In 1944 he formed the country's first agricultural trade union for his fellow cocoa farmers. Annoyed that colonial policy favored French plantation owners, they united to recruit migrant workers for their own farms. Houphouët-Boigny soon rose to prominence and within a year was elected to the French Parliament in Paris. A year later the French abolished forced labor. As his political influence and personal wealth grew Houphouët-Boigny became more ingratiated with the French and he gradually dropped the more radical stance of his youth. France reciprocated by making him the first African to become a minister in a European government.

At the time of Côte d'Ivoire's independence from France in 1960, the country was easily French West Africa's most prosperous, contributing over 40 percent of the region's total exports. When Houphouët-Boigny became the first president his government gave farmers good prices to further stimulate production. Coffee production increased significantly, catapulting Côte d'Ivoire into third place in total output behind Brazil and Colombia. By 1979 the country was the world's leading producer of cocoa. It also became Africa's leading exporter of pineapples and palm oil. In the rest of Africa, Europeans were driven out following independence; but in Côte d'Ivoire, they poured in. The French community grew from 10,000 to 50,000, most of them teachers and advisers. For 20 years, the economy maintained an annual growth rate of nearly 10 percent - the highest of Africa's non-oil-exporting countries. But by the early 1980s, the world recession and a local drought sent shock waves through the Ivorian economy. Thanks also to the over cutting of timber and collapsing sugar prices, the country's external debt increased threefold. Crime rose dramatically in Abidjan.

Houphouët-Boigny administration

Politically, Houphouët-Boigny ruled with an iron hand. The press was not free, and only one political party was tolerated. Houphouët-Boigny was also Africa's number one producer of 'show' projects. Many millions of dollars were spent transforming his village, Yamoussoukro, into the new capital. He spent $150 million-plus on the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace where thousands of Ivorians came along with other West Africans to cheer Pope John Paul II's consecration of the largest church in all Christendom in 1990.

Also in 1990, hundreds of civil servants went on strike, joined by students protesting institutional corruption. The unrest forced the government to support multiparty democracy. Houphouët-Boigny became increasingly feeble and died in 1993. He was succeeded by Henri Konan Bédié.

Bédié administration

In October 1995, Bédié won his own five-year term with 96 percent of the vote against a fragmented and disorganized opposition. He tightened his hold over political life by sending several hundred opposition supporters to jail. In contrast, the economic outlook improved, at least superficially, with decreasing inflation and an attempt to remove foreign debt.

Unlike Houphouët-Boigny, who was very careful in avoiding any ethnic conflict and left access to Ivorian nationality wide-open to immigrants from neighboring countries, Bedié emphasized the concept of "Ivority" (Ivoirité). He used it to exclude his rival Alassane Ouattara from elections. Under this policy having only one parent that was a native Ivorian and the other being from Burkina Faso disqualified him to run for president. This policy also excluded foreign born residents from attaining Ivorian citizenship and resulted in a great deal of discontent from ethnic groups who had worked and resided in Côte d'Ivoire's for a long time.

1999 coup

Similarly, Bédié excluded many potential opponents from the army. In late 1999, a group of dissatisfied officers staged a military coup, putting General Robert Guéi in power. Bédié fled into exile in France. The coup reduced crime and corruption, and the generals pressed for austerity and openly campaigned in the streets for a less wasteful society.

Gbagbo administration

A presidential election was held in October 2000 in which Laurent Gbagbo (backed mainly by Christians) vied with Guéi, but it was neither peaceful nor democratic. The days preceding the election were marked by military and civil unrest. Guéi's attempt to rig the election led to a public uprising, resulting in around 180 deaths and his swift replacement by the election's likely winner, Gbagbo. When Alassane Ouattara, a Muslim who had served as Prime Minister under Houphouet-Boigny, announced his intention to run in this election he was disqualified by the country's Supreme Court, due to his Burkinabé nationality. This added significantly to the tension between religious and ethnic groups. The Supreme Court decision and the rigged election sparked violent protests in Yamoussoukro.

2002 mutiny

In the early hours of September 19, 2002, troops that were to be demobilized mutinied, launching attacks in several cities that killed thousands. By lunchtime the Government claimed to have beaten the rebels; in fact they lost control of the north and still have not regained it. The fight for the south had been tough too, the battle for the main Gendarmerie Barracks in Abidjan lasted till mid-morning. What exactly happened that night is disputed. The government said that former president Robert Guéi had led a coup attempt, and state tv showed pictures of his dead body in the street; counter-claims said that he and fifteen others had been murdered at his home and his body had been moved to the streets to incriminate him. Alassane Ouattara took refuge in the French embassy, his home burned down.

President Gbagbo cut short a foreign trip to Italy, and on his return said some of the rebels were hiding in the shanty towns where foreign migrant workers lived. Gendarmes and vigilantes bulldozed and burned homes by the thousands while attacking the residents.

An early ceasefire with the rebels, who had the backing of the northern populace (mostly of Burkinabé origin), proved short-lived and fighting over the prime cocoa-growing areas resumed. France sent in troops to maintain the cease-fire boundaries, and militias, including warlords and fighters from Liberia and Sierra Leone, took advantage of the crisis to seize parts of the west.

2003 unity government

In January 2003, President Gbagbo and rebel leaders signed accords creating a 'government of national unity'. Curfews were lifted and French troops cleaned up the lawless western border of the country. But the central problems remained, and neither side achieved its goals.

Since then, the unity government has proven extremely unstable. In March 2004, 120 people were killed in an opposition rally. A later report concluded the killings were planned. Though UN peacekeepers were deployed, relations between Gbagbo and the opposition continued to deteriorate.

In November 2004, around 10,000 French and other foreign nationals evacuated Cote d'Ivoire due to attacks from pro-government youth militias.[1]

A new presidential election was expected to be held in October, 2005. However, this new election could not be held on time due to delay in preparation and has been postponed to October 2006 after an agreement was reached among the rival parties.

Religion

For more than three decades after independence under the leadership of Houphouet-Boigny, Ivory Coast was conspicuous for its religious and ethnic harmony and its well-developed economy.[2]

All of this unity and prosperity began to unravel with the election of Bédié. Ivory Coast’s northern population is mostly Muslim and traditional local religions, with some significant Christian minorities. The country's southern population is mostly Christian with some traditional local religions. A large number of northern Muslims began to settle in the south's main cities when they came to work in the cocoa and coffee plantations. For decades they co-existed in harmony. But by the early 1990s trouble began to brew and when Bedie was overthrown the ethnic discord escalated.

The southern Christian political elite's new policy of disenfranchising (Muslim) northerners, and their policy of encouraging southerners to take lands long held — and worked — by northerners in the south led the country down the path of racial and religious discord. [3]

Caught in the conflict between Christians and Muslims are traditional religions that involve ancestral worship. These groups believe that the dead are transformed into spirits and remain in constant contact with the living; through various rituals, the living seek their blessings and protection. Magic is also common, and good magic keeps evil spirits away.

Medicine men or juju priests, also a part of the traditional adherents, dispense charms, tell fortunes and give advice on how to avoid danger. They also bless grisgris, necklaces of charms that ward off specific evils. The Senoufo people in particular have held very strongly to their traditional beliefs. Children are instructed over many years in the history and social mores of the Senoufo and are then secretly initiated.[4]

Political Status

The official capital since 1983 is Yamoussoukro; however, Abidjan remains the administrative center. Most countries maintain their embassies in Abidjan, although some (including the United Kingdom) have closed their missions because of the continuing violence and attacks on Europeans.

International human rights organizations have noted problems with the treatment of captive non-combatants by both sides and the re-emergence of child slavery among workers in cocoa production.

The UN Security Council in December of 2005 threatened sanctions against individuals suspected of violating the arms embargo or impeding the peace process in Cote d'Ivoire. Under France’s leadership, the Security Council acknowledged the role of diamonds in fuelling the conflict and broadened the arms embargo to include a ban on diamond exports from Ivory Coast. Security Council members suspect that the rebel group New Forces purchases arms with revenue from illicit diamond sales.

Geography

Map Of Côte d'Ivoire

Côte d'Ivoire is a country of western Sub-Saharan Africa. It borders Liberia and Guinea in the west, Mali and Burkina Faso in the north, Ghana in the east, and the Gulf of Guinea (Atlantic Ocean) in the south.

The nation consists of a large plateau rising gradually from sea level to almost 500 meters altitude in the north. Vegetation changes from lagoon and semitropical growth in the south to savanna grassland and scrub in the north. Mountain ranges extend along the western border and a few peaks dot the northeast corner. Four major river systems flow southward forming parallel drainage basins. Cutting across these basins are three geographic regions roughly parallel to the coast—the lagoon region, the forest region, and the savanna [5]

Four major river systems follow meandering courses from north to south, draining into the Gulf of Guinea. From west to east these are the Cavally, Sassandra, Bandama, and Comoé—all relatively untamed rivers navigable only short distances inland from the coast. In the north, many smaller tributaries change to dry streambeds between rains.

Large dams were built in the 1960s and 1970s to control the flow of major rivers to the south. These projects created reservoirs, now referred to as lakes bearing the names of the dams- -Buyo on the Sassandra, Kossou and Taabo on the Bandama, and Ayamé on the small Bia River in the southeast corner of the country. Lake Kossou is the largest of these, occupying more than 1,600 square kilometers in the center of the country.

The climate is generally warm and humid and is, overall, transitional from equatorial to tropical. Seasons are more clearly distinguishable by rainfall and wind direction than by temperature. Continental and maritime air masses, following the apparent movement of the sun from north to south, determine the cycle of the seasons that is associated with heat and cold farther from the equator.[6]

Economy

Maintaining close ties to France since independence in 1960, diversification of agriculture for export, and encouragement of foreign investment, has made Côte d'Ivoire one of the most prosperous of the tropical African states.

In recent years the oil industry has become one of the key elements in the economy of the country. In particular the downstream industry is well developed with an oil refinery at Abidjan and eight oil companies engaged in the distribution and marketing of petroleum products.

Based on a government decision in the 1980's, the oil, gas, and energy sectors of the economy are and will be the main driving engines of the economy in future decades. Offshore discoveries, including gas finds in the Gulf of Guinea provide opportunities for hydrocarbon exploration in the Ivory Coast.

In addition to its oil industry, the Ivory Coast has an active chemicals industry, as well as being one of the larger markets in the lubricants industry in the West African region. The country's mining industry is another important sector in the country's economy. Electricity is provided by the parastatal utility, Compagnie Ivoirienne d'Electricite (CIE).

The country’s economic growth has regularly been interrupted by political upheaval, which seriously eroded the production and marketing of cotton, sugar cane, tobacco, and cashews. Road blocks and the lack of liquidity hampered the marketing and transport of cocoa/coffee.

Despite these difficulties, and the fact that the World Bank and the IMF put a hold on disbursements to the country, it has managed its debt obligations to these institutions. The country’s GDP in 2002 was US $11.7 billion, of which agriculture made up 25.6 percent, ndustry 20.8 percent and services 53.6 percent.[7]

Demographics

The country has an area of 320,763 square kilometers (123,847 square miles).

Seventy-Seven percent of the population are considered Ivorians. They represent several different ethnic and language groups. Among the different groups an estimated 65 languages are spoken. One of the most common is Djoula which acts as a trade language as well as a language commonly spoken by the Muslim population.

Cote d'Ivoire established itself as one of the most successful west African nations with the help of workers from neighboring Liberia, Burkina Faso and Guinea. Natives of these countries as well as other Africans represent about 40 percent of the population. Most of these workers are Muslims while the native-born population is largely Christian (primarily Roman Catholic) and animist. Four percent of the population is of non-African ancestry. Many are French, British, and Spanish citizens, as well as Protestant missionaries of American and Canadian background.

Culture

Mask from Côte d'Ivoire

There are more than 60 ethnic groups, the key ones being the Baoulé in the center, the Agri in the east, the Senufo in the north, the Dioula in the northwest and west, the Bété in the center-west and the Dan-Yacouba in the west.

One of Côte d'Ivoire's most famous festivals is the Fêtes des Masques (Festival of Masks), which takes place in the region of Man occurs in November. Numerous small villages in the region hold contests to determine the best dancers and to pay homage to forest spirits who are embodied in the elaborate masks.

Another important event is the week long carnival in Bouaké each March.

In April, the Fête du Dipri in Gomon, near Abidjan. This festival starts around midnight, when women and children sneak out of their huts and, naked, carry out nocturnal rites to exorcise the village of evil spells. Before sunrise the chief appears, drums pound and villagers go into trances. The frenzy continues until late afternoon of the next day.

Music

World famous reggae artist Alpha Blondy is Côte d'Ivoire's best known singer, though his music isn't necessarily representative.

The country's traditional music style is characterized by a series of melodies and rhythms occurring simultaneously, without one dominating the others. The Dan are an extremely musical people. They don't do anything without music. Rice, Death, Marriage, Birth, Weather are all celebrated with music.

Historically, this music has been the prerogative of just one social group, the griot (village entertainers), who use only instruments they can make with local materials, such as gourds, animal skins and horns. instruments used include Talking drum, djembe, Kpalogo, Shekere (Youroo), Akombe, Cleavers.

Wooden carvings

The Baoulé, the Dan (or Yacouba) and the Senoufo - all are known for their wooden carvings.

No one produces a wider variety of masks than the people of the Ivory Coast. Masks are used to represent the souls of deceased people, lesser dieties, or even caricatures of animals. The ownership of masks is restricted to certain powerful individuals or to families. Only specifically designated, specially trained individuals are permitted to wear the masks.

It is dangerous for others to wear ceremonial masks because each mask has a soul, or life force, and when a person's face comes in contact with the inside of the mask that person is transformed into the entity the mask. [8]

History of Name

The country was originally known in English as Ivory Coast, and corresponding translations in other languages: Côte-d'Ivoire in French, Elfenbeinküste in German, Costa de Marfil in Spanish, Norsunluurannikko in Finnish, Pantai Gading in Indonesian, Ivoorkust in Dutch, Wybrzeże Kości Słoniowej in Polish, Costa d'Avorio in Italian, Elefántcsontpart in Hungarian , Ακτή Ελεφαντοστού in Greek and so on. In October 1985 the government requested that the country be known as Côte d'Ivoire in every language, without the hyphen, contravening the standard rule in French that geographical names with several words must be written with hyphens.

Despite the Ivorian government's ruling, "Ivory Coast" (sometimes "the Ivory Coast") is still used in English. Governments, however, use "Côte d'Ivoire" for diplomatic reasons. The English country name registered with the United Nations and adopted by ISO 3166 is "Côte d'Ivoire". Journalistic style guides usually (but not always) recommend "Ivory Coast":

The Guardian newspaper's Style Guide says: "Ivory Coast, not "the Ivory Coast" or "Côte D'Ivoire"; its nationals are Ivorians"
The BBC usually uses "Ivory Coast" both in news reports and on its page about the country [9].
The Economist newsmagazine's Style Guide says "Côte d'Ivoire not Ivory Coast".
The United States Department of State uses "Côte d'Ivoire" in formal documents, but uses "Ivory Coast" in many general references, speeches and briefing documents [10].
Encyclopædia Britannica uses "Côte d'Ivoire".
ABC News, The Times, the New York Times and SABC all use "Ivory Coast" either exclusively or predominantly.
Rand-McNally Millennium World Atlas uses "Côte d'Ivoire".
FIFA uses Côte d'Ivoire when referring to their national football team in international games and in official broadcasts.

Miscellaneous topics

National football team of Côte d'Ivoire

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

This article contains material from the CIA World Factbook which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. 2000
This article contains material from the US Department of State's Background Notes which, as a US government publication, is in the public domain. 2003

"Cote d'Ivoire" Encyclopedia Britannica 2006 Encyclopedia Britannica Online Library Edition 11- July 2006 http://www.library.eb.com/eb/article-55118,

External links

Government

Embassy of Côte d'Ivoire in Japan government information and links

News

allAfrica - Côte d'Ivoirenews headline links
Abidjan.Net news forums links

Overviews

BBC News - Country Profile: Ivory Coast
CIA World Factbook - Cote d'Ivoire
Library of Congress Country Study - Ivory Coast data as of November 1988

Directories

The Index on Africa - Côte d'Ivoire directory category
Open Directory Project - Côte d'Ivoire directory category
Stanford University - Africa South of the Sahara: Cote d'Ivoire - Ivory Coast directory category
University of Pennsylvania - African Studies Center: Cote d'Ivoire directory category
Yahoo! - Cote d'Ivoire directory category

Tourism

Travel guide to Côte d'Ivoire from Wikitravel
Travel Overview of Côte d'Ivoire
Lonely Planet - Cote d'Ivoire

Other

Countries of Africa

Sovereign states
Algeria · Angola · Benin · Botswana · Burkina Faso · Burundi · Cameroon · Cape Verde · Central African Republic · Chad · Democratic Republic of the Congo · Republic of the Congo · Comoros · Côte d'Ivoire · Djibouti · Egypt¹ · Equatorial Guinea · Eritrea · Ethiopia · Gabon · The Gambia · Ghana · Guinea-Bissau · Guinea · Kenya · Lesotho · Liberia · Libya · Madagascar · Malawi · Mali · Mauritania · Mauritius · Morocco · Mozambique · Namibia · Niger · Nigeria · Rwanda · Senegal · Seychelles · Sierra Leone · Somalia · South Africa · Spain² · Sudan · Swaziland · São Tomé and Príncipe · Tanzania · Togo · Tunisia · Uganda · Zambia · Zimbabwe

Dependencies | Unrecognized
British Indian Ocean Territory (UK) · French Southern and Antarctic Lands (France) · Mayotte (France) · Réunion (France) · St. Helena³ (UK) | Puntland · Somaliland · Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic

¹ Partly in Asia. ² Mostly in Europe. ³ Includes the dependencies of Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha.

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