The Republic of Cote d’Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country located in west Africa. The country is bordered by Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Ghana.
What is the capital of the Ivory Coast?
The Republic of Cote d’Ivoire has two official capitals. Yamoussoukro is the political and administrative capital of the Ivory Coast while Abidjan serves as the economic capital of the country. Yamoussoukro is a district with an estimated population of 155,803. It is the fourth most populous city in the country.
What is the largest city on Ivory Coast?
Abidjan, the economic capital of the Ivory Coast, is the largest city in the country. It covers an area of 981 square miles. Due to the high level of industrialization, the city is considered the cultural hub of west Africa. Abidjan has the third-largest French-speaking population in the world.
How big is Ivory Coast?
Ivory Coast covers an area of 124,502 square miles. The country is mostly flat with undulating plains and mountains in the northwest.
What is the population of the Ivory Coast?
According to the 2009 census, the estimated population of the Ivory Coast is 20,617,068. Life expectancy is around 49 years. The birth rate on average is 4.5 children per woman.
What are the ethnic groups in Ivory Coast?
There are many ethnic groups in the Republic of the Ivory Coast. The major ethnic groups in the country include Akan (42.1%), Voltaiques or Gur (17.6%), Northern Mandes (16.5%), Krous (11%), and Southern Mandes (10%). The remaining population is constituted of the Lebanese and French.
What are the administrative divisions of the Ivory Coast?
The Republic of Cote d’Ivoire is divided into nineteen regions that are further divided into eighty-one departments.
Who are the political leaders of the Ivory Coast?
The government of the Ivory Coast is a presidential republic.
President – Alassane Ouattara
Prime Minister -Patrick Jerome Achi
What currency is used in Ivory Coast?
The West African CFA franc denoted by the ISO 4217 code XOF is the official currency of the Ivory Coast. The franc is nominally subdivided into 100 centimes. It is also the currency of seven other independent west African states: Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Togo.
What is the official language of the Ivory Coast?
French is the official language of the Ivory Coast. There are around sixty other native dialects that are widely spoken in the country. Dioula is the most widely spoken dialect.
What is the official religion of the Ivory Coast?
Islam is the dominant religion in Ivory Coast with Sunni Muslims being the majority. Christianity is the second-largest religion in the country; Roman Catholicism is the largest denomination. A number of indigenous religions are also practiced in the country.
What is the economy of the Ivory Coast like?
Ivory Coast is one of the largest producers and exporters of coffee, cocoa beans, and palm oil. In 2010, the gross domestic product (PPP) was estimated at $37.020 billion, while the per capita stood at $1,680. Agriculture is an important sector in the economy of the country, employing about seventy percent of the population. Fishing and forestry also play an important role. The country exports rice, wheat, plastic materials and resins, agricultural chemicals, telecommunications, and oil and gas equipment; while the major imports include cocoa and cocoa products, rubber, petroleum, and coffee.
When is the national day of the Ivory Coast celebrated?
The national day of the Ivory Coast is celebrated on August 7. The day is celebrated to mark the country’s independence from France on August 7, 1960.
Interesting facts about Cote Divoire |
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| Fact 1 | The Republic of Cote d’Ivoire (previously known as the Ivory Coast) is a west African country of over 20 million citizens. |
| Fact 2 | The land was once called the ‘teeth coast’ due to the trade in ivory. |
| Fact 3 | Independence from France in 1960 is celebrated on August 7th each year with military processions and fireworks. |
| Fact 4 | The Ivory Coast is the world’s largest exporter of cocoa, which is used to make chocolate. |
| Fact 5 | Abidjan is the third largest French-speaking city in the world with 3,800,000 residents – although the country’s capital is now inland at Yamoussoukro. |
| Fact 6 | The Tai National Park is an ancient forest and home to the pygmy hippopotamus. |
| Fact 7 | Ivory Coast is the world’s leading producer of cocoa beans, supplying 33 percent of the total. |
| Fact 8 | The Basilica of Our Lady of Peace in The Ivory Coast capital of Yamoussoukro is the largest church building in the world covering 323,000 sq ft. |
| Fact 9 | Ivory Coast has only ever won one Olympic medal: a silver in the men’s 400 meters in 1984. |
| Fact 10 | The African country of Ivory Coast was the first black Republic and the first non-English speaking country to win an Academy Award. The Oscar went to the country’s film ‘Black and White in Color’ when it won the Academy Award for Best Foreign-Language Film. |
| Fact 11 | She is said to have sacrificed her own child to river spirits to lead them across the Comoé River. |
| Fact 12 | Ivory Coast is home to the largest Basilica in the world: the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace in the legislative capital of Yamoussoukro. |
| Fact 13 | The Ivory Coast, in West Africa, is known for its chocolate. The country produces more cocoa than any other place in the world. In addition to chocolate, the Ivory Coast produces bananas, pineapples, fish, coffee, lumber, cotton, palm oil, and petroleum. |
| Fact 14 | Côte d’Ivoire (which is the country’s preferred name for itself) is an anagram of “erotic video”. |
| Fact 15 | The Ivory Coast national football team is nicknamed “Les Eléphants” (the elephants). |
| Fact 16 | They have twice won the Africa Cup of Nations, in 1995 and 2015, both times beating Ghana on penalties in the final. |
| Fact 17 | French is the official language of ‘The Republic of Cote d’Ivoire’. Apart from French, Baoulé, Dioula, Dan, Anyin, and Cebaara Senufo make up the vernacular languages of the African country. |
| Fact 18 | Did you know that Ivory Coast is a member country of the International Olympic Committee (IOC)? The country gained its membership in the 1960s and since then has been sending athletes to take part in the prestigious Games tournament. |
| Fact 19 | Ivory Coast first took part in the Miss Universe pageant in July 1986, in Panama City when the country was represented by Marie Francoise Koume. |
| Fact 20 | Ivory Coast is home to more than 60 ethnic groups but comparatively has still been a very peaceful country. That goes to say a lot, doesn’t it? |
| Fact 21 | Football or soccer is extremely popular in this African country. Chelsea’s Didier Yves Drogba Tebily is the Ivory Coast’s most popular soccer star. |
| Fact 22 | Yamoussoukro is Cote d’Ivoire’s capital; however, Abidjan, the country’s ex-capital is its largest city. |
| Fact 23 | More than 70% of the nation’s population depends on the success of its agriculture and tourism industries. |
| Fact 24 | Ivory Coast is one of the top Cocoa producing countries in the world. In recent times, palm oil and bananas have managed to graduate into important revenue-earning crops. |