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Since 1983, Ivory Coast's capital has been Yamoussoukro. Abidjan is the administrative center. Most countries maintain their embassies in Abidjan. The Ivoirian population continues to suffer because of an ongoing civil war. 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. Although most of the fighting ended by late 2004, the country remained split in two, with the north controlled by the New Forces (FN). A new presidential election was expected to be held in October 2005, and an agreement was reached among the rival parties in March 2007 to proceed with this, but it continued to be postponed until November 2010 due to delays in its preparation. Elections were finally held in 2010. The first round of elections were held peacefully, and widely hailed as free and fair. Runoffs were held 28 November 2010, after being delayed one week from the original date of 21 November. Laurent Gbagbo as president ran against former Prime Minister Alassane Ouattara.[57] On 2 December, the Electoral Commission declared that Ouattara had won the election by a margin of 54% to 46%. In response, the Gbagbo-aligned Constitutional Council rejected the declaration, and the government announced that country's borders had been sealed. An Ivorian military spokesman said, "The air, land and sea border of the country are closed to all movement of people and goods."[58] Foreign relations Further information: Foreign relations of Ivory Coast Ivory Coast is a member of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, African Union, La Francophonie, Latin Union, Economic Community of West African States and South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone. Military Further information: Military of Ivory Coast As of 2012, major equipment items reported by the Ivory Coast Army included ten T-55 tanks (marked as potentially unserviceable), 5 AMX-13 light tanks, 34 reconnaissance vehicles, 10 BMP-1/2 armoured infantry fighting vehicles, 41 wheeled APCs, and 36+ artillery pieces.[59] In 2012 the Ivory Coast Airforce consisted of one Mil Mi-24 attack helicopter and three SA330L Puma transports (marked as potentially unserviceable).[60] Economy Main article: Economy of Ivory Coast A proportional representation of Ivory Coast's exports. Ivory Coast has, for the region, a relatively high income per capita (USD 1014.4 in 2013 ) and plays a key role in transit trade for neighboring, landlocked countries. The country is the largest economy in the West African Economic and Monetary Union, constituting 40 percent of the monetary union’s total GDP. The country is the world's largest exporter of Cocoa beans, and the fourth largest exporter of goods, in general, in sub-Saharan Africa (following South Africa, Nigeria and Angola).[61] In 2009, the cocoa bean farmers earned $2.53 billion for cocoa exports and is expected to produce 630,000 metric tons in 2013.[62][63] According to The Hershey Company, the price of cocoa beans are expected to rise dramatically in upcoming years.[64] The Ivory Coast also has 100,000 rubber farmers which earned a total of $105 million in 2012.[65][66] The maintenance of close ties to France since independence in 1960, diversification of agriculture for export, and encouragement of foreign investment, have been factors in the economic growth of Ivory Coast. In recent years Ivory Coast has been subject to greater competition and falling prices in the global marketplace for its primary agricultural crops: coffee and cocoa. That, compounded with high internal corruption, makes life difficult for the grower and those exporting into foreign markets. Society Demographics Main article: Demographics of Ivory Coast Abidjan with an estimated population of 4.6 million in 2014 is the Ivory Coast's largest settlement and the economic capital of the Ivory Coast. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998,[67] and was estimated to be 20,617,068 in 2009,[1] and 23,919,000 in July 2014.[2] Ivory Coast's first national census in 1975 counted 6.7 million inhabitants.[68] According to 2012 government survey, the fertility rate was 5.0, with 3.7 in urban areas and 6.3 in rural areas.[69] Languages Further information: Languages of Ivory Coast French, the official language, is taught in schools and serves as a lingua franca in the country. An estimated 65 languages are spoken in Ivory Coast. One of the most common is Dyula, which acts as a trade language as well as a language commonly spoken by the Muslim population. Ethnic groups Ethnic groups include Akan 42.1%, Voltaiques or Gur 17.6%, Northern Mandes 16.5%, Krous 11%, Southern Mandes 10%, other 2.8% (includes 30,000 Lebanese and 45,000 French; 2004). 77% of the population are considered Ivoirians. Since Ivory Coast has established itself as one of the most successful West African nations, about 20% of the population (about 3.4 million) consists of workers from neighbouring Liberia, Burkina Faso and Guinea. 4% of the population is of non-African ancestry. Many are French,[70] Lebanese,[71] Vietnamese and Spanish citizens, as well as Protestant missionaries from the United States and Canada. In November 2004, around 10,000 French and other foreign nationals evacuated Ivory Coast due to attacks from pro-government youth militias.[72] Aside from French nationals, there are native-born descendants of French settlers who arrived during the country's colonial period. Largest cities v t e Largest cities or towns of Ivory Coast GeoNames Rank Name Region Pop. Abidjan Abidjan Abobo Abobo 1 Abidjan Lagunes 4 677 115 2 Abobo Lagunes 1 100 000 3 Bouaké Vallée du Bandama 567 481 4 Daloa Haut-Sassandra 215 652 5 San-Pédro Bas-Sassandra 196 751 6 Yamoussoukro Lacs 194 530 7 Korhogo Savanes 167 359 8 Man Dix-Huit Montagnes 139,341 9 Divo Sud-Bandama 127 867 10 Gagnoa Fromager 123 184 Religion Religion in Ivory Coast[1] Religion Percent Islam 38.6% Christianity 32.8% African indigenous 28% Further information: Religion in Ivory Coast The native born population is roughly split into three groups of Muslim, Christian (primarily Roman Catholic) and animist.[1] Religion in Ivory Coast remains very heterogeneous, with Islam (almost all Sunni Muslims, with some Ahmadi Muslims[73]) and Christianity (mostly Roman Catholic with smaller numbers of Methodists and Protestants) being the major religions. Muslims dominate the north, while Christians dominate the south. In 2009, according to U.S. Department of State estimates, Christians and Muslims each made up 35 to 40% of the population, while an estimated 25% of the population practiced traditional religions.[74] Ivory Coast's capital, Yamoussoukro, is home to the largest church building[n 6] in the world, the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro. Health Main article: Health in Ivory Coast Life expectancy at birth was 41 for males in 2004; for females it was 47.[75] Infant mortality was 118 of 1000 live births.[75] There are 12 physicians per 100,000 people.[75] About a quarter of the population lives below the international poverty line of US$1.25 a day.[76] About 36% of women have undergone female genital mutilation.[77] According to 2010 estimates, Ivory Coast has the 27th highest maternal mortality rate in the world.[78] The HIV/AIDS rate was estimated in 2012 at 3.20% among adults aged 15–49 years.[79] Education The University campus of the Université de Cocody. Main article: Education in Ivory Coast A large part of the adult population, in particular women, are illiterate. Many children between 6 and 10 years are not enrolled in school. [80] The majority of students in secondary education are male.[81] At the end of secondary education, students can sit the Baccalauréat examination.[81] The country has universities in Abidjan (Université de Cocody) and Bouaké (Université de Bouaké). Culture Main article: Culture of Ivory Coast Music Main article: Music of Ivory Coast Each of the ethnic groups in Ivory Coast has its own music genres, most showing strong vocal polyphony. Talking drums are also common, especially among the Appolo, and polyrhythms, another African characteristic, are found throughout Ivory Coast and are especially common in the southwest. Popular music genres from Ivory Coast include zoblazo, zouglou and Coupé-Décalé. A few Ivorian artists who have known international success are Magic Système, Alpha Blondy, Meiway, Dobet Gnahore, Tiken Dja Fakoly, Christina Goh from Ivorian descent. Sport See also: Ivory Coast at the Olympics The Ivory Coast national football team The country has been host for several major African sporting events, with the most recent being the 2013 African Basketball Championship. In the past, the country further hosted the 1984 Africa Cup of Nations, in which its football team finished 5th, and the 1985 African Basketball Championship, where its basketball team won the gold medal. Ivory Coast won an Olympic silver medal for men's 400-metre in the 1984 games, where it competed as "Côte d'Ivoire". The most popular sport in Ivory Coast is association football. The national football team has played in the World Cup three times, in Germany 2006, in South Africa 2010 and in Brazil in 2014. Rugby union is also popular, and the national rugby union team qualified to play at the Rugby World Cup in South Africa in 1995. Cuisine Yassa is a popular dish throughout West Africa prepared with chicken or fish. Chicken yassa is pictured. Main article: Ivorian cuisine The traditional cuisine of Ivory Coast is very similar to that of neighboring countries in west Africa in its reliance on grains and tubers. Cassava and plantains are significant parts of Ivorian cuisine. A type of corn paste called "Aitiu" is used to prepare corn balls, and peanuts are widely used in many dishes. Attiéké is a popular side dish in Ivory Coast made with grated cassava and is a vegetable-based couscous. A common street-vended food is aloko, which is ripe banana fried in palm oil, spiced with steamed onions and chili and eaten alone or with grilled fish. Chicken is commonly consumed, and has a unique flavor due to its lean, low-fat mass in this region. Seafood includes tuna, sardines, shrimp and bonito, which are similar to tuna. Mafé is a common dish consisting of meat in a peanut sauce.[82] Slow-simmered stews with various ingredients are another common food staple in Ivory Coast.[82] "Kedjenou" is a dish consisting of chicken and vegetables that are slow-cooked in a sealed pot with little or no added liquid, which concentrates the flavors of the chicken and vegetables and tenderizes the chicken.[82] It is usually cooked in a pottery jar called a canary, over a slight fire, or cooked in an oven.[82] "Bangui" is a local palm wine. Ivorians have a particular kind of small, open-air restaurant called a maquis, which is unique to the region. Maquis normally feature braised chicken and fish covered in onions and tomatoes, served with attiéké, or kedjenou, a chicken dish made with vegetables and a mild sauce. |
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