Close ties to France following independence in 1960, the development of cocoa production for export, and foreign investment all made Côte d’Ivoire one of the most prosperous of the West African states but did not protect it from political turmoil. In December 1999, a military coup - the first ever in Côte d’Ivoire's history - overthrew the government. Junta leader Robert GUEI blatantly rigged elections held in late 2000 and declared himself the winner. Popular protest forced him to step aside and brought Laurent GBAGBO into power. Ivorian dissidents and disaffected members of the military launched a failed coup attempt in September 2002 that developed into a rebellion and then a civil war. The war ended in 2003 with a cease fire that left the country divided with the rebels holding the north, the government the south, and peacekeeping forces a buffer zone between the two. In March 2007, President GBAGBO and former New Forces rebel leader Guillaume SORO signed an agreement in which SORO joined GBAGBO's government as prime minister and the two agreed to reunite the country by dismantling the buffer zone, integrating rebel forces into the national armed forces, and holding elections. Difficulties in preparing electoral registers delayed balloting until 2010. In November 2010, Alassane Dramane OUATTARA won the presidential election over GBAGBO, but GBAGBO refused to hand over power, resulting in a five-month stand-off. In April 2011, after widespread fighting, GBAGBO was formally forced from office by armed OUATTARA supporters with the help of UN and French forces. Several thousand UN peacekeepers and several hundred French troops remain in Côte d’Ivoire to support the transition process. OUATTARA is focused on rebuilding the country's infrastructure and military after the five months of post-electoral fighting and faces ongoing threats from GBAGBO supporters, many of whom have sought shelter in Ghana. GBAGBO is in The Hague awaiting trial for crimes against humanity. CIA World Factbook. With an area of 322,463 sq km, it is slightly larger than the U.S. state of New Mexico.
Côte d’Ivoire shares a border with Burkina Faso, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, and Mali. It is mostly flat to undulating plains with mountains in the northwest..
People who live in Côte d’Ivoire are called Ivoirian, which is also an adjective used to describe something from this country. As of July 2013, there are 22,400,835 people in Côte d’Ivoire. The ethnic groups that reside in Côte d’Ivoire are mostly Akan (42%), with Voltaiques/Gur (17%), Northern Mandes (16%), Krous (11%), and Southern Mandes (10%). Though French is the official language, 60 native dialects are spoken - Dioula is the most widely spoken. Muslims make up approximately 38% of the population, while Christian (32%) and indigenous (12%) make up the rest, save the 16% that have none.
The country's official name is Republic of Côte d’Ivoire. The capital is Yamoussoukro, and the country is made up of 12 districts and 2 autonomous districts. The Côte d’Ivoire gained independence from the French on August 7, 1960. The current president is Alassane Dramane Ouattara. Information about the leaders of Côte d’Ivoire's government can be found on the Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments site (CIA). The currency is the Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF), which stands at 510.29 XOF per USD as of 2012.
All of this information was gathered from the CIA World Factbook. For more information, check out these resources...
Côte d’Ivoire, CIA World Factbook
Côte d’Ivoire, U.S. Department of State
2012 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Côte d’Ivoire, U.S. Department of State.
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