Côte d'Ivoire Travel Guide - Key Facts

West African coast.

GMT.

322,462 sq km (124,503 sq miles).

17.1 million (2005).

53 per sq km.

Yamoussoukro (administrative and political capital since 1983). Population: 110,000 (2005). Abidjan (economic capital). Population: 3 million (2005).

Côte d’Ivoire shares borders with Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana. There are 600km (370 miles) of coast on the Gulf of Guinea (Atlantic Ocean). The southern and western parts of the country are forested, with undulating countryside rising to meet the savannah plains of the north and the mountainous western border. Three rivers, the Sassandra, the Bandama and the Comoé, run directly north–south and, on their approach to the coast, flow into a series of lagoons. Birdlife is plentiful throughout the country, but particularly so near the coast.

Republic. Gained independence from France in 1960. In 1999, the army took power and installed a National Council for Public Salvation.

President Laurent Gbagbo since 2000.

Prime Minister Guillaume Soro since March 2007.

Veteran politician Laurent Gbagbo, who was elected president in 2000 for a five-year mandate, was given a seventh successive year in power in November 2006 under a UN plan to find lasting peace.

The president appointed rebel leader Guillaume Soro in March 2007, weeks after the former arch rivals signed a power-sharing peace deal which handed positions in a transitional government to Soro's New Forces.

The deal envisaged that elections would be held within 10 months and foresaw the dismantling of the buffer zone between the rebel north and the south.

The official language is French. The main African languages are Yacouba, Senoufo, Baoulé, Betie, Attie, Agni and Dioula (the market language).

34% Christian, 27% Muslim, 15% traditional beliefs. It is important to note, however, that these percentages are based on census results in 1998, of which some Muslim foreign workers may have been excluded - therefore, the Muslim percentage may be higher than is indicated here.

220 volts AC, 50Hz. Round two-pin plugs are standard.

One of the most striking features of Côte d’Ivoire, distinguishing it from many other African countries, is the extreme ethnic and linguistic variety. The size of each of the 60 groups – which include the Akar, Kron, Nzima, Hone, Voltaic and Malinke peoples – varies widely and the area they occupy may cover a whole region. With very few exceptions every Ivoirian has a mother tongue which is that of the village, along with traditions, family and social relations within their ethnic group. French has become the official language of schools, cities and government and therefore has an influence on lifestyle even at a modest level. Handshaking is normal.

Small tokens of appreciation, a souvenir from home or a business gift with the company logo are always welcome. Normal courtesies should be observed and it is considered polite to arrive punctually for social occasions. Snakes are regarded as sacred by some ethnic groups.