Country Profile · No. 24

Ivory Coast

Capital / Admin Capital

Yamoussoukro (official political capital) / Abidjan (economic capital and seat of government)Population: ~30.9MIndependence: 1960 (August 7)

First President

Félix Houphouët-Boigny (1960–1993)Current President: Alassane Ouattara (Serving since May 2011)

Geography & Borders

Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Gulf of Guinea (Atlantic Ocean). Tropical West African coastal nation.

Demographics & Language

Islam (~43%), Christianity (~40%), traditional beliefs (~10%). Official: French language. Major groups: Akan (~28%), Voltaic / Gur (~16%), Northern Mande (~19%), Krou (~12%).

Economy & GDP

World's leading producer of cocoa beans, cashew nuts, crude petroleum, coffee, palm oil.

Global Diaspora

1. France (~60k–100k), 2. United States (~30k), 3. Italy (~15k). U.S. Hubs (States / Cities): New York (New York City), Maryland (Silver Spring), Texas (Houston).

Major Conflicts

First Ivorian Civil War (2002–2007, political conflict dividing the country into north and south), Second Ivorian Civil War (2011, post-election crisis).

3 Must-See Sites

1. Basilica of Our Lady of Peace in Yamoussoukro (One of the largest Christian church buildings in the world, modeled after St. Peter's Basilica), 2. Tai National Park (UNESCO-listed primary tropical rainforest protecting wild chimpanzees and endemic pygmy hippos), 3. Grand-Bassam Historic Town (Former French colonial capital famous for beach resorts and preserved 19th-century architecture).

Quick Facts

The world's top producer and exporter of cocoa beans, supplying nearly half of global chocolate manufacturing; capital Yamoussoukro features the massive Basilica of Our Lady of Peace.