Terrain

The coast which gives Côte d'Ivoire its name has many lagoons, the majority of which are not navigable because they are very shallow. Along the coastline there is dense tropical forest that stretches 265 km from east to west and stretches 100 km inland. The north and centre of the country have savannah vegetation. Characteristic in the western part of the country are hills and mountain ranges in the regions of Odienné and Man. The highest peak is Tonkoui at 1,189 m. The largest rivers are the Sassandra, Bandama and Comoé, none of which are navigable for more than 65 km.

Climate

Côte d'Ivoire has a tropical climate with abundant rainfall. The average annual precipitation is between is between 1,900 mm in coastal areas and 1,100 mm in the savannah. In the south there are two rainy seasons, from March to July and from September to November. In the north the rainy season lasts from March to July. The average annual temperature is 26.1°C.

Fauna/Flora

Forests cover the country's central regions. There are more than 225 species of tree in Côte d'Ivoire, including obeche, mahogany and iroko. However, rain forests are being cut down at the highest rate in the world. Hardwood exports are on a similar level to Brazil, which is 20 times larger than Côte d'Ivoire. The only remaining virgin forest is in the Taï National Park in south-west Côte d'Ivoire, which is 3,600 km2. Jackals, hyenas, panthers, elephants, chimpanzees, crocodiles, and various kinds of lizards and poisonous snakes are found in the country.

History/Politics

European explorers reached the coast in the 15th century and established trading posts for slaves and ivory. Ancestors of today's ethnic groups are presumed to have immigrated in the 18th and 19th centuries, mainly from the east and north-east, and established a new state. French colonizers only started to go inland in the 1830s after they had come to an agreement with those who governed the coastal area.

Although the French met fierce resistance, Côte d'Ivoire officially became a French colony in 1893. In 1904 Côte d'Ivoire gained the status of an autonomous region within the Federation of French West Africa. Over the years that followed, the French pursued direct government, thus undermining the power of the traditional rulers.

In 1919 the north of the country was separated and became part of the new colony of Upper Volta. In 1944 Félix Houphouёt-Boigny, a Baoule chief, farmer and doctor, founded the "Syndicat Agricole Africain" (Union of African Farmers), which then became the first big African political party, the Democratic Party of Côte d'Ivoire, led by Houphouët-Boigny. In 1949 political tension led to violent clashes, and in 1950 Houphouët-Boigny changed his political stance to be more in line with the French, which marked the beginning of their co-operation.

In 1958 Côte d'Ivoire was proclaimed a republic within the French Community. Houphouёt-Boigny was elected Prime Minister in 1959, the country was given full independence on 7 August 1960 and Houphouёt-Boigny was elected president in November of the same year.

Côte d'Ivoire enjoyed political stability and high economic growth in the sixties and the seventies. The early 1980s saw a severe economic recession which forced the government to take steps to stabilise the economy. This resulted in student protests at the beginning of 1982, leading to the temporary closure of the University of Abidjan.

Towards the end of the eighties the aging president authorised large building projects, especially in Yamoussoukro, despite the fact that the economy was at rock bottom. In October 1990, after the re-establishment of a multi-party system, Houphouёt-Boigny took up his seventh five-year term as president after the most liberal elections in Côte d'Ivoire since independence. He died, however, in 1993. His successor was the chairman of the National Assembly, Henri Konan Bédié. On 25 December 1999 Konan Bédié was overthrown in a military coup - the first ever in Côte d'Ivoire's history. Laurent Gbagbo won the most votes in the presidential elections of October 2000 and was therefore appointed president.

Civil war broke out in 2002. The president tried to bring it under control by forming a national unity government in 2003. The government and rebel groups began peace talks in 2004 and a treaty was signed in April 2005, which brought an end to the civil war.

Economy

Côte d'Ivoire is an agricultural country and around 60% of the working population are employed in agriculture. Main export items include coffee, cocoa, sugar cane, bananas, cotton and pineapples. Côte d'Ivoire is one of the world's leading coffee and cocoa producers.

Other agricultural products, mainly produced for domestic consumption, are manioc, rice, maize, millet, peanuts and yams. The government subsidizes the production of palm oil, rubber, sugar cane, cotton, and soybeans. Timber is essential for the country's economy; mahogany, iroko, sipo, obeche, and makore are some of the woods that are exported. Fishing takes place along the coast. In 2003, the unemployment rate was 13% and the inflation rate was 3.4%.

Culture

Although the population has been strongly influenced by French culture in many ways, indigenous traditions are still preserved. Traditional handcrafts are well known, particularly the hand-carved wood of the Baoulé, the Dan (or Yacouba) and the Senoufo. The most common Dan mask is that of a human face, slightly abstract but with realistic features. Other common Dan carvings are large spoons for serving rice. The handle of the spoon forms legs and the rest forms a human body.

Traditionally used in commemorative ceremonies, Baoulé masks are very realistic and intended to portray individuals that can be recognised by their facial features or hair. Senoufo masks, on the other hand, are highly stylised: the most famous is the "fire spitter" helmet mask, which is a combination of antelope, wart hog and hyena. The French language dominates Côte d'Ivoire's literature.