Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire)
Updated: Sep 30, 2022
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Country Name
Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire.
Location
Ivory Coast is a country located on the south coast of West Africa.
It borders Guinea to the northwest, Liberia to the west, Mali to the northwest, Burkina Faso to the northeast, Ghana to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea (Atlantic Ocean) to the south.
Capital
Yamoussoukro.
Abidjan.
The reason for naming the country
Originally, Portuguese and French merchant explorers in the 15th and 16th centuries divided the west coast of Africa, very roughly, into four "coasts" reflecting local economies. The coast that the French named the Côte d'Ivoire literally, means "Coast of Ivory" which reflects the major trade that occurred on that particular stretch of the coast: the export of ivory.
Flag
The Cote d'Ivoire flag was adopted on December 4, 1959. The design of the Cote d'Ivoire flag was based on the French flag. Cote d'Ivoire gained independence from France on August 7, 1960.
The Cote d'Ivoire flag consists of three vertical stripes the left stripe is
orange, white, and green. Orange represents the land, rich and generous, also it represents the meaning of the blood of young people fighting for freedom; white represents peace, and green stands for hope and the certainty of a better future.
*Flag Facts:
- The flag of Cote d'Ivoire is similar to the Irish flag; although Ireland's flag is longer and the colors are reversed.
Language
French, the official language, is taught in schools and serves as a lingua franca in the country. In total, there are around 70 different languages spoken on 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. The local indigenous languages also widely used include Baoulé, Dioula, Dan, Anyin, and Cebaara Senufo.
Religion
Ivory Coast is a religiously diverse country, in which adherents of Islam (mostly Sunni) represented 42.9% of the total population in 2014, while followers of Christianity (mostly Catholic and Evangelical) represented 33.9% of the population.
Currency
West African CFA franc (XOF).
Time Zone
+00:00 GMT.
Government Regime
Unitary presidential constitutional republic under a parliamentary system.
Climate
In Ivory Coast, the climate is tropical, with a dry season from December to February and a rainy season from April to October due to the African monsoon. Along the coast, the rains are significant also in March and November, and even in December on the westernmost part. The best time to visit the Ivory Coast is winter, from December to February. On the coast, especially in the western part, December is still quite rainy, while in inland areas, it begins to get very hot by February, so all in all, the best month for the whole country is January. In the area of Abidjan, however, the rains are not abundant in August, even though the sky is often cloudy.
International Phone Code
+225
Internet Code
.ci