Ivory Coast, also known as and officially as the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital city of Yamoussoukro is located in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is the port city of Abidjan. 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 Atlantic Ocean's Gulf of Guinea to the south. With 31.5 million inhabitants in 2024, Ivory Coast is the third-most populous country in West Africa. In total, there are around 78 languages spoken in Ivory Coast.
Before its colonisation, Ivory Coast was home to several states, including Gyaaman, the Kong Empire, and Baoulé. The area became a protectorate of France in 1843 and was consolidated as a French colony in 1893 amid the Scramble for Africa. It achieved independence in 1960, led by Félix Houphouët-Boigny, who ruled the country until 1993. Relatively stable by regional standards, Ivory Coast established close political-economic ties with its West African neighbours while maintaining close relations with the West, especially France. Its stability was diminished by a coup d'état in 1999 and two civil wars—first between 2002 and 2007 and again during 2010–2011. It adopted a new constitution in 2016.
Ivory Coast is a republic with strong executive power vested in its president. Through the production of coffee and cocoa, it was an economic powerhouse in West Africa during the 1960s and 1970s, then experienced an economic crisis in the 1980s, contributing to a period of political and social turmoil that extended until 2011. Ivory Coast has again experienced high economic growth since the return of peace and political stability in 2011. From 2012 to 2023, the economy grew by an average of 7.1% per year in real terms, the second-fastest rate of economic growth in Africa and fourth-fastest rate in the world. In 2023, Ivory Coast had the second-highest GDP per capita in West Africa, behind Cape Verde. Despite this, as of the most recent survey in 2016, 46.1% of the population continues to be affected by multidimensional poverty. As of 2023, Ivory Coast is the world's largest exporter of cocoa beans and has high levels of income for its region. The economy still relies heavily on agriculture, with smallholder cash-crop production predominating.
The name had long since been translated literally into other languages, which the post-independence government considered increasingly troublesome whenever its international dealings extended beyond the Francophone sphere. Therefore, in April 1986, the government declared that (or, more fully, ) would be its formal name for the purposes of diplomatic protocol and has since officially refused to recognize any translations from French to other languages in its international dealings. Despite the Ivorian government's request, the English translation "Ivory Coast" (often "the Ivory Coast") is still frequently used in English by various media outlets and publications. Many governments use "Côte d'Ivoire" for diplomatic reasons, as do their outlets, such as the Chinese CCTV News. Other organizations that use "Côte d'Ivoire" include the Central Intelligence Agency in its World Factbook and the IOC (referring to their national football and Olympic teams in international games and in official broadcasts), the Encyclopædia Britannica and the National Geographic Society. The BBC usually uses "Ivory Coast" both in news reports and on its page about the country. In a similar fashion, The Economist states "...Ivory Coast, not Côte d'Ivoire..." ABC News, Fox News, The Times, The New York Times, the South African Broadcasting Corporation, and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation all use "Ivory Coast" either exclusively or predominantly.
History
Land migration
thumb|Prehistoric polished stone [[celt (tool)|celt from Boundiali in northern Ivory Coast, photo taken at the IFAN Museum of African Arts in Dakar, Senegal]]
The first human presence in Ivory Coast has been difficult to determine because human remains have not been well preserved in the country's humid climate. However, newly found weapon and tool fragments (specifically, polished axes cut through shale and remnants of cooking and fishing) have been interpreted as a possible indication of a large human presence during the Upper Paleolithic period (15,000 to 10,000 BC), or at the minimum, the Neolithic period.
The earliest known inhabitants of Ivory Coast have left traces scattered throughout the territory. Historians believe that they were all either displaced or absorbed by the ancestors of the present indigenous inhabitants, who migrated south into the area before the 16th century. Such groups included the Ehotilé (Aboisso), Kotrowou (Fresco), Zéhiri (Grand-Lahou), Ega and Diès (Divo).
Pre-Islamic and Islamic periods
The first recorded history appears in the chronicles of North African (Berber) traders, who, from early Roman times, conducted a caravan trade across the Sahara in salt, slaves, gold, and other goods. Villagers subsisted on agriculture and hunting. In 1895 the city of Kong was sacked and conquered by Samori Ture of the Wassoulou Empire. European slave and merchant ships preferred other areas along the coast. A French mission was established in 1687 at Assinie near the border with the Gold Coast (now Ghana). French explorers, missionaries, trading companies, and soldiers gradually extended the area under French control inland from the lagoon region. In 1887, Lieutenant Louis-Gustave Binger began a two-year journey that traversed parts of Ivory Coast's interior. By the end of the journey, he had concluded four treaties establishing French protectorates in Ivory Coast. Also in 1887, Verdier's agent, Marcel Treich-Laplène, negotiated five additional agreements that extended French influence from the headwaters of the Niger River Basin through Ivory Coast. Many Ivorians saw the tax as a violation of the protectorate treaties because they felt that France was demanding the equivalent of a coutume from the local kings, rather than the reverse. From 1904 to 1958, Ivory Coast was part of the Federation of French West Africa. Based on the assumed superiority of French culture, in practice the assimilation policy meant the extension of the French language, institutions, laws, and customs to the colonies. They were drafted for work in mines, on plantations, as porters, and on public projects as part of their tax responsibility.
A turning point in relations with France was reached with the 1956 Overseas Reform Act (Loi Cadre), which transferred several powers from Paris to elected territorial governments in French West Africa and also removed the remaining voting inequities.
By 1960, the country was easily French West Africa's most prosperous, contributing over 40% of the region's total exports. When Houphouët-Boigny became the first president, his government gave farmers good prices for their products to further stimulate production, which was further boosted by a significant immigration of workers from surrounding countries. Coffee production increased significantly, catapulting Ivory Coast into third place in world output, behind Brazil and Colombia. By 1979, the country was the world's leading producer of cocoa. It also became Africa's leading exporter of pineapples and palm oil. French technicians contributed to the "Ivorian miracle". In other African nations, the people drove out the Europeans following independence, but in Ivory Coast, they poured in. The French community grew from only 30,000 before independence to 60,000 in 1980, most of them teachers, managers, and advisors. For 20 years, the economy maintained an annual growth rate of nearly 10%—the highest of Africa's non-oil-exporting countries.
Houphouët-Boigny administration
Houphouët-Boigny's one-party rule was not amenable to political competition. Laurent Gbagbo, (who eventually became the president of Ivory Coast in 2000) had to flee the country in the 1980s after he incurred the ire of Houphouët-Boigny by founding the Ivorian Popular Front. Houphouët-Boigny banked on his broad appeal to the population, who continued to elect him. He was criticised for his emphasis on developing large-scale projects.
Many felt the millions of dollars spent transforming his home village, Yamoussoukro, into the new political capital were wasted; others supported his vision to develop a centre for peace, education, and religion in the heart of the country. In the early 1980s, the world recession and a local drought sent shock waves through the Ivorian economy. The overcutting of timber and collapsing sugar prices caused the country's external debt to increase three-fold. Crime rose dramatically in Abidjan as an influx of villagers exacerbated unemployment caused by the recession. In 1990, hundreds of civil servants went on strike, joined by students protesting institutional corruption. The unrest forced the government to support multi-party democracy. Houphouët-Boigny became increasingly feeble and died in 1993. He favoured Henri Konan Bédié as his successor.
Bédié administration
In October 1995, Bédié overwhelmingly won re-election against a fragmented and disorganised opposition. He tightened his hold over political life, jailing several hundred opposition supporters. In contrast, the economic outlook improved, at least superficially, with decreasing inflation and an attempt to remove foreign debt. Unlike Houphouët-Boigny, who was very careful to avoid any ethnic conflict and left access to administrative positions open to immigrants from neighbouring countries, Bedié emphasised the concept of Ivoirité to exclude his rival Alassane Ouattara, who had two northern Ivorian parents, from running for the future presidential election. As people originating from foreign countries are a large part of the Ivorian population, this policy excluded many people of Ivorian nationality. The relationship between various ethnic groups became strained, resulting in two civil wars in the following decades.
Similarly, Bedié excluded many potential opponents from the army. In late 1999, a group of dissatisfied officers staged a military coup, putting General Robert Guéï in power. Bedié fled into exile in France. The new leadership reduced crime and corruption, and the generals pressed for austerity and campaigned in the streets for a less wasteful society.
First civil war
A presidential election was held in October 2000 in which Laurent Gbagbo vied with Guéï, but it was not peaceful. The lead-up to the election was marked by military and civil unrest. Following a public uprising that resulted in around 180 deaths, Guéï was swiftly replaced by Gbagbo. Ouattara was disqualified by the country's Supreme Court because of his alleged Burkinabé nationality. The constitution did not allow noncitizens to run for the presidency. This sparked violent protests in which his supporters, mainly from the country's north, battled riot police in the capital, Yamoussoukro.
In the early hours of 19 September 2002, while Gbagbo was in Italy, an armed uprising occurred. Troops who were to be demobilised mutinied, launching attacks in several cities. The battle for the main gendarmerie barracks in Abidjan lasted until mid-morning, but by lunchtime the government forces had secured Abidjan. They had lost control of the north of the country, and rebel forces made their stronghold in the northern city of Bouaké. The rebels threatened to move on to Abidjan again, and France deployed troops from its base in the country to stop their advance. The French said they were protecting their citizens from danger, but their deployment also helped government forces. That the French were helping either side was not established as a fact, but each side accused the French of supporting the opposite side. Whether French actions improved or worsened the situation in the long term is disputed. What exactly happened that night is also disputed.
thumb|Armed Ivorians next to a [[French Foreign Legion armoured car, 2004]]
The government claimed that former president Robert Guéï led a coup attempt, and state TV showed pictures of his dead body in the street; counter-claims stated that he and 15 others had been murdered at his home, and his body had been moved to the streets to incriminate him. Ouattara took refuge in the German embassy; his home had been burned down. President Gbagbo cut short his trip to Italy and on his return stated, in a television address, that some of the rebels were hiding in the shanty towns where foreign migrant workers lived. Gendarmes and vigilantes bulldozed and burned homes by the thousands, attacking residents. An early ceasefire with the rebels, which had the backing of much of the northern populace, proved short-lived and fighting over the prime cocoa-growing areas resumed. France sent in troops to maintain the cease-fire boundaries, and militias, including warlords and fighters from Liberia and Sierra Leone, took advantage of the crisis to seize parts of the west.
In January 2003, Gbagbo and rebel leaders signed accords creating a "government of national unity". Curfews were lifted, and French troops patrolled the country's western border. The unity government was unstable, and central problems remained with neither side achieving its goals. In March 2004, 120 people were killed at an opposition rally, and subsequent mob violence led to the evacuation of foreign nationals. A report concluded the killings were planned. Though UN peacekeepers were deployed to maintain a "Zone of Confidence", relations between Gbagbo and the opposition continued to deteriorate.
Early in November 2004, after the peace agreement had effectively collapsed because the rebels refused to disarm, Gbagbo ordered airstrikes against the rebels. During one of these airstrikes in Bouaké, on 6 November 2004, French soldiers were hit, and nine were killed; the Ivorian government said it was a mistake, but the French claimed it was deliberate. They responded by destroying most Ivorian military aircraft (two Su-25 planes and five helicopters), and violent retaliatory riots against the French broke out in Abidjan.
Gbagbo's original term as president expired on 30 October 2005, but a peaceful election was deemed impossible, so his term in office was extended for a maximum of one year, according to a plan worked out by the African Union and endorsed by the United Nations Security Council. With the late-October deadline approaching in 2006, the election was regarded as very unlikely to be held by that point, and the opposition and the rebels rejected the possibility of another term extension for Gbagbo. The UN Security Council endorsed another one-year extension of Gbagbo's term on 1 November 2006; however, the resolution provided for strengthening of Prime Minister Charles Konan Banny's powers. Gbagbo said the next day that elements of the resolution deemed to be constitutional violations would not be applied.
A peace accord between the government and the rebels, or New Forces, was signed on 4 March 2007, and subsequently Guillaume Soro, leader of the New Forces, became prime minister. These events were seen by some observers as substantially strengthening Gbagbo's position. According to UNICEF, at the end of the civil war, water and sanitation infrastructure had been greatly damaged. Communities across the country required repairs to their water supply.
Second civil war
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left; float:right; margin-right:9px; margin-left:2px"
|-
| style="text-align:right" |
upright=1
|| style="text-align:right" |
upright=1
|-
| style="text-align:center" | Alassane Ouattara<br />
| style="text-align:center" | Daniel Kablan Duncan<br />
|}
The presidential elections that should have been organised in 2005 were postponed until November 2010. The preliminary results showed a loss for Gbagbo in favour of former Prime Minister Ouattara. The ruling FPI contested the results before the Constitutional Council, charging massive fraud in the northern departments controlled by the rebels of the New Forces. These charges were contradicted by United Nations observers (unlike African Union observers). The report of the results led to severe tension and violent incidents. The Constitutional Council, which consisted of Gbagbo supporters, declared the results of seven northern departments unlawful and that Gbagbo had won the elections with 51% of the vote – instead of Ouattara winning with 54%, as reported by the Electoral Commission. while the African Union also suspended the country's membership.
In 2010, a colonel of Ivory Coast armed forces, Nguessan Yao, was arrested in New York in a year-long United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation charged with procuring and illegal export of weapons and munitions: 4,000 handguns, 200,000 rounds of ammunition, and 50,000 tear-gas grenades, in violation of a UN embargo. Several other Ivory Coast officers were released because they had diplomatic passports. His accomplice, Michael Barry Shor, an international trader, was located in Virginia.
thumb|A shelter for internally displaced persons during the 2011 civil war
The 2010 presidential election led to the 2010–2011 Ivorian crisis and the Second Ivorian Civil War. International organisations reported numerous human-rights violations by both sides. In Duékoué, hundreds of people were killed. In nearby Bloléquin, dozens were killed. UN and French forces took military action against Gbagbo. Gbagbo was taken into custody after a raid into his residence on 11 April 2011. The country was severely damaged by the war, and it was observed that Ouattara had inherited a formidable challenge to rebuild the economy and reunite Ivorians. Gbagbo was taken to the International Criminal Court in January 2016. He was declared acquitted by the court but given a conditional release in January 2019. Belgium has been designated as a host country.
Ouattara administration
Ouattara has ruled the country since 2010. President Ouattara was re-elected in the 2015 presidential election. In November 2020, he won a third term in office in elections boycotted by the opposition. His opponents argued it was illegal for Ouattara to run for a third term. Ivory Coast's Constitutional Council formally ratified President Ouattara's re-election to a third term in November 2020.
In December 2022, Ivory Coast's electric production company, launched a commission to establish the country's first solar plant in Boundiali, with an installation of 37.5 MW, backed by a 10-MW lithium battery energy storage system.
On 6 October 2023, Ouattara dissolved the government and removed Prime Minister Patrick Achi from his position.
Government and politics
The government is divided into three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. The Parliament of Ivory Coast, consists of the indirectly elected Senate and the National Assembly which has 255 members, elected for five-year terms.
Since 1983, Ivory Coast's capital has been Yamoussoukro, while Abidjan was the administrative centre. Most countries maintain their embassies in Abidjan.
Although most of the fighting ended by late 2004, the country remained split in two, with the north controlled by the New Forces. A new presidential election was expected to be held in October 2005, and the rival parties agreed in March 2007 to proceed with this, but it continued to be postponed until November 2010 due to delays in its preparation.
Elections were finally held in 2010. The first round of elections was held peacefully and widely hailed as free and fair. Runoffs were held on 28 November 2010, after being delayed one week from the original date of 21 November. Laurent Gbagbo as president ran against former Prime Minister Alassane Ouattara. On 2 December, the Electoral Commission declared that Ouattara had won the election by a margin of 54% to 46%. In response, the Gbagbo-aligned Constitutional Council rejected the declaration, and the government announced that country's borders had been sealed. An Ivorian military spokesman said, "The air, land, and sea border of the country are closed to all movement of people and goods."
President Alassane Ouattara has led the country since 2010 and he was re-elected to a third term in November 2020 elections boycotted by two leading opposition figures former President Henri Konan Bedie and ex-Prime Minister Pascal Affi N'Guessan. The Achi II government has ruled the country from April 2022 until 6 October 2023. It was succeeded by the government of Robert Beugré Mambé on 17 October 2023.
Foreign relations
thumb|Former President [[Laurent Gbagbo was extradited to the International Criminal Court (ICC), becoming the first head of state to be taken into the court's custody.]]
In Africa, Ivorian diplomacy favours step-by-step economic and political cooperation. In 1959, Ivory Coast formed the Council of the Entente with Dahomey (Benin), Upper Volta (Burkina Faso), Niger, and Togo; in 1965, the African and Malagasy Common Organization (OCAM); in 1972, the Economic Community of West Africa (CEAO). The latter organisation changed to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in 1975. A founding member of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in 1963 and then of the African Union in 2000, Ivory Coast defends respect for state sovereignty and peaceful cooperation between African countries.
Worldwide, Ivorian diplomacy is committed to fair economic and trade relations, including the fair trade of agricultural products and the promotion of peaceful relations with all countries. Ivory Coast thus maintains diplomatic relations with international organisations and countries all around the world. In particular, it has signed United Nations treaties such as the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, the 1967 Protocol, and the 1969 Convention Governing Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa. Ivory Coast is a member of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, African Union, La Francophonie, Latin Union, Economic Community of West African States, and South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone.
Ivory Coast has partnered with nations of the Sub-Saharan region to strengthen water and sanitation infrastructure. This has been done mainly with the help of organisations such as UNICEF and corporations like Nestle.
On 1 January 2025 Ivory Coast announced that France will withdraw its troops from the country, an act that will reduce France's influence in the region. On 20 February 2025, France officially handed over its sole military base in Ivory Coast to local authorities, marking a significant shift in their bilateral relations. This decision aligns with France's broader strategy to reduce its military footprint in West Africa, following similar withdrawals from countries like Chad, Senegal, Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. The base, previously home to the 43rd Marine Infantry Battalion (43rd BIMA), has been transferred to Ivorian control and renamed Camp Thomas d'Aquin Ouattara, in honor of the nation's first army chief. This move reflects Ivory Coast's growing emphasis on national sovereignty and the modernization of its armed forces.
Military
The military is estimated to comprise 22,000 personnel (as of 2017).
, major equipment items reported by the Ivory Coast Army included 10 T-55 tanks (marked as potentially unserviceable), five AMX-13 light tanks, 34 reconnaissance vehicles, 10 BMP-1/2 armoured infantry fighting vehicles, 41 wheeled APCs, and 36+ artillery pieces.
In 2012, the Ivory Coast Air Force consisted of one Mil Mi-24 attack helicopter and three SA330L Puma transports (marked as potentially unserviceable).
In 2017, Ivory Coast signed the UN treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
Administrative divisions
thumb|Districts of Ivory Coast
Since 2011, Ivory Coast has been administratively organised into 12 districts plus two district-level autonomous cities. The districts are sub-divided into 31 regions; the regions are divided into 108 departments; and the departments are divided into 510 sub-prefectures. In some instances, multiple villages are organised into communes. The autonomous districts are not divided into regions, but they do contain departments, sub-prefectures, and communes. Since 2011, governors for the 12 non-autonomous districts have not been appointed. As a result, these districts have not yet begun to function as governmental entities.
The following is the list of districts, district capitals and each district's regions:
{| class="sortable wikitable plainrowheaders"
! scope="col" width="15" | Map no.
! scope="col" width="140" | District
! scope="col" width="140" | District capital
! scope="col" width="140" | Regions
! scope="col" width="140" | Region seat
! scope="col" width="140" | Population
|-
! colspan="1"! scope="row" | 1
| colspan="4" style="text-align:left" row | Abidjan <br />(District Autonome d'Abidjan)
| style="text-align:right" | 4,707,404
|-
! rowspan="3"! scope="row" | 2
| rowspan="3" align="row" | Bas-Sassandra <br />(District du Bas-Sassandra)
| rowspan="3" style="text-align:left" | San-Pédro
| Gbôklé
| Sassandra
| style="text-align:right" | 400,798
|-
| Nawa
| Soubré
| style="text-align:right" | 1,053,084
|-
| San-Pédro
| San-Pédro
| style="text-align:right" | 826,666
|-
! rowspan="2"! scope="row" | 3
| rowspan="2" align="row" | Comoé <br />(District du Comoé)
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:left" | Abengourou
| Indénié-Djuablin
| Abengourou
| style="text-align:right" | 560,432
|-
| Sud-Comoé
| Aboisso
| style="text-align:right" | 642,620
|-
! rowspan="2"! scope="row" | 4
| rowspan="2" align="=row" | Denguélé <br />(District du Denguélé)
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:left" | Odienné
| Folon
| Minignan
| style="text-align:right" | 96,415
|-
| Kabadougou
| Odienné
| style="text-align:right" | 193,364
|-
! rowspan="2"! scope="row" | 5
| rowspan="2" align="row" | Gôh-Djiboua <br />(District du Gôh-Djiboua)
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:left" | Gagnoa
| Gôh
| Gagnoa
| style="text-align:right" | 876,117
|-
| Lôh-Djiboua
| Divo
| style="text-align:right" | 729,169
|-
! rowspan="4"! scope="row" | 6
| rowspan="4" align="row" | Lacs <br />(District des Lacs)
| rowspan="4" style="text-align:left" | Dimbokro
| Bélier Region
| Yamoussoukro
| style="text-align:right" | 346,768
|-
| Iffou
| Daoukro
| style="text-align:right" | 311,642
|-
| Moronou
| Bongouanou
| style="text-align:right" | 352,616
|-
| N'Zi
| Dimbokro
| style="text-align:right" | 247,578
|-
! rowspan="3"! scope="row" | 7
| rowspan="3" align="row" | Lagunes <br />(District des Lagunes)
| rowspan="3" style="text-align:left" | Dabou
| Agnéby-Tiassa
| Agboville
| style="text-align:right" | 606,852
|-
| Grands-Ponts
| Dabou
| style="text-align:right" | 356,495
|-
| La Mé
| Adzopé
| style="text-align:right" | 514,700
|-
! rowspan="3"! scope="row" | 8
| rowspan="3" align="row" | Montagnes <br />(District des Montagnes)
| rowspan="3" style="text-align:left" | Man
| Cavally
| Guiglo
| style="text-align:right" | 459,964
|-
| Guémon
| Duékoué
| style="text-align:right" | 919,392
|-
| Tonkpi
| Man
| style="text-align:right" | 992,564
|-
! rowspan="2"! scope="row" | 9
| rowspan="2" align="row" | Sassandra-Marahoué <br />(District du Sassandra-Marahoué)
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:left" | Daloa
| Haut-Sassandra
| Daloa
| style="text-align:right" | 1,430,960
|-
| Marahoué
| Bouaflé
| style="text-align:right" | 862,344
|-
! rowspan="3"! scope="row" | 10
| rowspan="3" align="row" | Savanes <br />(District des Savanes)
| rowspan="3" style="text-align:left" | Korhogo
| Bagoué
| Boundiali
| style="text-align:right" | 375,687
|-
| Poro
| Korhogo
| style="text-align:right" | 763,852
|-
| Tchologo
| Ferkessédougou
| style="text-align:right" | 467,958
|-
! rowspan="2"! scope="row" | 11
| rowspan="2" align="row" | Vallée du Bandama <br />(District de la Vallée du Bandama)
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:left" | Bouaké
| Gbêkê
| Bouaké
| style="text-align:right" | 1,010,849
|-
| Hambol
| Katiola
| style="text-align:right" | 429,977
|-
! rowspan="3"! scope="row" | 12
| rowspan="3" align="row" | Woroba <br />(District du Woroba)
| rowspan="3" style="text-align:left" | Séguéla
| Béré
| Mankono
| style="text-align:right" | 389,758
|-
| Bafing
| Touba
| style="text-align:right" | 183,047
|-
| Worodougou
| Séguéla
| style="text-align:right" | 272,334
|-
! colspan="1"! scope="row" | 13
| colspan="4" style="text-align:left" row | Yamoussoukro <br />(District Autonome du Yamoussoukro)
| style="text-align:right" | 355,573
|-
! rowspan="2"! scope="row" | 14
| rowspan="2" align="row" | Zanzan <br />(District du Zanzan)
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:left" | Bondoukou
| Bounkani
| Bouna
| style="text-align:right" | 267,167
|-
| Gontougo
| Bondoukou
| style="text-align:right" | 667,185
|}
Largest cities
Geography
thumb|upright=1.35|Köppen climate classification map of Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast is a country in western sub-Saharan Africa. It borders Liberia and Guinea in the west, Mali and Burkina Faso in the north, Ghana in the east, and the Gulf of Guinea (Atlantic Ocean) in the south. The country lies between latitudes 4° and 11°N, and longitudes 2° and 9°W. Around 64.8% of the land is agricultural land; arable land amounted to 9.1%, permanent pasture 41.5%, and permanent crops 14.2%. Water pollution is one of the biggest issues that the country is currently facing. The nation has nine national parks, the largest of which is Assgny National Park which occupies an area of around 17,000 hectares or 42,000 acres.
The country contains six terrestrial ecoregions: Eastern Guinean forests, Guinean montane forests, Western Guinean lowland forests, Guinean forest–savanna mosaic, West Sudanian savanna, and Guinean mangroves. It had a 2018 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 3.64/10, ranking it 143rd globally out of 172 countries.
Economy
thumb|right|upright=1.3|A proportional representation of Ivory Coast exports, 2019
thumb|GDP per capita development
Ivory Coast has, for the region, a relatively high income per capita (US$1,662 in 2017) and plays a key role in transit trade for neighbouring landlocked countries. As of the most recent survey in 2016, 46.1% of the population continues to be affected by multidimensional poverty.
The country is the world's largest exporter of cocoa beans. In 2009, cocoa-bean farmers earned $2.53 billion for cocoa exports and were projected to produce 630,000 metric tons in 2013. Ivory Coast also has 100,000 rubber farmers who earned a total of $105 million in 2012.
Close ties to France since independence in 1960, diversification of agricultural exports, and encouragement of foreign investment have been factors in economic growth. In recent years, Ivory Coast has been subject to greater competition and falling prices in the global marketplace for its primary crops of coffee and cocoa. That, compounded with high internal corruption, makes life difficult for the grower, those exporting into foreign markets, and the labour force; instances of indentured labour have been reported in the country's cocoa and coffee production in every edition of the U.S. Department of Labor's List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor since 2009.
Ivory Coast's economy has grown faster than that of most other African countries since independence. One possible reason for this might be taxes on exported agriculture. Ivory Coast, Nigeria, and Kenya were exceptions as their rulers were themselves large cash-crop producers, and the newly independent countries desisted from imposing penal rates of taxation on exported agriculture. As such, their economies did well.
Around 7.5 million people made up the workforce in 2009. The workforce took a hit, especially in the private sector, during the early 2000s with numerous economic crises since 1999. Furthermore, these crises caused companies to close and move locations, especially in the tourism industry, and transit and banking companies. Decreasing job markets posed a huge issue as unemployment rates grew. Unemployment rates rose to 9.4% in 2012. Solutions proposed to decrease unemployment included diversifying jobs in small trade. This division of work encouraged farmers and the agricultural sector. Self-employment policy, established by the Ivorian government, allowed for very strong growth in the field with an increase of 142% in seven years from 1995.