36 Facts About Ivory Coast

1.

Ivory Coast, known as Cote d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Cote d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa.

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2.

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.

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3.

Ivory Coast is a republic with strong executive power vested in its president.

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4.

Ivory Coast has experienced again high economic growth since the return of peace and political stability in 2011.

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5.

In 2020 Ivory Coast was the world's largest exporter of cocoa beans and had high levels of income for its region.

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6.

Ivory Coast'storians 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.

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7.

The territory of the Mali Empire in the Ivory Coast was limited to the northwest corner around Odienne.

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8.

The first posts in Ivory Coast included one at Assinie and another at Grand-Bassam, which became the colony's first capital.

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9.

In 1893, Ivory Coast became a French colony, with its capital in Grand-Bassam, and Captain Binger was appointed governor.

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10.

Ivory Coast stood out as the only West African country with a sizeable population of European settlers; elsewhere in West and Central Africa, Europeans who emigrated to the colonies were largely bureaucrats.

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11.

In World War I, France organized regiments from Ivory Coast to fight in France, and colony resources were rationed from 1917 to 1919.

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12.

France's policy in West Africa was reflected mainly in its philosophy of "association", meaning that all Africans in Ivory Coast were officially French "subjects" but without rights to representation in Africa or France.

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13.

Under this policy, the Africans in Ivory Coast were allowed to preserve their own customs insofar as they were compatible with French interests.

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14.

Until 1958, governors appointed in Paris administered the colony of Ivory Coast, using a system of direct, centralized administration that left little room for Ivorian participation in policy-making.

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15.

On 4 December 1958, Ivory Coast became an autonomous member of the French Community, which had replaced the French Union.

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16.

Ivory Coast was criticized for his emphasis on developing large-scale projects.

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17.

Ivory Coast tightened his hold over political life, jailing several hundred opposition supporters.

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18.

Several other Ivory Coast officers were released because they had diplomatic passports.

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19.

Ivory Coast was declared acquitted by the court but given a conditional release in January 2019.

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20.

Ivory Coast's opponents argued it was illegal for Ouattara to run for a third term.

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21.

Since 1983, Ivory Coast's capital has been Yamoussoukro, while Abidjan was the administrative center.

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22.

In 1959, Ivory Coast formed the Council of the Entente with Dahomey, 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).

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23.

Ivory Coast thus maintains diplomatic relations with international organizations and countries all around the world.

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24.

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.

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25.

Ivory Coast has partnered with nations of the Sub-Saharan region to strengthen water and sanitation infrastructure.

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26.

In 2017, Ivory Coast signed the UN treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

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27.

Since 2011, Ivory Coast has been administratively organised into 12 districts plus two district-level autonomous cities.

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28.

Ivory Coast has, for the region, a relatively high income per capita and plays a key role in transit trade for neighbouring landlocked countries.

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29.

Ivory Coast is the fourth-largest exporter of general goods in sub-Saharan Africa.

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30.

Ivory Coast has 100, 000 rubber farmers who earned a total of $105 million in 2012.

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31.

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.

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32.

Ivory Coast's economy has grown faster than that of most other African countries since independence.

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33.

Ivory Coast was ranked 114st in the Global Innovation Index in 2021, down from 103rd in 2019.

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34.

Each of the ethnic groups in the Ivory Coast has its own music genres, most showing strong vocal polyphony.

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35.

Ivory Coast has won two Africa Cups: one in 1992 and the other in 2015.

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36.

Ivory Coast is known for Taekwondo with well-known competitors such as Cheick Cisse, Ruth Gbagbi, and Firmin Zokou.

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