agriculture: 8.6%
industry: 29.4%
services: 62.1% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
1.92 million
note: this official estimate excludes Nicaraguans living in Costa
Rica (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 14%
industry: 22%
services: 64% (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate:
4.6% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
16% (2006 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1%
highest 10%: 37.4% (2003)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
49.8 (2003)
Investment (gross fixed):
21.6% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $3.976 billion
expenditures: $3.808 billion (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Public debt:
46.6% of GDP (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
9.4% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
17% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
12.8% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$4.504 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$2.87 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$12.91 billion (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
bananas, pineapples, coffee, melons, ornamental plants, sugar, corn,
rice, beans, potatoes; beef; timber
Industries:
microprocessors, food processing, medical equipment, textiles and
clothing, construction materials, fertilizer, plastic products
Industrial production growth rate:
7.3% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
8.521 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
7.779 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
39.55 million kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
203.2 million kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 1.5%
hydro: 81.9%
nuclear: 0%
other: 16.6% (2001)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - consumption:
45,600 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
2,115 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
43,110 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Current account balance:
-$1.499 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$9.268 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
bananas, pineapples, coffee, melons, ornamental plants, sugar;
seafood; electronic components, medical equipment
Exports - partners:
US 25.7%, China 14.1%, Netherlands 10.9%, UK 6.3%, Mexico 5% (2007)
Imports:
$12.26 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
raw materials, consumer goods, capital equipment, petroleum,
construction materials
Imports - partners:
US 41%, Mexico 6.1%, Venezuela 5.7%, Japan 5.4%, China 5.1%, Brazil
4.3% (2007)
Economic aid - recipient:
$29.51 million (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$4.114 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$7.416 billion (30 June 2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$8.53 billion (2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$490 million (2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$1.478 billion (2005)
Currency (code):
Costa Rican colon (CRC)
Currency code:
CRC
Exchange rates:
Costa Rican colones (CRC) per US dollar - 519.53 (2007), 511.3
(2006), 477.79 (2005), 437.91 (2004), 398.66 (2003)
Communications
Costa Rica
Telephones - main lines in use:
1.437 million (2007)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
1.503 million (2007)
Telephone system:
general assessment: good domestic telephone service in terms of
breadth of coverage; restricted cellular telephone service;
state-run monopoly provider is struggling with the demand for new
lines, resulting in long waiting times
domestic: point-to-point and point-to-multi-point microwave,
fiber-optic, and coaxial cable link rural areas; Internet service is
available
international: country code - 506; landing point for the Americas
Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) fiber-optic
telecommunications submarine cable and the MAYA-1 submarine cable
that provide links to South and Central America, parts of the
Caribbean, and the US; connected to Central American Microwave
System; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 65, FM 51, shortwave 19 (2002)
Radios:
980,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
20 (plus 43 repeaters) (2002)
Televisions:
525,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.cr
Internet hosts:
16,440 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
3 (of which only one is legal) (2000)
Internet users:
1.5 million (2007)
Transportation
Costa Rica
Airports:
151 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 36
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 21
under 914 m: 11 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 115
914 to 1,523 m: 19
under 914 m: 96 (2007)
Pipelines:
refined products 242 km (2007)
Railways:
total: 278 km
narrow gauge: 278 km 1.067-m gauge
note: none of the railway network is in use (2007)
Roadways:
total: 35,330 km
paved: 8,621 km
unpaved: 26,709 km (2004)
Waterways:
730 km (seasonally navigable by small craft) (2007)
Merchant marine:
total: 1
by type: passenger/cargo 1 (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Caldera, Puerto Limon
Military
Costa Rica
Military branches:
no regular military forces; Ministry of Public Security, Government,
and Police (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,134,205
females age 16-49: 1,095,763 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 958,013
females age 16-49: 925,727 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 40,767
female: 38,899 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
0.4% of GDP (2006)
Transnational Issues
Costa Rica
Disputes - international:
the ICJ has given Costa Rica until January 2008 to reply and
Nicaragua until July 2008 to rejoin before rendering its decision on
the navigation, security, and commercial rights of Costa Rican
vessels on the Río San Juan over which Nicaragua retains sovereignty
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 9,699-11,500 (Colombia) (2007)
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Costa Rica is a source, transit, and destination
country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of
commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor; women and girls
from neighboring states, Russia, Uzbekistan, and the Philippines are
trafficked into the country for sexual exploitation; Costa Rica also
serves as a transit point for victims trafficked to North America
and Europe; the government identifies child sex tourism as a serious
problem; men, women, and children are also trafficked within the
country for forced labor in fishing and construction, and as
domestic servants
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Costa Rica is on the Tier 2 Watch
List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to
combat human trafficking, particularly in terms of its failure to
improve its inadequate assistance to victims; while Costa Rican
officials recognize human trafficking as a serious problem, the lack
of a stronger response by the government is of concern (2008)
Illicit drugs:
transshipment country for cocaine and heroin from South America;
illicit production of cannabis in remote areas; domestic cocaine
consumption, particularly crack cocaine, is rising; significant
consumption of amphetamines
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@Cote d'Ivoire
Introduction
Cote d'Ivoire
Background:
Close ties to France since independence in 1960, the development of
cocoa production for export, and foreign investment made Cote
d'Ivoire one of the most prosperous of the West African states, but
did not protect it from political turmoil. In December 1999, a
military coup - the first ever in Cote d'Ivoire's history -
overthrew the government. Junta leader Robert GUEI blatantly rigged
elections held in late 2000 and declared himself the winner. Popular
protest forced him to step aside and brought Laurent GBAGBO into
power. Ivorian dissidents and disaffected members of the military
launched a failed coup attempt in September 2002. Rebel forces
claimed the northern half of the country, and in January 2003 were
granted ministerial positions in a unity government under the
auspices of the Linas-Marcoussis Peace Accord. President GBAGBO and
rebel forces resumed implementation of the peace accord in December
2003 after a three-month stalemate, but issues that sparked the
civil war, such as land reform and grounds for citizenship, remained
unresolved. In March 2007 President GBAGBO and former New Force
rebel leader Guillaume SORO signed the Ouagadougou Political
Agreement. As a result of the agreement, SORO joined GBAGBO's
government as Prime Minister and the two agreed to reunite the
country by dismantling the zone of confidence separating North from
South, integrate rebel forces into the national armed forces, and
hold elections. Several thousand French and UN troops remain in Cote
d'Ivoire to help the parties implement their commitments and to
support the peace process.
Geography
Cote d'Ivoire
Location:
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Ghana
and Liberia
Geographic coordinates:
8 00 N, 5 00 W
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 322,460 sq km
land: 318,000 sq km
water: 4,460 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly larger than New Mexico
Land boundaries:
total: 3,110 km
border countries: Burkina Faso 584 km, Ghana 668 km, Guinea 610 km,
Liberia 716 km, Mali 532 km
Coastline:
515 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical along coast, semiarid in far north; three seasons - warm
and dry (November to March), hot and dry (March to May), hot and wet
(June to October)
Terrain:
mostly flat to undulating plains; mountains in northwest
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Gulf of Guinea 0 m
highest point: Mont Nimba 1,752 m
Natural resources:
petroleum, natural gas, diamonds, manganese, iron ore, cobalt,
bauxite, copper, gold, nickel, tantalum, silica sand, clay, cocoa
beans, coffee, palm oil, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 10.23%
permanent crops: 11.16%
other: 78.61% (2005)
Irrigated land:
730 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
81 cu km (2001)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 0.93 cu km/yr (24%/12%/65%)
per capita: 51 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
coast has heavy surf and no natural harbors; during the rainy season
torrential flooding is possible
Environment - current issues:
deforestation (most of the country's forests - once the largest in
West Africa - have been heavily logged); water pollution from sewage
and industrial and agricultural effluents
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law
of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
most of the inhabitants live along the sandy coastal region; apart
from the capital area, the forested interior is sparsely populated
People
Cote d'Ivoire
Population:
20,179,602
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower
population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 40.9% (male 4,161,238/female 4,092,593)
15-64 years: 56.3% (male 5,790,503/female 5,568,621)
65 years and over: 2.8% (male 285,116/female 281,531) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 19 years
male: 19.2 years
female: 18.9 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.156% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
32.73 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
11.17 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
NA (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 69.76 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 77.06 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 62.25 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 54.64 years
male: 53.95 years
female: 55.35 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
4.23 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
7% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
570,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
47,000 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and
typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever
water contact: schistosomiasis
animal contact disease: rabies
note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in
this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases
possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)
Nationality:
noun: Ivoirian(s)
adjective: Ivoirian
Ethnic groups:
Akan 42.1%, Voltaiques or Gur 17.6%, Northern Mandes 16.5%, Krous
11%, Southern Mandes 10%, other 2.8% (includes 130,000 Lebanese and
14,000 French) (1998)
Religions:
Muslim 38.6%, Christian 32.8%, indigenous 11.9%, none 16.7% (2008
est)
note: the majority of foreigners (migratory workers) are Muslim
(70%) and Christian (20%)
Languages:
French (official), 60 native dialects with Dioula the most widely
spoken
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 48.7%
male: 60.8%
female: 38.6% (2000 est.)
Education expenditures:
4.6% of GDP (2001)
Government
Cote d'Ivoire
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Cote d'Ivoire
conventional short form: Cote d'Ivoire
local long form: Republique de Cote d'Ivoire
local short form: Cote d'Ivoire
note: pronounced coat-div-whar
former: Ivory Coast
Government type:
republic; multiparty presidential regime established 1960
note: the government is currently operating under a power-sharing
agreement mandated by international mediators
Capital:
name: Yamoussoukro
geographic coordinates: 6 49 N, 5 17 W
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
note: although Yamoussoukro has been the official capital since
1983, Abidjan remains the commercial and administrative center; the
US, like other countries, maintains its Embassy in Abidjan
Administrative divisions:
19 regions; Agneby, Bafing, Bas-Sassandra, Denguele, Dix-Huit
Montagnes, Fromager, Haut-Sassandra, Lacs, Lagunes, Marahoue,
Moyen-Cavally, Moyen-Comoe, N'zi-Comoe, Savanes, Sud-Bandama,
Sud-Comoe, Vallee du Bandama, Worodougou, Zanzan
Independence:
7 August 1960 (from France)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 7 August (1960)
Constitution:
approved by referendum 23 July 2000
Legal system:
based on French civil law system and customary law; judicial review
in the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Laurent GBAGBO (since 26 October 2000)
head of government: Prime Minister Guillaume SORO (since 4 April
2007)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president; note -
under the current power-sharing agreement the prime minister and the
president share the authority to appoint ministers
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term
(no term limits); election last held 26 October 2000 (next to be
held 30 November 2008; elections were to be held in 2005 but have
been repeatedly postponed by the government; the UN Security Council
has extended the government's mandate); prime minister appointed by
the president
election results: Laurent GBAGBO elected president; percent of vote
- Laurent GBAGBO 59.4%, Robert GUEI 32.7%, Francis WODIE 5.7%, other
2.2%
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (225 seats;
members are elected in single- and multi-district elections by
direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: elections last held 10 December 2000 with by-elections on
14 January 2001 (next to be held in November 2008 after the
government postponed the elections in 2005 and 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
FPI 96, PDCI-RDA 94, RDR 5, PIT 4, other 2, independents 22, vacant 2
note: a Senate that was scheduled to be created in the October 2006
elections never took place
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Cour Supreme consists of four chambers: Judicial
Chamber for criminal cases, Audit Chamber for financial cases,
Constitutional Chamber for judicial review cases, and Administrative
Chamber for civil cases; there is no legal limit to the number of
members
Political parties and leaders:
Citizen's Democratic Union or UDCY [Theodore MEL EG]; Democratic
Party of Cote d'Ivoire or PDCI [Henri Konan BEDIE]; Ivorian Popular
Front or FPI [Pascale Affi N'GUESSAN]; Ivorian Worker's Party or PIT
[Francis WODIE]; Opposition Movement of the Future or MFA [Innocent
Augustin ANAKY]; Rally of the Republicans or RDR [Alassane
OUATTARA]; Union for Democracy and Peace in Cote d'Ivoire or UDPCI
[Toikeuse MABRI]; over 144 smaller registered parties
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Federation of University and High School Students of Cote d'Ivoire
or FESCI [Serges KOFFI]; Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and
Peace or RHDP [Alphonse DJEDJE MADY]; Young Patriots [Charles BLE
GOUDE]
International organization participation:
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-24, G-77, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIC,
OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO,
UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Yao Charles KOFFI
chancery: 3421 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone: [1] (202) 797-0300
FAX: [1] (202) 244-3088
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Wanda L. NESBITT
embassy: Cocody Riviera Golf 01, Abidjan
mailing address: B. P. 1712, Abidjan 01
telephone: [225] 22 49 40 00
FAX: [225] 22 49 43 32
Flag description:
three equal vertical bands of orange (hoist side), white, and green
note: similar to the flag of Ireland, which is longer and has the
colors reversed - green (hoist side), white, and orange; also
similar to the flag of Italy, which is green (hoist side), white,
and red; design was based on the flag of France
Economy
Cote d'Ivoire
Economy - overview:
Cote d'Ivoire is the world's largest producer and exporter of cocoa
beans and a significant producer and exporter of coffee and palm
oil. Consequently, the economy is highly sensitive to fluctuations
in international prices for these products, and, to a lesser extent,
in climatic conditions. Despite government attempts to diversify the
economy, it is still heavily dependent on agriculture and related
activities, engaging roughly 68% of the population. Since 2006, oil
and gas production have become more important engines of economic
activity than cocoa. According to IMF statistics, earnings from oil
and refined products were $1.3 billion in 2006, while cocoa-related
revenues were $1 billion during the same period. Cote d'Ivoire's
offshore oil and gas production has resulted in substantial crude
oil exports and provides sufficient natural gas to fuel electricity
exports to Ghana, Togo, Benin, Mali and Burkina Faso. Oil
exploration by a number of consortiums of private companies
continues offshore, and President GBAGBO has expressed hope that
daily crude output could reach 200,000 barrels per day (b/d) by the
end of the decade. Since the end of the civil war in 2003, political
turmoil has continued to damage the economy, resulting in the loss
of foreign investment and slow economic growth. GDP grew by 1.8% in
2006 and 1.7% in 2007. Per capita income has declined by 15% since
1999.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$32.85 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$19.6 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
1.6% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,700 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 28.1%
industry: 21.5%
services: 50.5% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
6.907 million (68% agricultural) (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 68%
industry and services: NA (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate:
unemployment may have climbed to 40-50% as a result of the civil war
Population below poverty line:
42% (2006 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2%
highest 10%: 34% (2002)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
44.6 (2002)
Investment (gross fixed):
8.8% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $3.884 billion
expenditures: $4.106 billion (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Public debt:
75.2% of GDP (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.9% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
4.25% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
NA
Stock of money:
$4.451 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$1.915 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$4.404 billion (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
coffee, cocoa beans, bananas, palm kernels, corn, rice, manioc
(tapioca), sweet potatoes, sugar, cotton, rubber; timber
Industries:
foodstuffs, beverages; wood products, oil refining, truck and bus
assembly, textiles, fertilizer, building materials, electricity,
ship construction and repair
Industrial production growth rate:
-1.8% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
5.274 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
3.177 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
1.066 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 61.9%
hydro: 38.1%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Oil - production:
54,400 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Oil - consumption:
25,950 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
84,940 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
71,850 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
100 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)
Natural gas - production:
1.3 billion cu m (2006 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
1.3 billion cu m (2006 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
28.32 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)
Current account balance:
-$146 million (2007 est.)
Exports:
$8.476 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
cocoa, coffee, timber, petroleum, cotton, bananas, pineapples, palm
oil, fish
Exports - partners:
Germany 9.7%, Nigeria 9.2%, Netherlands 8.4%, France 7.3%, US 7%,
Burkina Faso 4.4% (2007)
Imports:
$5.932 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
fuel, capital equipment, foodstuffs
Imports - partners:
Nigeria 31.1%, France 16.7%, China 7.3% (2007)
Economic aid - recipient:
ODA, $60 million (2007 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$2.519 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$13.79 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$NA
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$NA
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$4.155 billion (2006)
Currency (code):
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible
authority is the Central Bank of the West African States