Part 54
2,117 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 114
Oil - imports:
47,860 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 88
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl country comparison to the world: 195
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 195
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 196
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 180
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 187
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 193
Current account balance:
-$2.648 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 143 -$1.578 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$9.738 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 88 $9.266 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
bananas, pineapples, coffee, melons, ornamental plants, sugar; seafood; electronic components, medical equipment
Exports - partners:
US 23.9%, Netherlands 13.3%, China 12.9%, UK 5%, Mexico 4.9% (2008)
Imports:
$14.55 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 84 $12.29 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
raw materials, consumer goods, capital equipment, petroleum, construction materials
Imports - partners:
US 42.9%, Mexico 6.9%, Venezuela 6.3%, Japan 5.4%, China 4.7%, Brazil 4.2% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$3.799 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 89 $4.114 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$9.249 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 89 $8.416 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$18.96 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 63 $8.803 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$532 million (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 75 $525.9 million (31 December 2007 est.)
Exchange rates:
Costa Rican colones (CRC) per US dollar - 530.41 (2008 est.), 519.53 (2007), 511.3 (2006), 477.79 (2005), 437.91 (2004)
Communications ::Costa Rica
Telephones - main lines in use:
1.438 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 66
Telephones - mobile cellular:
1.887 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 122
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)
Television broadcast stations:
20 (plus 43 repeaters) (2002)
Internet country code:
.cr
Internet hosts:
34,066 (2009) country comparison to the world: 89
Internet users:
1.46 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 76
Transportation ::Costa Rica
Airports:
151 (2009) country comparison to the world: 36
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 38
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 22
under 914 m: 12 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 113
914 to 1,523 m: 19
under 914 m: 94 (2009)
Pipelines:
refined products 796 km (2008)
Railways:
total: 278 km country comparison to the world: 124 narrow gauge: 278 km 1.067-m gauge
note: none of the railway network is in use (2008)
Roadways:
total: 35,330 km country comparison to the world: 94 paved: 8,621 km
unpaved: 26,709 km (2004)
Waterways:
730 km (seasonally navigable by small craft) (2008) country comparison to the world: 75
Merchant marine:
total: 1 country comparison to the world: 161 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 (2009)
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: 971,224
females age 16-49: 936,978 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 40,698
female: 38,808 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
0.4% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 164
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 Rio 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; seizures of smuggled cash in Costa Rica and at the main border crossing to enter Costa Rica from Nicaragua have risen in recent years (2008)
page last updated on November 11, 2009
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@Cote d'Ivoire (Africa)
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: 322,463 sq km country comparison to the world: 68 land: 318,003 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:
20,617,068 country comparison to the world: 56 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 2009 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 40.6% (male 4,215,912/female 4,146,077)
15-64 years: 56.6% (male 5,942,642/female 5,720,108)
65 years and over: 2.9% (male 296,074/female 296,255) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 19.2 years
male: 19.4 years
female: 19.1 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.133% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 49
Birth rate:
32.11 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 45
Death rate:
10.78 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 48
Net migration rate:
NA (2009 est.)
Urbanization:
urban population: 49% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 3.2% annual rate of change (2005-10 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 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 68.06 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 28 male: 75.17 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 60.73 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 55.45 years country comparison to the world: 191 male: 54.64 years
female: 56.28 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
4.12 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 46
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
3.9% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 17
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
480,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 20
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
38,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 16
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 (2009)
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) country comparison to the world: 83
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 29 November 2009 after being 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 (elections originally scheduled for 2005 have been repeatedly postponed by the government)
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 was scheduled to be created in October 2006 elections that 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: 2424 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
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 nearly 2% in 2007 and 3% in 2008. Per capita income has declined by 15% since 1999.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$34.12 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 101 $33.36 billion (2007 est.)
$32.79 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$23.51 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
2.3% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 151 1.7% (2007 est.)
0.7% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,700 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 191 $1,700 (2007 est.)
$1,700 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 28%
industry: 21.6%
services: 50.4% (2008 est.)
Labor force:
7.346 million (68% agricultural) (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 60
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 68%
industry and services: NA (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate:
note: 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) country comparison to the world: 46 36.7 (1995)
Investment (gross fixed):
9.5% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 146
Budget:
revenues: $4.823 billion
expenditures: $4.915 billion (2008 est.)
Public debt:
66.4% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 18 74.8% of GDP (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
6.3% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 108 1.9% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
4.75% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 116 4.25% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
NA
Stock of money:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$4.451 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$1.915 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$4.404 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$7.071 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 75 $8.353 billion (31 December 2007)
$4.155 billion (31 December 2006)
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:
3% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 84
Electricity - production:
5.275 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 112
Electricity - consumption:
3.231 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 122
Electricity - exports:
772 million kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
60,100 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 60
Oil - consumption:
25,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 117
Oil - exports:
115,700 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 64
Oil - imports:
80,960 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 73
Oil - proved reserves:
100 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 66
Natural gas - production:
1.3 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 61
Natural gas - consumption:
1.3 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 85
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 168
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 161
Natural gas - proved reserves:
28.32 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 73
Current account balance: