or Ivory Coast officially Republic of Côte d'Ivoire
Country, western Africa.
Area: 124,504 sq mi (322,463 sq km). Population (2002): 16,805,000. Capital: Yamoussoukro ; seat of government, Abidjan . The population consists of various ethnic groups, including the Bete, Senufo, Baule, Anyi, Dyula, Bambara, and Dan. Languages: French (official), Baule, Anyi, Bete, Bambara, Dan. Religions: Islam, Roman Catholicism, traditional religions. Currency: CFA franc. Côte d'Ivoire can be divided into four major regions: a narrow coastal region, an equatorial rainforest in the west, a cultivated forest zone in the east, and a savanna region in the north. Agriculture employs more than 50% of the workforce. The country is the world's largest producer of cocoa and a major producer of coffee; other exports include bananas, cotton, rubber, timber, and diamonds. It is a republic with one legislative house; its chief of state is the president, and its head of government is the prime minister. European powers came to the area to trade in ivory and slaves beginning in the 15th century, and local kingdoms gave way to French influence in the 19th century. The French colony of Côte d'Ivoire was founded in 1893, and full French occupation took place 1908–18. In 1946 it became a territory in the French Union ; in 1947 the northern part of the country separated and became the nation of Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso ). Côte d'Ivoire peacefully achieved autonomy in 1958 and independence in 1960, when Félix Houphouë t-Boigny was elected president. The country's first multiparty presidential elections were held in 1990. Political turmoil has persisted since Houphouë t-Boigny died in 1993.