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Geography

The Republic of Côte d’Ivoire is located in Western Africa and shares borders with Burkina Faso, Ghana and Liberia. It has a land area of 322,500 km² and a population of about 19.2 million. The estimated growth rate of the population was 1.9 per cent in 2007.

The climate is tropical in the coastal areas and semi-arid in the far north. The terrain is flat, with undulating plains, and there are mountains in the north. Much of the land has been deforested and transformed into agricultural land, which now amounts to some 63 per cent of the total land area. The country has important offshore oil and natural gas reserves.

Agriculture

About two thirds of the active population is engaged in the agricultural sector, including farming, forestry and fishing. Agriculture contributes about 24 per cent of the total gross domestic product (GDP), according to 2007 World Bank estimates. The country produces cocoa, beans, coffee, timber and palm oil for export. About two thirds of the country’s farms are located in the southern regions, where cocoa and coffee are the main cash crops. Cotton is the principal crop in the north. Food crops include maize, cassava, plantain, rice and groundnuts.

Economy

After a long period of civil conflict, the economy is steadily becoming stronger. Despite the increasing importance of oil and gas production, the country’s economy is still highly dependent on agriculture. GDP has grown steadily from US$10.4 billion in 2000 to an estimated US$19.8 billion in 2007. The annual GDP growth rate is 1.7 per cent, and gross national income per capita has increased from US$630 in 2000 to an estimated US$920 in 2007.

Sources: IFAD, World Bank