The 2010 CIA World Factbook. United States. Central Intelligence Agency

(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.)

      School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

      total: 6 years

      male: 10 years

      female: 5 years (2000)

      Education expenditures:

      4.6% of GDP (2008) country comparison to the world: 89

      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 Alassane OUATTARA (since 4 December 2010); note - former President Laurent GBAGBO has refused to cede power

      head of government: Prime Minister Guillaume SORO (since 4 April 2007); note - on 4 December 2010, Gilbert Marie N'GBO AKE was also appointed to the position by former president GBAGBO

      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 (For more information visit the World Leaders website ) elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (no term limits); election last held on 31 October and 28 November 2010 (next to be held in 2015); prime minister appointed by the president

      election results: Alassane OUATTARA elected president; percent of vote - Alassane OUATTARA 54.1%, Laurent GBAGBO 45.9%; note - President OUATTARA was declared winner by the election commission and took the oath of office on 4 December, Prime Minister SORO resigned from the incumbent administration and was subsequently appointed to the same position by OUATTARA; former president GBAGBO refused to cede and on 5 December appointed Gilbert Marie N'GBO AKE as Prime Minister

      Legislative branch:

      unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (225 seats; members elected in single- and multi-district elections by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)

      elections: elections last held on 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:

      ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS (suspended), Entente, FAO, FZ, G-24, G-77,