The Ivory CoastThe Ivory Coast is one of Africa’s leading countries in industry andagriculture. This small country is located in West Africa on the Coast ofGuinea where it is bordered by Mali and Burkina Faso on the north and byGuinea and Liberia on the west. The land itself is approximately 322,463sq. kilometers and 124,504 sq. miles in size. With a population of around12,600,000 people, of which 2,000,000 are foreigners from Burkina Faso andGhana, the Ivory Coast is known for it’s cultural diversity which startedback in 1637 when it became a French Missionary contact.
Then, in1843-1845, it became an official proctrate of France. Thus, in 1893, theIvory Coast became a French colony and remained part of French West Africafrom 1904-1958. Finally in 1960, independence was gained from the overseascountry of France. In the Ivory Coast, which is a Republic, they have a semi-democraticsystem. The position of president, currently being held by FelixHouphocet-Boigny, is elected to serve 5-year terms. Also, the president canrun for re-election as many times as he chooses.
For example, the currentpresident was re-elected to serve a seventh term in 1990. Plus, there is aNational Assembly comprised of about 120 people who help to govern thecountry. The nation has a tremendously stable economy because of the great amountof products that they produce for exporting. The Ivory Coast is the world’slargest cocoa producer and the third largest coffee producer. Theseproducts alone bring in more than half of all export earnings.
In addition,sugarcane, pineapples, oil palms, rubber, cotton, and bananas are alsogrown for export. The major problem of the country is the foreign debtwhich has grown extremely large due to massive amounts of loans given tothe country by France. Plus, this increases taxes. The country’s per capitais $ 740 and it’s GNP (Gross National Product) is $ 8. 59 billion.
