Côte d'Ivoire

Located on the southern coast of West Africa, the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire is boarded in the north by Mali and Burkina Faso, to the east by Ghana, to the south by the Gulf of Guinea, to the southwest by Liberia, and to the northwest by Guinea.

Yamoussoukro is the capital.

French is the official language.

Population, 29,001,469. Size, 322,463 km^2.

The official currency is the West African CFA franc.

According to the 2021 census, Islam (mainly Sunni) is professed by 42.5% of the total population, while adherents of Christianity (mainly Catholic and Evangelical) represented 39.8% of the population.

Major cities include Abidjan, Abobo, Bouaké, and Korhogo.

The national dish is fufu, plantains, cassava, or yams pounded into a sticky dough and served with a seasoned meat (often chicken) and vegetable sauce called kedjenou. Prinicpal crops include rice, yam, cassava, plantain, and maize.

Cote d'Ivoire is located in the transition zone between the humid equatorial climate that characterizes the southern part of the country, and the dry tropical climate of the north. The country generally experiences a rainy season from June to October and average annual temperatures range from 24-28°C.

The Ivory Coast was the first black Republic and the first non-English speaking country to win an Academy Award. The biggest basilica in the world is located in Yamoussoukro. It’s the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace and it’s 323,000 square feet in size. It can hold about 18,000 worshipers, though is very rarely full. Cote d'Ivoire is the world’s largest cocoa producer. It is also one of the largest producers and exporters of coffee and palm oil. Comoe National Park is one of the largest protected areas in West Africa. Tai National Park is rich with natural flora, and home to threatened mammal species such as the pygmy hippopotamus. Ivorians love to abbreviate and abbreviating words is an Ivorian habit. They believe there is an initial for every word.