Côte D'ivoire
Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast, in English) is located on the Atlantic Ocean in West Africa. Its neighbors are Burkina Faso and Mali to the north, Ghana to the east, Guinea to the northwest, and Liberia to the southwest.
Like most African countries, Côte d'Ivoire is a cultural mosaic. Its population of 16.6 million (in 2003) comes from over sixty ethnic groups, which can be divided into four broad classifications: Akan (42%), Mandes (27%), Gur or Voltaiques
(18%), and Kru (11%). Religiously, Côte d'Ivoire is a mix of Muslims (35–40%), Christians (20–35%), and followers of indigenous beliefs (30–45%). Christians live mostly in the southern regions, and Muslims occupy the northern regions. A large immigrant population (14% of the population) from Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Ghana also reinforces the multicultural character of the Ivory Coast.
The Ivorian economy grew at an unprecedented average annual rate of 11 percent in the 1960s; it also grew 5.7 percent between 1997 and 1998 but declined in 2002. Per capita income was estimated at $1,400 in 2003, average life expectancy at 41.7 years, and adult literacy rate at 49.7 percent in 2001. Like most African countries, the economy is heavily dependent on agriculture.
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