agriculture: 14% industry: 22% services: 64% (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate:
4.6% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
16% (2006 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1% highest 10%: 37.4% (2003)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
49.8 (2003)
Investment (gross fixed):
21.6% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $3.976 billion expenditures: $3.808 billion (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Public debt:
46.6% of GDP (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
9.4% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
17% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
12.8% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$4.504 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$2.87 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$12.91 billion (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
bananas, pineapples, coffee, melons, ornamental plants, sugar, corn, rice, beans, potatoes; beef; timber
Industries:
microprocessors, food processing, medical equipment, textiles and clothing, construction materials, fertilizer, plastic products
Industrial production growth rate:
7.3% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
8.521 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
7.779 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
39.55 million kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
203.2 million kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 1.5% hydro: 81.9% nuclear: 0% other: 16.6% (2001)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - consumption:
45,600 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
2,115 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
43,110 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Current account balance:
-$1.499 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$9.268 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
bananas, pineapples, coffee, melons, ornamental plants, sugar; seafood; electronic components, medical equipment
Exports - partners:
US 25.7%, China 14.1%, Netherlands 10.9%, UK 6.3%, Mexico 5% (2007)
Imports:
$12.26 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
raw materials, consumer goods, capital equipment, petroleum, construction materials
Imports - partners:
US 41%, Mexico 6.1%, Venezuela 5.7%, Japan 5.4%, China 5.1%, Brazil 4.3% (2007)
Economic aid - recipient:
$29.51 million (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$4.114 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$7.416 billion (30 June 2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$8.53 billion (2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$490 million (2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$1.478 billion (2005)
Currency (code):
Costa Rican colon (CRC)
Currency code:
Exchange rates:
Costa Rican colones (CRC) per US dollar - 519.53 (2007), 511.3 (2006), 477.79 (2005), 437.91 (2004), 398.66 (2003)
CommunicationsCosta Rica
Telephones - main lines in use:
1.437 million (2007)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
1.503 million (2007)
Telephone system:
general assessment: good domestic telephone service in terms of breadth of coverage; restricted cellular telephone service; state-run monopoly provider is struggling with the demand for new lines, resulting in long waiting times domestic: point-to-point and point-to-multi-point microwave, fiber-optic, and coaxial cable link rural areas; Internet service is available international: country code - 506; landing point for the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) fiber-optic telecommunications submarine cable and the MAYA-1 submarine cable that provide links to South and Central America, parts of the Caribbean, and the US; connected to Central American Microwave System; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 65, FM 51, shortwave 19 (2002)
Radios:
980,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
20 (plus 43 repeaters) (2002)
Televisions:
525,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.cr
Internet hosts:
16,440 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
3 (of which only one is legal) (2000)
Internet users:
1.5 million (2007)
TransportationCosta Rica
Airports:
151 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 36 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 21 under 914 m: 11 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 115 914 to 1,523 m: 19 under 914 m: 96 (2007)
Pipelines:
refined products 242 km (2007)
Railways:
total: 278 km narrow gauge: 278 km 1.067-m gauge note: none of the railway network is in use (2007)
Roadways:
total: 35,330 km paved: 8,621 km unpaved: 26,709 km (2004)
Waterways:
730 km (seasonally navigable by small craft) (2007)
Merchant marine:
total: 1 by type: passenger/cargo 1 (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Caldera, Puerto Limon
MilitaryCosta Rica
Military branches:
no regular military forces; Ministry of Public Security, Government, and Police (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,134,205 females age 16-49: 1,095,763 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 958,013 females age 16-49: 925,727 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 40,767 female: 38,899 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
0.4% of GDP (2006)
Transnational IssuesCosta Rica
Disputes - international:
the ICJ has given Costa Rica until January 2008 to reply and Nicaragua until July 2008 to rejoin before rendering its decision on the navigation, security, and commercial rights of Costa Rican vessels on the Río San Juan over which Nicaragua retains sovereignty
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 9,699-11,500 (Colombia) (2007)
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Costa Rica is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor; women and girls from neighboring states, Russia, Uzbekistan, and the Philippines are trafficked into the country for sexual exploitation; Costa Rica also serves as a transit point for victims trafficked to North America and Europe; the government identifies child sex tourism as a serious problem; men, women, and children are also trafficked within the country for forced labor in fishing and construction, and as domestic servants tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Costa Rica is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat human trafficking, particularly in terms of its failure to improve its inadequate assistance to victims; while Costa Rican officials recognize human trafficking as a serious problem, the lack of a stronger response by the government is of concern (2008)
Illicit drugs:
transshipment country for cocaine and heroin from South America; illicit production of cannabis in remote areas; domestic cocaine consumption, particularly crack cocaine, is rising; significant consumption of amphetamines
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
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@Cote d'Ivoire
IntroductionCote d'Ivoire
Background:
Close ties to France since independence in 1960, the development of cocoa production for export, and foreign investment made Cote d'Ivoire one of the most prosperous of the West African states, but did not protect it from political turmoil. In December 1999, a military coup - the first ever in Cote d'Ivoire's history - overthrew the government. Junta leader Robert GUEI blatantly rigged elections held in late 2000 and declared himself the winner. Popular protest forced him to step aside and brought Laurent GBAGBO into power. Ivorian dissidents and disaffected members of the military launched a failed coup attempt in September 2002. Rebel forces claimed the northern half of the country, and in January 2003 were granted ministerial positions in a unity government under the auspices of the Linas-Marcoussis Peace Accord. President GBAGBO and rebel forces resumed implementation of the peace accord in December 2003 after a three-month stalemate, but issues that sparked the civil war, such as land reform and grounds for citizenship, remained unresolved. In March 2007 President GBAGBO and former New Force rebel leader Guillaume SORO signed the Ouagadougou Political Agreement. As a result of the agreement, SORO joined GBAGBO's government as Prime Minister and the two agreed to reunite the country by dismantling the zone of confidence separating North from South, integrate rebel forces into the national armed forces, and hold elections. Several thousand French and UN troops remain in Cote d'Ivoire to help the parties implement their commitments and to support the peace process.
GeographyCote d'Ivoire
Location:
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Ghana and Liberia
Geographic coordinates:
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 322,460 sq km land: 318,000 sq km water: 4,460 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly larger than New Mexico
Land boundaries:
total: 3,110 km border countries: Burkina Faso 584 km, Ghana 668 km, Guinea 610 km, Liberia 716 km, Mali 532 km
Coastline:
515 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical along coast, semiarid in far north; three seasons - warm and dry (November to March), hot and dry (March to May), hot and wet (June to October)
Terrain:
mostly flat to undulating plains; mountains in northwest
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Gulf of Guinea 0 m highest point: Mont Nimba 1,752 m
Natural resources:
petroleum, natural gas, diamonds, manganese, iron ore, cobalt, bauxite, copper, gold, nickel, tantalum, silica sand, clay, cocoa beans, coffee, palm oil, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 10.23% permanent crops: 11.16% other: 78.61% (2005)
Irrigated land:
730 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
81 cu km (2001)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 0.93 cu km/yr (24%/12%/65%) per capita: 51 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
coast has heavy surf and no natural harbors; during the rainy season torrential flooding is possible
Environment - current issues:
deforestation (most of the country's forests - once the largest in West Africa - have been heavily logged); water pollution from sewage and industrial and agricultural effluents
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
most of the inhabitants live along the sandy coastal region; apart from the capital area, the forested interior is sparsely populated
PeopleCote d'Ivoire
Population:
20,179,602 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 40.9% (male 4,161,238/female 4,092,593) 15-64 years: 56.3% (male 5,790,503/female 5,568,621) 65 years and over: 2.8% (male 285,116/female 281,531) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 19 years male: 19.2 years female: 18.9 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.156% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
32.73 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
11.17 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
NA (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 69.76 deaths/1,000 live births male: 77.06 deaths/1,000 live births female: 62.25 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 54.64 years male: 53.95 years female: 55.35 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
4.23 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
7% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
570,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
47,000 (2003 est.)
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 (2008)
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.)
Education expenditures:
4.6% of GDP (2001)
GovernmentCote 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-HuitMontagnes, 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 Laurent GBAGBO (since 26 October 2000) head of government: Prime Minister Guillaume SORO (since 4 April 2007) 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 elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (no term limits); election last held 26 October 2000 (next to be held 30 November 2008; elections were to be held in 2005 but have been repeatedly postponed by the government; the UN Security Council has extended the government's mandate); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Laurent GBAGBO elected president; percent of vote - Laurent GBAGBO 59.4%, Robert GUEI 32.7%, Francis WODIE 5.7%, other 2.2%
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (225 seats; members are elected in single- and multi-district elections by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: elections last held 10 December 2000 with by-elections on 14 January 2001 (next to be held in November 2008 after the government postponed the elections in 2005 and 2006) 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 that was scheduled to be created in the October 2006 elections never took place
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Cour Supreme consists of four chambers: JudicialChamber for criminal cases, Audit Chamber for financial cases,Constitutional Chamber for judicial review cases, and AdministrativeChamber for civil cases; there is no legal limit to the number ofmembers
Political parties and leaders:
Citizen's Democratic Union or UDCY [Theodore MEL EG]; DemocraticParty of Cote d'Ivoire or PDCI [Henri Konan BEDIE]; Ivorian PopularFront or FPI [Pascale Affi N'GUESSAN]; Ivorian Worker's Party or PIT[Francis WODIE]; Opposition Movement of the Future or MFA [InnocentAugustin ANAKY]; Rally of the Republicans or RDR [AlassaneOUATTARA]; 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'Ivoireor FESCI [Serges KOFFI]; Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy andPeace or RHDP [Alphonse DJEDJE MADY]; Young Patriots [Charles BLEGOUDE]
International organization participation:
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-24, G-77, IAEA,IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO,IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIC,OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO,UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Yao Charles KOFFI chancery: 3421 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 797-0300 FAX: [1] (202) 244-3088
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Wanda L. NESBITT embassy: Cocody Riviera Golf 01, Abidjan mailing address: B. P. 1712, Abidjan 01 telephone: [225] 22 49 40 00 FAX: [225] 22 49 43 32
Flag description:
three equal vertical bands of orange (hoist side), white, and green note: similar to the flag of Ireland, which is longer and has the colors reversed - green (hoist side), white, and orange; also similar to the flag of Italy, which is green (hoist side), white, and red; design was based on the flag of France
EconomyCote d'Ivoire
Economy - overview:
Cote d'Ivoire is the world's largest producer and exporter of cocoa beans and a significant producer and exporter of coffee and palm oil. Consequently, the economy is highly sensitive to fluctuations in international prices for these products, and, to a lesser extent, in climatic conditions. Despite government attempts to diversify the economy, it is still heavily dependent on agriculture and related activities, engaging roughly 68% of the population. Since 2006, oil and gas production have become more important engines of economic activity than cocoa. According to IMF statistics, earnings from oil and refined products were $1.3 billion in 2006, while cocoa-related revenues were $1 billion during the same period. Cote d'Ivoire's offshore oil and gas production has resulted in substantial crude oil exports and provides sufficient natural gas to fuel electricity exports to Ghana, Togo, Benin, Mali and Burkina Faso. Oil exploration by a number of consortiums of private companies continues offshore, and President GBAGBO has expressed hope that daily crude output could reach 200,000 barrels per day (b/d) by the end of the decade. Since the end of the civil war in 2003, political turmoil has continued to damage the economy, resulting in the loss of foreign investment and slow economic growth. GDP grew by 1.8% in 2006 and 1.7% in 2007. Per capita income has declined by 15% since 1999.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$32.85 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$19.6 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
1.6% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,700 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 28.1% industry: 21.5% services: 50.5% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
6.907 million (68% agricultural) (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 68% industry and services: NA (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate:
unemployment may have climbed to 40-50% as a result of the civil war
Population below poverty line:
42% (2006 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2% highest 10%: 34% (2002)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
44.6 (2002)
Investment (gross fixed):
8.8% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $3.884 billion expenditures: $4.106 billion (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Public debt:
75.2% of GDP (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.9% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
4.25% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
Stock of money:
$4.451 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$1.915 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$4.404 billion (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
coffee, cocoa beans, bananas, palm kernels, corn, rice, manioc (tapioca), sweet potatoes, sugar, cotton, rubber; timber
Industries:
foodstuffs, beverages; wood products, oil refining, truck and bus assembly, textiles, fertilizer, building materials, electricity, ship construction and repair
Industrial production growth rate:
-1.8% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
5.274 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
3.177 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
1.066 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 61.9% hydro: 38.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Oil - production:
54,400 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Oil - consumption:
25,950 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
84,940 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
71,850 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
100 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)
Natural gas - production:
1.3 billion cu m (2006 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
1.3 billion cu m (2006 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
28.32 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)
Current account balance:
-$146 million (2007 est.)
Exports:
$8.476 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
cocoa, coffee, timber, petroleum, cotton, bananas, pineapples, palm oil, fish
Exports - partners:
Germany 9.7%, Nigeria 9.2%, Netherlands 8.4%, France 7.3%, US 7%,Burkina Faso 4.4% (2007)
Imports:
$5.932 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
fuel, capital equipment, foodstuffs
Imports - partners:
Nigeria 31.1%, France 16.7%, China 7.3% (2007)
Economic aid - recipient:
ODA, $60 million (2007 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$2.519 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$13.79 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$4.155 billion (2006)
Currency (code):
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States
Currency code:
Exchange rates:
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 481.83 (2007), 522.89 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003) note: since 1 January 1999, the XOF franc has been pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF francs per euro
CommunicationsCote d'Ivoire
Telephones - main lines in use:
730,000 (2007)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
7.05 million (2007)
Telephone system:
general assessment: well developed by African standards; telecommunications sector privatized in late 1990s and operational fixed-lines have more than quadrupled since that time; with multiple cellular service providers competing in the market, cellular usage has increased sharply to roughly 40 per 100 persons domestic: open-wire lines and microwave radio relay; 90% digitalized international: country code - 225; landing point for the SAT-3/WASC fiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe and Asia; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) (2007)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 3 (1998)
Radios:
2.26 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
14 (1998)
Televisions:
1.09 million (2000)
Internet country code:
.ci
Internet hosts:
5,569 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
5 (2001)
Internet users:
300,000 (2006)
TransportationCote d'Ivoire
Airports:
34 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 7 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 27 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 14 under 914 m: 5 (2007)
Pipelines:
condensate 102 km; gas 245 km; oil 112 km (2007)
Railways:
total: 660 km narrow gauge: 660 km 1.000 meter gauge note: an additional 622 km of this railroad extends into Burkina Faso (2006)
Roadways:
total: 80,000 km paved: 6,500 km unpaved: 73,500 km note: includes intercity and urban roads; another 20,000 km of dirt roads are in poor condition and 150,000 km of dirt roads are impassable (2006)
Waterways:
980 km (navigable rivers, canals, and numerous coastal lagoons) (2006)
Ports and terminals:
Abidjan, Espoir, San-Pedro
MilitaryCote d'Ivoire
Military branches:
Cote d'Ivoire Defense and Security Forces (FDSC): Army, Navy, AirForce (2006)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 4,369,735 females age 16-49: 4,287,042 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,393,104 females age 16-49: 2,381,607 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 234,032 female: 230,799 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
1.6% of GDP (2005 est)
Transnational IssuesCote d'Ivoire
Disputes - international:
despite the presence of over 9,000 UN forces (UNOCI) in Cote d'Ivoire since 2004, ethnic conflict still leaves displaced hundreds of thousands of Ivorians in and out of the country as well as driven out migrants from neighboring states who worked in Ivorian cocoa plantations; the March 2007 peace deal between Ivorian rebels and the government brought significant numbers of rebels out of hiding in neighboring states
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 25,615 (Liberia) IDPs: 709,000 (2002 coup; most IDPs are in western regions) (2007)
Trafficking in persons:
Cote d'Ivoire is a source, transit, and destination country for women and children trafficked for forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation; trafficking within the country is more prevalent than international trafficking and the majority of victims are children; women and girls are trafficked from northern areas to southern cities for domestic servitude, restaurant labor, and sexual exploitation; boys are trafficked internally for agricultural and service labor and transnationally for forced labor in agriculture, mining, construction, and in the fishing industry; women and girls are trafficked to and from other West and Central African countries for domestic servitude and forced street vending tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Cote d'Ivoire is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to eliminate trafficking in 2007, particularly with regard to its law enforcement efforts and protection of sex trafficking victims; in addition, Ivoirian law does not prohibit all forms of trafficking, and Cote d'Ivoire has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)
Illicit drugs:
illicit producer of cannabis, mostly for local consumption; utility as a narcotic transshipment point to Europe reduced by ongoing political instability; while rampant corruption and inadequate supervision leave the banking system vulnerable to money laundering, the lack of a developed financial system limits the country's utility as a major money-laundering center
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
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@Croatia
IntroductionCroatia
Background:
The lands that today comprise Croatia were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the close of World War I. In 1918, the Croats, Serbs, and Slovenes formed a kingdom known after 1929 as Yugoslavia. Following World War II, Yugoslavia became a federal independent Communist state under the strong hand of Marshal TITO. Although Croatia declared its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, it took four years of sporadic, but often bitter, fighting before occupying Serb armies were mostly cleared from Croatian lands. Under UN supervision, the last Serb-held enclave in eastern Slavonia was returned to Croatia in 1998.
GeographyCroatia
Location:
Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea, between Bosnia andHerzegovina and Slovenia
Geographic coordinates:
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 56,542 sq km land: 56,414 sq km water: 128 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than West Virginia
Land boundaries:
total: 1,982 km border countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina 932 km, Hungary 329 km, Serbia 241 km, Montenegro 25 km, Slovenia 455 km
Coastline:
5,835 km (mainland 1,777 km, islands 4,058 km)
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate:
Mediterranean and continental; continental climate predominant with hot summers and cold winters; mild winters, dry summers along coast
Terrain:
geographically diverse; flat plains along Hungarian border, low mountains and highlands near Adriatic coastline and islands
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m highest point: Dinara 1,830 m
Natural resources:
oil, some coal, bauxite, low-grade iron ore, calcium, gypsum, natural asphalt, silica, mica, clays, salt, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 25.82% permanent crops: 2.19% other: 71.99% (2005)
Irrigated land:
110 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
105.5 cu km (1998)
Natural hazards:
destructive earthquakes
Environment - current issues:
air pollution (from metallurgical plants) and resulting acid rain is damaging the forests; coastal pollution from industrial and domestic waste; landmine removal and reconstruction of infrastructure consequent to 1992-95 civil strife
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants
Geography - note:
controls most land routes from Western Europe to Aegean Sea and Turkish Straits; most Adriatic Sea islands lie off the coast of Croatia - some 1,200 islands, islets, ridges, and rocks
PeopleCroatia
Population:
4,491,543 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 15.8% (male 363,551/female 345,132) 15-64 years: 67.2% (male 1,501,949/female 1,517,962) 65 years and over: 17% (male 295,229/female 467,720) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 40.8 years male: 38.9 years female: 42.6 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
-0.043% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
9.64 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
11.66 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
1.58 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 6.49 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.51 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.46 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.13 years male: 71.49 years female: 78.97 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.41 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
200 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 10 (2001 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A vectorborne diseases: tickborne encephalitis 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 (2008)
Nationality:
noun: Croat(s), Croatian(s) adjective: Croatian
Ethnic groups:
Croat 89.6%, Serb 4.5%, other 5.9% (including Bosniak, Hungarian,Slovene, Czech, and Roma) (2001 census)
Religions:
Roman Catholic 87.8%, Orthodox 4.4%, other Christian 0.4%, Muslim 1.3%, other and unspecified 0.9%, none 5.2% (2001 census)
Languages:
Croatian 96.1%, Serbian 1%, other and undesignated 2.9% (includingItalian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, and German) (2001 census)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98.1% male: 99.3% female: 97.1% (2001 census)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 14 years male: 13 years female: 14 years (2006)
Education expenditures:
4.5% of GDP (2004)
GovernmentCroatia
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Croatia conventional short form: Croatia local long form: Republika Hrvatska local short form: Hrvatska former: People's Republic of Croatia, Socialist Republic of Croatia
Government type:
presidential/parliamentary democracy
Capital:
name: Zagreb geographic coordinates: 45 48 N, 16 00 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Administrative divisions:
20 counties (zupanije, zupanija - singular) and 1 city* (grad -singular); Bjelovarsko-Bilogorska, Brodsko-Posavska,Dubrovacko-Neretvanska (Dubrovnik-Neretva), Istarska (Istria),Karlovacka, Koprivnicko-Krizevacka, Krapinsko-Zagorska,Licko-Senjska (Lika-Senj), Medimurska, Osjecko-Baranjska,Pozesko-Slavonska (Pozega-Slavonia), Primorsko-Goranska,Sibensko-Kninska, Sisacko-Moslavacka, Splitsko-Dalmatinska(Split-Dalmatia), Varazdinska, Viroviticko-Podravska,Vukovarsko-Srijemska, Zadarska, Zagreb*, Zagrebacka
Independence:
25 June 1991 (from Yugoslavia)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 8 October (1991); note - 25 June 1991 was the day the Croatian Parliament voted for independence; following a three-month moratorium to allow the European Community to solve the Yugoslav crisis peacefully, Parliament adopted a decision on 8 October 1991 to sever constitutional relations with Yugoslavia
Constitution:
adopted on 22 December 1990; revised 2000, 2001
Legal system:
based on Austro-Hungarian law system with Communist law influences; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal (16 years of age, if employed)
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Stjepan (Stipe) MESIC (since 18 February 2000) head of government: Prime Minister Ivo SANADER (since 9 December 2003); Deputy Prime Ministers Jadranka KOSOR (since 23 December 2003) and Damir POLANCEC (since 15 February 2005), Djurdja ADLESIC (since 12 January 2008), Slobodan UZELAC (since 12 January 2008) cabinet: Council of Ministers named by the prime minister and approved by the parliamentary Assembly elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 16 January 2005 (next to be held in January 2010); the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the president and then approved by the Assembly election results: Stjepan MESIC reelected president; percent of vote - Stjepan MESIC 66%, Jadranka KOSOR 34% in the second round
Legislative branch:
unicameral Assembly or Sabor (153 seats; members elected from party lists by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 25 November 2007 (next to be held in November 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; number of seats by party - HDZ 66, SDP 56, HNS 7, HSS 6, HDSSB 3, IDS 3, SDSS 3, other 9
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; Constitutional Court; judges for both courts appointed for eight-year terms by the Judicial Council of the Republic, which is elected by the Assembly
Political parties and leaders:
Croatian Democratic Congress of Slavonia and Baranja or HDSSB[Vladimir SISLJAGIC]; Croatian Democratic Union or HDZ [IvoSANADER]; Croatian Party of the Right or HSP [Anto DJAPIC]; CroatianPeasant Party or HSS [Josip FRISCIC]; Croatian Pensioner Party orHSU [Vladimir JORDAN]; Croatian People's Party or HNS [Vesna PUSIC];Croatian Social Liberal Party or HSLS [Djurdja ADLESIC]; IndependentDemocratic Serb Party or SDSS [Vojislav STANIMIROVIC]; IstrianDemocratic Assembly or IDS [Ivan JAKOVCIC]; Social Democratic Partyof Croatia or SDP [Zoran MILANOVIC]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
other: human rights groups
International organization participation:
ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CE, CEI,EAPC, EBRD, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO,ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS(observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, SECI, UN, UNSecurity Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO,UNIFIL, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOGIP, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU,WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Kolinda GRABAR-KITAROVIC chancery: 2343 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 588-5899 FAX: [1] (202) 588-8936 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Robert A. BRADTKE embassy: 2 Thomas Jefferson Street, 10010 Zagreb mailing address: use street address telephone: [385] (1) 661-2200 FAX: [385] (1) 661-2373
Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and blue superimposed by the Croatian coat of arms (red and white checkered)
EconomyCroatia
Economy - overview:
Once one of the wealthiest of the Yugoslav republics, Croatia's economy suffered badly during the 1991-95 war as output collapsed and the country missed the early waves of investment in Central and Eastern Europe that followed the fall of the Berlin Wall. Since 2000, however, Croatia's economic fortunes have begun to improve slowly, with moderate but steady GDP growth between 4% and 6% led by a rebound in tourism and credit-driven consumer spending. Inflation over the same period has remained tame and the currency, the kuna, stable. Nevertheless, difficult problems still remain, including a stubbornly high unemployment rate, a growing trade deficit and uneven regional development. The state retains a large role in the economy, as privatization efforts often meet stiff public and political resistance. While macroeconomic stabilization has largely been achieved, structural reforms lag because of deep resistance on the part of the public and lack of strong support from politicians. The EU accession process should accelerate fiscal and structural reform.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$69.59 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):