Ivory Coast

Rpublique de Cte dIvoireBy Charles Gallop

1Early History

There is great archeological evidence that there were humans in what is now the Ivory Coast. Groups that were in the northern regions were a part of the trans-Saharan trade networks of Ghana and Mali and their empires. Up until the 19th century, European Contact was confined to the coast where French and Portuguese traders sought slaves and ivory.When Europeans rushed to Africa to claim colonies, France claimed the Ivory Coast in 1893 After world war one, France encouraged the Ivory Coast to become a more westernized place. France even funded the first railroad built in the Ivory Coast.

2Fight for independence

Forty thousand ivorians fought for the French army during world war two.Within the French colony there was a lot of racism and economic discrimination against the Africans. There was also an increase in forced labor. The more educated of the Ivorians fought with French officials for rights offered in France. Eventually they were able to abolish forced labor. The educated Ivorians continued to peruse complete independence from France. They created many political positions to show their independence. The stamp represents their first year of independence in 1961

3Geography

most of the inhabitants live along the sandy coastal region; apart from the capital area, the forested interior is sparsely populated

The biggest Environmental Issues are - 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

Location - Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Ghana and LiberiaCapital YamoussoukroLargest City AbidjanTotal Area - 123,863 sq/mi

The Climate is tropical along coast, semiarid in far north

The terrain is mostly flat to undulating plains; mountains in northwest

The major Natural Resources are petroleum, natural gas, diamonds, manganese, iron ore, cobalt, bauxite, copper, gold, nickel, tantalum, silica sand, clay, cocoa beans, coffee, palm oil, hydropower

4People And society

There are 60 native dialects to the ivory coast but the most widely spoken one is Dioula and the official language is FrenchThe country has four groups of religions, Muslim (38.6%), Christian (32.8%), indigenous (indigenous 11.9%) and no religion (16.7%). The majority of workers from other countries are Muslim (70%) and Christian (20%)The Population is 22,400,835 - The estimate of the population accounts for the mortality rate and death caused by AIDSThe Population Growth Rate is 2% Ivory Coast is 52 in the world and we are 124th with a rate of .9%The Birth Rate is 29.83 births/1,000 population Is 45th in the world and United States is 147th with 13.66 births/1000 populationThe Death Rate is 9.8 deaths/1,000 population 54nd in the world, United States is 8.39/1000 populationThe Major Urban Areas - The Capital YAMOUSSOUKRO has under one million and Major Urban Areas Abidjan 4.288 Million The Mothers Mean age at first birth is 19.7The Maternal Mortality Rate is 400 Deaths per 100,000 birthsChild Labor among children 4 to 15 is 35% or just under 2 millionEthnic 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)

5Government President Alassane Dramane Ouattara

Prime Minister Daniel Kablan Duncan

The Ivory Coast was made an independent republic on august 7 1960.The constitution of 1960 has since been replaced by a new constitution approved in 2000. The new constitution calls for a president who serves a five-year term and can only be reelected once. The president serves as the head of state but has a prime minister and the president appoints the prime minister and the council of ministers.

6Economy

The ivory coasts economy is heavily dependent on agriculture. 68% of the populated engages in agricultural related work. The largest exports are cocoa beans, coffee and palm oil.The economy is highly sensitive to variations in international prices and climate changes. The country also produces gold. After the civil war ended in 2003 the damage to the economy resulted in slow economic growth. The political election process also has great implications on the economy.

The countries GDP is roughly 41 Billion

The exchange rate is one us dollar is the equivalent of 485 CFA which is a French currency used in Africa

7Education

Educational services expanded greatly after the Ivory Coast gained independence. Six years of primary education is free and secondary school is provided in cycles of both two and three years.The civil war of 2002 greatly disrupted education in the country, mostly in the north where the rebel forces were located. There are several universities and colleges throughout the country, mostly near the two major cities Yamoussoukro and Abidjan.

8Health and Welfare

Health services in the ivory coast have gotten better since the late 1980s. The economic crisis made the health services unable to meet the needs of the rapidly growing population. Medical personnel left the northern part of the country in 2002 during the civil war, but since the end of the war many of those who left have returned and began practicing in a western style hospital environments. The most significant health issues since the late 1990s are Aids, malaria, and tuberculosis.

The image on the screen shows that america has partnered with the ivory coast in order to help focus on the prevention of HIV and AIDS

9Poverty

42% of the population is below the poverty line

The poverty is most present in the north where the rebels based during the civil war.

The poverty is mostly amongst the farmers that farm cocoa and coffee

10Media

Freedom of press is guaranteed under the most recent constitution in The ivory Coast but it is, in reality, extremely restricted. The press has become more active since the 1990s and there are numerous daily papers and all the papers are printed in French.There are several radio stations that broadcast programs and the programs are in French as well as different African languages.There are also many state run television stations and international television is made available through satellite.

11Poverty ReliefCivil WarEducationMediaUnited Nations

In order to eradicate the poverty in The Ivory Coast many opportunities for education and paid work are becoming available.

Since the setbacks due to the civil war, many education centers have been made available for free to the Ivorian's

The media has also played a key role in poverty relief

The united nations has prosecuted many of the inhuman acts preformed during the civil war

Again the civil war has greatly set back the country economically and socially12SummaryFight For Independence Environmental ConcernEconomic HopeDiversityCocoa Bean DependencyEducation on The RiseWidespread Poverty

The ivory coast had to fight for its independence from France.

The country faces great environmental issues

The country is coming back economically due to the toll of the civil war

It is a diverse country

The economy is heavily dependent on the Cocoa bean

Education Is making a comeback

Health Services are on the rise

There is widespread poverty

Though the country has many down sides, there are signs of hope to the end of its poverty and health issues.

13Citations 1Information 1 - http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/139651/Cote-dIvoireInformation 2 https://www.cia.gov/Africa Map - http://nobelwomensinitiative.org/2011/04/attention-shifts-to-the-ivory-coast/Ivory Coast Map - http://www.cid.suny.edu/newsroom/news2012/newsroom_2012_CotedIvoire.cfmIvory Coast Population Chart - https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/iv.htmlIvory Coast General Information - https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/iv.htmlPresident Picture - http://www.flambeaudesdemocrates.com/?p=678PM Picture - http://nehandaradio.com/2013/05/06/zim-cannot-go-cote-divoire-poll-route/http://en.unesco.orghttp://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/CIV.htmlhttp://www.ruralpovertyportal.org/country/home/tags/cote_divoire

Citations 2Coca Bean picture - http://www.english.rfi.fr/africa/20110309-france-protests-gbagbo-move-cocoaChild Cocoa - http://simplemom.net/chocolate/Drogba - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/ivory-coast/6607322/Didier-Drogba-Ivory-Coast-star-player-at-World-Cup-2010.htmlGabriel Tiachohca - http://www.corbisimages.com/stock-photo/rights-managed/42-24309420/athletics-gabriel-tiacohIvorian News Paper - http://www.cpj.org/2011/02/Ivory Coast School - http://news.indevcogroup.com/en/June2013/disposablebrands/447Ivory Coast currency - http://bigblue1840-1940.blogspot.com/2013/03/ClassicIvoryCoastStamps.htmlDrogba Soccer CE - http://www.iol.co.za/sport/soccer/drogba-shines-as-ivory-coast-beat-senegal-1.1591115#.UmCBqBaLRUQIvory Coast human rights - http://www.voanews.com/content/international-court-urged-to-administer-equal-justice-in-ivory-coast/1771112.html