Ivory Coast - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Ivory Coast. Most of the inhabitants live along the sandy coastal region; apart from the capital area, the forested interior is sparsely populated. Mother's mean age at first birth is 19.6 years (2011/12 est.) (Note: data represents median age at first birth among women 20-49), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 480 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Geographical data of Ivory Coast
Location Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Ghana and Liberia
Geographic coordinates 8 00 N, 5 00 W
Map references Africa
Tarrain mostly flat to undulating plains; mountains in northwest
Natural Resources petroleum, natural gas, diamonds, manganese, iron ore, cobalt, bauxite, copper, gold, nickel, tantalum, silica sand, clay, cocoa beans, coffee, palm oil, hydropower
Natural Hazards coast has heavy surf and no natural harbors; during the rainy season torrential flooding is possible
Irrigated Land 730 sq km (2012)
Major rivers (by length in km)
Major aquifers
Land Boundaries 3,458 km
Border Countries Burkina Faso 545 km; Ghana 720 km; Guinea 816 km; Liberia 778 km; Mali 599 km
Coastline 515 km
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)
Area
Total Area
Land Area 318,003 sq km
Water Area 4,460 sq km
comparative Area slightly larger than New Mexico
Maritime Claims
Territorial sea 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone 200 nm
Continental shelf 200 nm
Elevations
Highest point Monts Nimba 1,752 m
Lowest point Gulf of Guinea 0 m
Mean elevation 250 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 64.8% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 9.1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 14.2% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 41.5% (2018 est.)
Forest 32.7% (2018 est.)
Other 2.5% (2018 est.)
Population Distribution

The population is primarily located in the forested south, with the highest concentration of people residing in and around the cities on the Atlantic coast; most of the northern savanna remains sparsely populated with higher concentrations located along transportation corridors as shown in this population distribution map

People and Society

In Ivory Coast, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Akan 38%, Voltaique or Gur 22%, Northern Mande 22%, Kru 9.1%, Southern Mande 8.6%, other 0.3% (2021 est.)

Population
Pop growth rate 2.13% (2024 est.)
Birth rate 27.5 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate 7.3 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Health expenditure 3.3% of GDP (2020)
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density
Total fertility rate 3.4 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 1.67 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate 27.8% (2020)
Est married women (ages 15-49) 60.3% (2023 est.)
Literacy age 15 and over can read and write
Education expenditures 3.4% of GDP (2020 est.)
Net Migration rate 1.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality Ivoirian | Ivoirian(s)
Languages
Religions Muslim 42.9%, Catholic 17.2%, Evangelical 11.8%, Methodist 1.7%, other Christian 3.2%, animist 3.6%, other religion 0.5%, none 19.1% (2014 est.)
Age Structure
0-14 years 36.1% (male 5,437,108/female 5,390,782)
15-64 years 60.9% (male 9,200,957/female 9,060,748)
65 years and over 3% (2024 est.) (male 401,967/female 490,196)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 79.2
Youth dependency ratio 74.9
Elderly dependency ratio 4.3
Potential support ratio 19.3 (2021 est.)
Median Age
Total 21.2 years (2024 est.)
Male 21.2 years
Female 21.2 years
Urbanization
Urban population 53.1% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization 3.38% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 231,000 YAMOUSSOUKRO (capital) (2018), 5.686 million ABIDJAN (seat of government) (2023).
Sex Ratio
At birth 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over 0.82 male(s)/female
Total population 1.01 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total 52.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male 59.5 deaths/1,000 live births
Female 45.2 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 63.2 years (2024 est.)
Male 60.9 years
Female 65.4 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban urban: 89.9% of population
Improved: rural rural: 69.1% of population
Improved: total total: 79.8% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 10.1% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 30.9% of population
Unimproved: total total: 20.2% of population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban urban: 77.8% of population
Improved: rural rural: 35% of population
Improved: total total: 57.1% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 22.2% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 65% of population
Unimproved: total total: 42.9% of population (2020 est.)
Major Infectious diseases
Degree of risk very high (2023)
Food or waterborne diseases bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases malaria, dengue fever, and sexually transmitted diseases: hepatitis B (2024)
Water contact diseases schistosomiasis
Animal contact diseases rabies
Respiratory diseases meningococcal meningitis
Alcohol consumption per capita
Total 1.7 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer 1.13 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine 0.33 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits 0.2 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols 0.04 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
Total 9.4% (2020 est.)
Male 17.9% (2020 est.)
Female 0.9% (2020 est.)
Child marriage
Women married by age 15 7%
Women married by age 18 27%
Men married by age 18 3.5% (2016 est.)
Demographic profile

Cote d’Ivoire’s population is likely to continue growing for the foreseeable future because almost 60% of the populace is younger than 25 as of 2020, the total fertility rate is holding steady at about 3.5 children per woman, and contraceptive use is under 30%. The country will need to improve education, health care, and gender equality in order to turn its large and growing youth cohort into human capital. Even prior to 2010 unrest that shuttered schools for months, access to education was poor, especially for women. The lack of educational attainment contributes to Cote d’Ivoire’s high rates of unskilled labor, adolescent pregnancy, and HIV/AIDS prevalence.

Following its independence in 1960, Cote d’Ivoire’s stability and the blossoming of its labor-intensive cocoa and coffee industries in the southwest made it an attractive destination for migrants from other parts of the country and its neighbors, particularly Burkina Faso. The HOUPHOUET-BOIGNY administration continued the French colonial policy of encouraging labor immigration by offering liberal land ownership laws. Foreigners from West Africa, Europe (mainly France), and Lebanon composed about 25% of the population by 1998.

Ongoing economic decline since the 1980s and the power struggle after HOUPHOUET-BOIGNY’s death in 1993 ushered in the politics of "Ivoirite," institutionalizing an Ivoirian identity that further marginalized northern Ivoirians and scapegoated immigrants. The hostile Muslim north-Christian south divide snowballed into a 2002 civil war, pushing tens of thousands of foreign migrants, Liberian refugees, and Ivoirians to flee to war-torn Liberia or other regional countries and more than a million people to be internally displaced. Subsequently, violence following the contested 2010 presidential election prompted some 250,000 people to seek refuge in Liberia and other neighboring countries and again internally displaced as many as a million people. By July 2012, the majority had returned home, but ongoing inter-communal tension and armed conflict continue to force people from their homes.

All Important Facts about Ivory Coast

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Ivory Coast is found in Western Africa