1.5 A taste of Côte dʹIvoire
Côte dʹIvoire , ( pronounced koht dee VWAR ) is a country that lies along the Gulf of Guinea on the west coast of Africa .
Capital : Yamoussoukro is the capital of Côte d ’ Ivoire . Most government business , however , takes place in Abidjan , the economic center and former capital of the country . Abidjan is also Côte d ’ Ivoireʹs largest city and main port . Official language : French . Area : 322,463 km ² ( 124,504 mi ²). Elevation : Highest : Mount Nimba , 1,752 m ( 5,748 ft ). Lowest : sea level . Population : Estimated 2011 population : 20 150 000 ; density : 64 per km ² ( 166 per mi ²). Chief products : Cocoa beans , coffee , and palm oil are Côte d ’ Ivoireʹs chief exports . Other major exports include bananas , cotton , petroleum products , pineapples , and rubber . Ivorian farmers also grow cassava , corn , rice , and yams ; and they raise cattle , sheep , and goats . Flag : The flag has three vertical stripes of orange , white , and green ( left to right ). Money : Basic unit-CFA franc . CFA stands for Communaute Financiere Africaine ( African Financial Community ).
The countryʹs official name is Republique de Côte dʹIvoire , which is French for Republic of the Ivory Coast . The name first appeared on European maps of West Africa in the late 1600ʹs as Côte des Dents ou de lʹYvoire ( Tusk or Ivory Coast ). This name referred to the booming coastal trade in elephant tusks at that time . France declared Côte d ’ Ivoire a colony in 1893 , but did not fully control it until 1915 . Côte d ’ Ivoire gained independence in 1960 .
French is the official language of Côte dʹIvoire . The Jula ( Dyula ) language , which is used in trade , is most widely spoken .
More than half of all Ivorians live in small villages . The villages 8