Cote d'Ivoire

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Quick Facts

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Capital

Yamoussoukro

Population

16,390,000

Government

Republic

Religions

Islam, Indigenous beliefs, Christianity

Languages

French

Calling Code

+225

Nationality

Ivorian

Local name

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Introduction

Assini Beach, Ivory Coast

© All Rights Reserved mahfuzur

Unlike most West African countries, Cote d'Ivoire's experience with European colonialism was a relatively positive one. Deemed unattractive by slave traders (it had poor harbors compared to neighbouring lands), the French were the first to take an active interest in Cote d'Ivoire. The nation was the jewel at the heart of France's West Africa domination scheme and thrived under the benefits of plantations. In 1960, when the French gave Cote d'Ivoire its independence, the nation could look forward to a rich future.

As a result, Cote d'Ivoire has developed to become one of the region's best destinations. Cote d'Ivoire's art is reputedly the best in West Africa. The old ways of life carry on in many parts of the country, with the majority of the population practising traditional religion. A handful of excellent beaches add to Cote d'Ivoire's charm.

Unfortunately, recent political conflict makes Cote d'Ivoire a destination to be enjoyed with caution.

Brief History

Geography

Regions

• Eastern Plantations
• Lagunes
• Northern Savanna
• Southwestern Forests

Cities

• Abidjan
• Yamoussoukro - The capital
• Bouaké
• Daloa
• San-Pédro
• Gagnoa
• Man

Sights and Activities

Basilica of Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro

Basilica of Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro, also known as Basilique de Notre Dame de la Paix de Yamoussoukro, is a Roman Catholic church in the capital in Yamoussoukro. After being completed in 1989, at a cost of over 300 million USD, it became the world's largest Christian place of worship. The Basilica has a greater surface area and higher dome then St. Peters in the Vatican City, although the church can only seat 18,000 people. This church is an amazing sight and well worth the visit.

Les Éléphants Football Team

Les Éléphants is the national football team of Cote d'Ivoire. Being one of the best teams in Africa they made their appearance on the international level at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. Many people thought they would have done better if they had not drawn such a difficult group. Try to catch a game in the Abidjan if you can.

Music

Some great music can be found in Cote d'Ivoire. The country is a crossroads between Western African art and music. That means there is a very interesting blending of cultures and styles across the country. Go check out some of the amazing musical groups around the country or maybe hit up a large music festival in the city of Abidjan.

Other Sights and Activities

• Beaches - Enjoy some wonderful beaches and surf in towns like San-Pédro along the coast.
• Textiles - Buy some traditional textiles in the cities of the interior like Bouaké.

Events and Festivals

Weather

As Cote d'Ivoire stretches from the Atlantic coastline towards the edges of the Sahara desert, the climate, although being hot almost anywhere anytime, has some variety.
The coastal area is hot and humid yearround, with temperatures around 30 degrees Celsius on most days. February to May is a bit hotter, when even nights are very warm at 26 degrees Celsius on average. Although the rainy season lasts from May to October, there generally is a peak in May/June and another in October, while in between it is relatively dry. The coastal area of Cote d'Ivoire is however wetter than the countries immediately east like Ghana, Togo and Benin.
Towards the west it becomes even wetter.
In the north of the country, there is single rainy season from May to September and a long and hot dry season from October to April. The total amount of rain is much less compared to the southern and coastal zones. Temperatures during the hot season can reach well over 40 degrees Celcius during the days. From December to February the hot, dry and dusty Harmattan wind blows over most of the country as well, reaching almost to the coast although here with prevailing southwestern winds, the Harmattan only infects life for several days a year.

Getting there

By Plane

Air Ivoire is the national airline of Cote d'Ivoire and is based at Félix Houphouët-Boigny International Airport (ABJ) near Abidjan. International destinations include Accra, Bamako, Conakry, Cotonou, Dakar, Douala, Libreville, Lomé, Monrovia, Marseille, Niamey, Ouagadougou and Paris.
Other cities served with mostly their respective national airlines are Algiers, Tripoli, Brussels, Nouakchott, Casablanca, N'Djamena, Johannesburg and Tunis, and a few other cities in neighbouring countries in West Africa.

By Car

Due to safety reasons it's not advised to travel overland through Cote d'Ivoire on your journey through Africa, even though borders are open at the moment.

By Bus

Although most borders are open now, it's still only relatively safe to travel to and from Ghana. There are buses to Accra from Abidjan and sometimes onwards to Lomé in Togo.
Still, there is supposed to be a bus between Abidjan and Bamako in Mali as well.

By Boat

No regular passenger services exist, you might be lucky enough to enter or leave the country by cargo ship but don't hold your breath.

Getting Around

By Plane

Sophia Airlines is supposed to fly daily except Sundays between Abidjan and San Pedro. There are no other domestic services.

By Train

Although services were suspended during the civil unrest in the country, there might be trains running again between Abidjan and Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso, stopping en route in Bouaké and Ferkessédougou.

By Car

Cote d'Ivoire has an extensive road network and many roads are tarred and in a good condition. Travelling around by car is best avoided during the night, but cars can be hired at the international airport in Abidjan or downtown in Abidjan and several main towns. Traffic drives on the right and you need your national driver's licence.

By Bus

Modern aircon coach buses travel between the main cities and towns. They are comfortable but a bit slower than minibuses and shared taxis, because it takes longer at the checkpoints along the roads. Minibuses and shared taxis are also a bit more expensive.

By Boat

There are boat services in and near Abidjan, but most travel is overland.

Red Tape

Most nationals from West Africa do not need a visa. Everyone else needs a visa and you can also get a VTE (Tourist Visa Agreement) which gives you entrance to many West African countries.
Check the nearest embassy or consulate of Cote d'Ivoire for more information about costs and whether or not you need one beforehand.

Money

See also Money matters

Cote d'Ivoire uses the CFA Franc as a currency. The CFA Franc is divided into 100 centimes. Coins come in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 500 francs while banknotes come in denominations of 500, 1000, 2000, 5000, 10,000 francs
The exchange range is fixed at aproximately 656 CFA Francs for one Euro.

In Cote d'Ivoire the West African CFA Franc (XOF) is used which has the same vallue as the Central African CFA Franc (XAF), but it's not possible to use both currencies in the same country.

Fourteen countries in Africa use this currency, eight in West Africa and six in Central Africa. The West African CFA Franc can only be used in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo, while the Central African CFA Franc can only be used in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.

Work

Study

Language

Eat

Sleep

Drink

Health

See also Travel Health

Safety

See also Travel Safety

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

The country calling code to Cote d'Ivoire is: 225
To make an international call from Cote d'Ivoire, the code is: 00

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